Adding texture to your brushes in Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint lets you add texture to your brushes in two main ways: by loading a texture file directly into a brush, or by creating a new brush with texture already built in. The fastest route is to find a texture image you want to use, then drag it into your brush settings. Textures can come from files on your computer, from Clip Studio's built-in library, or from downloaded texture packs.
The process takes about five minutes once you have your texture file ready. You do not need to convert the file or prepare it in any special way — Clip Studio reads most image formats, including PNG, JPG, and PSD files. The texture will show up in your brush strokes immediately after you load it.
Key Takeaways
- Textures are image files that Clip Studio overlays onto your brush strokes to create a rougher, more natural look.
- You can load a texture into an existing brush by opening the brush settings panel and dragging the texture file into the texture slot.
- Clip Studio comes with built-in textures in the Material library, which you can use without finding files on your computer.
- Texture strength and scale are adjustable after you load the texture, so you can make it subtle or dramatic depending on what you need.
- Downloaded texture packs from other artists work the same way as textures you create yourself.
Finding or preparing your texture file
A texture in Clip Studio is simply an image file — usually a grayscale image that shows light and dark areas. Lighter areas in the texture will show up more in your brush stroke, and darker areas will show up less. You can use a photograph of paper, fabric, or concrete; a scanned image of a real texture; or an image you created in another program.
If you already have a texture file on your computer, you are ready to move to the next step. If you do not, Clip Studio includes textures in its Material library. Open the Material panel on the right side of your workspace (if it is not visible, go to Window > Material), then look for the Texture folder. You can use any of these textures without downloading anything.
If you want to use a texture from outside Clip Studio, download it to a folder you can find easily — your Downloads folder or Desktop works fine. Clip Studio will read PNG, JPG, BMP, and PSD files, so most textures you find online will work.
Loading a texture into an existing brush
Open the brush you want to add texture to. In the Tool panel on the left, right-click the brush name and select "Brush Settings" or "Sub Tool Detail". This opens the brush settings window. Look for the "Texture" section — it is usually on the left side of the settings panel, below the stroke settings.
In the Texture section, you will see a box that says "Texture" with a folder icon next to it. Click that folder icon. A file browser window opens. Navigate to your texture file and select it. Clip Studio loads the texture immediately, and you will see a preview of how it looks in the texture preview box.
If you are using a texture from Clip Studio's Material library instead, you can drag it directly from the Material panel into the Texture box in the brush settings. This is faster than using the file browser if you already know which texture you want.
Adjusting texture strength and scale
After you load a texture, you will see two sliders below the texture preview: "Texture Scale" and "Texture Strength". Texture Scale controls how large the texture pattern appears in your brush stroke — a higher number makes the pattern bigger, and a lower number makes it smaller. Texture Strength controls how much the texture affects the brush — a higher number makes the texture more visible, and a lower number makes it more subtle.
Start with Texture Strength at around 50 to 70 percent and adjust from there. If the texture is too strong, your strokes will look rough and grainy. If it is too weak, you will barely see it. Texture Scale depends on your image size and how detailed you want the texture to be — for most work, a scale between 50 and 150 percent works well.
You can change these settings at any time while you are painting. The changes show up in your brush strokes immediately, so you can test different values and see what looks right for your project.
Creating a new brush with texture
If you want to keep your original brush unchanged and create a new version with texture, you can duplicate the brush first. Right-click the brush name in the Tool panel and select "Duplicate Sub Tool". This creates a copy with a new name. Then follow the steps above to add texture to the copy.
This approach is useful if you use the same brush for both textured and smooth work. You can keep both versions in your tool panel and switch between them depending on what you need. Clip Studio stores both versions separately, so changing one does not affect the other.
Using texture packs from other artists
Many artists share texture packs online, either free or for purchase. These usually come as a folder containing multiple texture files. To use them, download the folder and remember where you saved it. Then follow the same steps as loading a single texture file — open your brush settings, click the folder icon in the Texture section, and navigate to the texture file you want.
Some texture packs come with instructions about where to place the folder so Clip Studio finds them automatically. If the instructions say to put the folder in a specific location, follow those steps. If there are no instructions, you can keep the folder anywhere on your computer and browse to it each time you want to use a texture from it.
Troubleshooting texture problems
If you load a texture but it does not show up in your brush stroke, the texture strength is probably set to zero. Check the Texture Strength slider and move it up to at least 20 or 30 percent. If the texture is still not visible, make sure you actually loaded a texture file — the Texture box should show a preview image, not be blank.
If the texture looks blurry or pixelated, adjust the Texture Scale slider. A scale that is too high makes the texture look blocky, and a scale that is too low makes it look blurry. Try values between 50 and 200 percent and see what looks sharp in your brush stroke.
If Clip Studio will not open your texture file, the file might be corrupted or in a format Clip Studio does not recognize. Try a different texture file to confirm. Clip Studio reads PNG, JPG, BMP, and PSD files reliably — if your file is in a different format, convert it to PNG or JPG using another program first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a color image as a texture, or does it have to be grayscale?
Clip Studio converts any image to grayscale when you load it as a texture, so color does not matter. A color photograph of wood grain will work the same way as a grayscale version of the same photo. Use whichever version you have.
What size should my texture image be?
Texture images can be any size from 64 pixels to several thousand pixels wide. Larger images give you more detail, but very large textures can slow down your brush. For most work, an image between 512 and 2048 pixels wide works well. If your texture looks pixelated, try a larger image.
Can I use the same texture on multiple brushes?
Yes. Load the texture into each brush the same way you loaded it into the first one. Clip Studio does not limit how many brushes can use the same texture file. You can adjust the texture strength and scale separately for each brush, so the same texture can look different depending on which brush you use it with.
Will the texture show up in my exported image?
Yes. The texture is part of your brush stroke, so it appears in your finished image when you export it as PNG, JPG, or any other format. The texture is baked into the stroke itself, not a separate layer.
Can I remove a texture from a brush after I add it?
Yes. Open the brush settings, find the Texture section, and click the small X or trash icon next to the texture preview. This removes the texture without affecting any other brush settings. Your brush will go back to being smooth.