I had a discussion on IRC with tiar and halla (December 7 2024, different username) about a possible feature to make a gradient tone tool. Clip Studio Paint has a couple of tools that make gradient tones possible, for artists doing manga style artworks I think this would be a great addition to Krita.
I recorded a video showing some different settings and the tool in action (EDIT: New users can only post two links so I will make another post below this one with the link)
Summary of observations:
CSP has three colour settings: monochrome, gray, and colour. Having a existing gradient auto-convert to a tone requires the gradient be made with the grayscale setting first or it will become banded
When using the Manga Gradient tool it can operate on monochrome layers (not in the video) but it will multiplicatively apply to whatever existing tone there is
The Manga Gradient tool will create a custom tone layer which the type of tone can be changed independently to the gradient direction. You can edit the Tone Angle, Tone Dot Style, Tone Position, and other factors.
The custom tone layer behaves as a mask (or seems to appear as one in the Layer panel), so a flat tone is actually underneath however an interaction between the gradient and the mask is interpreted as different tones densities.
The Erase Gradient can subtract from existing gradients or tone layers.
I hope this helps provide a starting point for this feature request.
I normally use the Fill Layers Screentone settings for this. I use them fairly often, so I have a template with a Screentone layer already set to go, which I just duplicate and apply a gradient (or paint) when needed. Would this tool create a different effect or is the idea to just have a method similar to what the other program offers?
In this one, besides the textures you see, the crosshatched lines are also a screentone layer (well, two; One layer has a set of lines going one direction, while the second goes the other).
which I just duplicate and apply a gradient (or paint) when needed.
It’s not clear to me how you are using the gradient from your description - if you mean you are using it to mask the screentone away gradually so you can layer multiple screentones this isn’t exactly the same thing I am requesting.
If you look at the video I posted, the gradient tool or converting a gradient to a screentone in CSP results in a change in the screentone density for each value step in the gradient. This would be very time consuming to do by manually applying multiple screentones and then occluding parts of them with masks applied manually (note: this is a valid way of applying screentones but not what I’m requesting).
If you could share a video or screenshots of the process of applying a gradient to your screentones it might help me understand what you’re doing, if it’s different to what I said above.
Your comics look great by the way! The shading on the bodies is very well done.
To share one of my artworks which have used a gradient tone on CSP and a zoomed in portion of it:
Your comics look great by the way! The shading on the bodies is very well done.
Thanks! I like your image, too! Great energy to it
the gradient tool or converting a gradient to a screentone in CSP results in a change in the screentone density for each value step in the gradient
Yeah, I did see that. Maybe it’s not well represented in my images there, but it is possible in Krita. I did make a mistake, however. It’s not a Fill Layer with Screentones, but actually a Layer Mask with Halftone setting I use for that effect. I’ll try getting a video together to show you.
Here’s the video showing to set up the Halftone Layer Mask. As I said previously, once you have it, you could create a template with one already on hand. Then you’d just duplicate and use it as is, with the need to set them up again.
This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing. I followed the steps in your video and I was able to recreate a linear screentone gradient quite effectively. You can see below:
If it was added to the documentation it would be a good way to help bring more people over from CSP. I’m still quite new at Krita myself so I had no idea this was possible.
Maybe it’s not well represented in my images there, but it is possible in Krita.
It was more the images being scaled down for the forum meant it was difficult to actually see enough detail on the images to tell how the screentone gradation was being done. So your video cleared it up nicely.
Great video. Just one comment: you can actually paint with transparency, and have the halftone vary, but you have to select the alpha mode instead of intensity. That way the alpha channel is used as input for the halftone instead of the colors.
No. That’s because the fill layers do not take as input any other layer (like filters do), only the own layer’s implicit mask, that is used for transparency, so they apply the effect uniformly on some region. They are meant to just fill regions.
I created both the screentone fill layer and the halftone filter. If you have any question about how to achieve this or that effect, just ask.
(EDIT: just noticed you’re a moderator so I’ll assume it’s okay!)
I like your image, too! Great energy to it 
