Welcome to KumaKuma Manga Editor.
There are a lot of functions packed into this program to help you create your very own manga/comic.
An in-depth guide is available in your client, under the toolbar section "Help" -> "Introductory Guide".

When you first start the program you will automatically start the developer's brief introduction to KumaKuma. After which you will be able to start your very own project.
When starting a new project, you may choose to select one of the automatic page layouts provided or go with a bank page and add your custom layout.
Once the project has been opened, you can insert your panels onto the page by going to "Grid" and double-clicking on one or more of the various panel shapes.
Don't worry if the initial shape doesn't quite meet your expectations - you can always change this later.
The panels will appear as grids on the right side of your screen under "Layer". There you can move the layers from top to bottom. Layers on top will appear above any overlapping layers, so keep that in mind.
Tip: By moving the edges of the panel, you can adjust the form to your wishes.

Once you've set up your preferred layout it's time to move on to filling your page with life.
For this you'll need characters, dialogue, effects and backgrounds.

Tip: Be sure to keep your layouts consistent. Making it easy for readers to find out where they start reading and where it goes is. This is an essential part in story flow and keeping the reader chained to your story.
Mangas start from the top right and move right to left, top to bottom.
Manhwa and comics, on the other hand, are read left to right, top to bottom.

Let's start with characters:
In order to access characters in KumaKuma Manga Editor in its current form, you'll have to go to your toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Role". A new window will unfold presenting your with various categories such as KumaKuma or Dimension Fantasy premade characters that come with the software. You'll notice the category "Custom" listed as well, because you'll be able to create your own custom characters by selecting "New Role".
For the purposes of this lecture, select a premade character of your choice and drag it into a panel.
(This character will likely need to be downloaded the first time you select it.)
Voila, you just inserted your first character and are that much closer to a finished comic.

In the next lesson, you'll learn about creating your own custom characters to fit the type of story you want to tell.

Custom Characters

The key to any comic or manga are sympathetic characters. They don't have to be heroic but can be villainous as well, as long as the reader can build a connection to them and their motives.
Let's start by creating our first custom character. To do this, go into the "Role" menu and then select "New Role".
A new menu will pop up allowing you to choose what type of character it is you want to create:
Teenage Girl, Boy Child (can then later be defined as a boy or girl) or an Elder (can also be defined later as a male or female).
A default character will automatically load up and you will be able to adjust the hair style, hair color, eye color as well as the character's outfit. Play around with the various looks to get a feel for them and which one would best fit the storyline of the character.
Once you've created your character, it's time to click save and give your character a name.
From there on, you can find that character under "Role" and Custom.

Emotions:

With our character set on the stage, it's time to give him some life by granting him emotions.
Depending on the comic/manga you are creating, you can alter the expression from a more serious tone to comical.
First, make sure your character is still selected. Then go to the toolbar and click on the smiley icon.
A list will pop up showing all the custom expressions that come with the software. Feel free to try them out.
In most cases, however the basic expressions will not fit 100 %, which means we need to create a custom expression.

Tip: You can create a custom expression real fast by selecting a basic expression and then customizing the minor details to fit your needs.

Click "Custom Expression" above the search bar.
A series of options will appear below allowing your to adjust by moving the bars.
You can raise or lower the eyebrows, open/close eyes (including squinting), make the pupil of the eye larger or smaller (smaller for shock or horror for example) and change the general direction of the eyes. (Useful when you want to have your characters look at each other.
You can also perform several alterations to the mouth, including smiling, opening/closing the mouth or sticking out the tongue.
To alter any of these setting, click the setting from the drop down menu you wish to change and the drag the marker left or right to increase its value. 0 means it has not taken effect while 100 is the fullest.
For example, closing an eye. 0 would have it open normal, 25 would be a slight squint, 50 strong squint and everything higher than 75 would appear almost entirely shut.
make sure to save your expression and then select it from the Custom Expression menu for your character.
Next up, we'll be looking at poses and how they help define your character.