a small guide by me, because I get asked a lot
Q: Why are both of these programs mentioned in the same breath all the time?
Because FireAlpaca came to the scene first, and is the older twin. :U MedibangPaint Pro was originally named âCloudAlpacaâ before the fork was acquired by the Japanese site, Medibang!
Q: So if theyâre derived from the same software, whatâs the difference?
FireAlpaca is great for drawing and illustration, and as of recent updates, has an animation feature! FireAlpaca is a very lovely and simplified alternative to software like Paint Tool SAI. The layout of the program is customizable with various subwindows that can be docked, rearranged, and overlaid on top of each other, etc.
Medibang Paint Pro (donât be fooled by the name, âProâ just means the Desktop version. It also has iOS and Android versions!) pretty much has a lot of similar features to FireAlpaca, but instead of Animation, it has tools for making Black and White Comics and Manga. It also has Cloud Networking and Storage features, which means you can download screntones, brushes, and store your program layout! If you have an account at Medibang, you can upload your illustrations and comics there directly, and network using its cloud features (but itâs not required to have an account to use.
Q: Does FA/MBP have customizable brushes?
There are various Types of Brushes!!!
All of which, are customizable! You customize the brushes by doubleclicking on them in the brush window!
AND you can organize your brushes in folders!
Q: Okay, so if these settings and things are so similar, and I have both programs installed, how do I transfer my layouts, brushes, etc. between them?
Both FA and MBP have this window, that has the option to go to your configure folder:
And these settings can be copied or pasted into the other config folder to transfer settings. Be careful when it comes to brushes though! (Thatâs a different guide for a different time)
Q: Can I really make decent art with these programs?
Yes. It takes practice, and getting to know the programs, but YES, it can be done!
And Iâm not talking about that thing artists do where they open their art between other programs like SAI and Photoshop anyways to do some final touches or anything (which isnât bad!)
But you can make full paintings and illustrations with just this program if you know your way around it.
Q: But are these programs gonna slow down my computer?
No! :D Both are super lightweight and open very quickly, and even work well on older computers! They are fantastic in terms of performance.
Q: Does it randomly crash though?
In my experience, FireAlpaca has only crashed when I used it on a Mac Computer. Outside of that, FA and MBP have not crashed on my systems, or on any of my laptops. And in the event that MBP crashes, it has an autosave feature! (which is why I do more of my illustrations in MBP, just in case.)
Q: Can they save and open Photoshop (.PSD) files? Does the software have Layers, Clipping, and Groups?
YES! Itâs really wonderful. If you save your files as the native FA/MBP format (.MDP) then you can preserve the nice layer features it has, such as 1-bit, 8-bit, and Draft Layers. (Guides for those will come another day!)
You can also save as other file formats, as typical drawing programs do. .PNG, .JPG, .BMP, etc. Medibang additionally saves in .TIFF and .WEBP formats.
Q: Will it work with my tablet?
Wacom and non-Wacom tablets tend to work very well with this Software! (I can vouch for my Yiynova 10U Screen Tablet |D) Sometimes, with screen tablets, there are offset problems, depending on your resolution (in my experience) but for the most part, it works very well. Just make sure your drivers are up to date for best performance!
Q: What if FA or MBP have a bug or problem? Or lacks a feature that I need? What do I do? D:
FA and MBP both have suggestion boxes (that also double as bug report forms with a checkbox) where you can tell them the problem youâre having!
(On the Medibang Paint website, you have to scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the âcontactâ link)
[FireAlpaca] [Medibang Paint]
Also, if you want to look up help, resources, and tutorials, be sure to check out these links!
MedibangPaintâs Deviantart [OFFICIAL]
FireAlpaca Group Deviantart [Unofficial]
@fpacatuto (compiles FireAlpaca + Medibang Paint tutorials & brushes)
@everythingfirealpaca (Questions and Help)
Paint Tool SAI to FireAlpaca brush translations (I need to make an updated version, but itâs still pretty accurate.) This is for when you want to copy SAI brush settings you might see on tumblr
Secret Shortcuts they donât tell you about but are super useful!
If you want to see more of my tips and tricks, please consider following and/or pledging to my Patreon, or otherwise being on the lookout on my deviantART page!
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