What is a .clip file?
Clip Studio Paint Document · Design · Celsys · 2012
A .clip file is a Clip Studio Paint document, the standard tool of manga, comic and anime-style illustrators. It stores layers, vector lines, 3D pose models and animation timelines in one working file.
What is a .clip file used for?
Clip Studio Paint (formerly Manga Studio) dominates digital comics: its .clip format keeps everything editable, from pen-pressure vector strokes to panel rulers, speech balloons and frame-by-frame animation.
The format is proprietary to Celsys and no other editor opens it, so sharing means exporting: PSD for other paint apps (layers survive), or PNG/JPEG for finished pages. Files sync across devices via Clip Studio's own cloud.
How to open a .clip file
The .clip format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to open a .clip file.
Windows
- Clip Studio Paint
macOS
- Clip Studio Paint
Linux
- No native option; use an exported PSD/PNG
How to convert a .clip file
You can convert a .clip file to psd, png, jpg, tiff using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
.clip file signature (magic bytes)
Programs recognise a .clip file by the bytes at the start of the file, not by its name. These are the signatures for Clip Studio.
| Hex signature | Offset | Note |
|---|---|---|
| (no fixed signature) | 0 | proprietary; no publicly documented fixed signature |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .clip file?
A .clip file is a Clip Studio Paint document, the standard tool of manga, comic and anime-style illustrators. It stores layers, vector lines, 3D pose models and animation timelines in one working file.
How do I open a .clip file without Clip Studio Paint?
You cannot; no other app reads the format. Ask for a PSD export, which keeps the layers, or a flat PNG. Clip Studio Paint itself has a free trial if you need one-time access.
Can Photoshop or Procreate open .clip files?
Not directly. Export from Clip Studio Paint to PSD; both Photoshop and Procreate open that with layers intact, though vector layers become raster.
What is the difference between .clip and .psd for comic work?
.clip preserves Clip Studio's special layers (vectors, rulers, 3D models, animation); .psd is the interchange copy that other software understands but flattens those extras.
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references: