Clip Studio Paint Version 5.0 is on the way!

January 28, 2026

We are happy to announce that Clip Studio Paint Ver. 5.0 is coming out in March 2026.

1. New Features in Ver. 5.0

Ver. 5.0 will include all the features that have been added since Ver. 4.0’s release, plus many new features.

Improved drawing capabilities and performance

Smart Shape

  • Draw lines, curves, and shapes intuitively and efficiently.
  • Quickly create accurate figures and shapes without switching from your pen or brush.

Faster rendering speed

  • New setting for faster painting with large brushes with rougher rendering quality. Perfect for painting with watercolor brushes.
  • Improved rendering speed for brushes with thick watercolor edge settings.
  • Use stroke previews to reduce brush lag when drawing with high stabilization.

Improved blurring for drawing tools

  • Blending quality has been added to Ink settings for brush tools. Set this to High Quality for smoother blending.
  • When using the Blur tool or a brush with Running Color turned on, colors outside of the brush cursor or selection are no longer blended.

Velocity available as a new brush dynamic

  • Added velocity graph to Pen Pressure Settings and Tilt Settings as an option for brush size and opacity input dynamics.
  • Adjust the graph to increase the value the faster you draw.

Faster Fill tool

  • Improved processing speed with more accurate results.

Enhanced 3D features

3D hand model

  • Use high quality 3D hand models as references to improve your hand drawings.
  • Freely adjust the model size with intuitive controls to suit your character design.
  • Use hand pose materials and the Hand Scanner for quick posing.

Realistic textures for metal and gloss

  • Supports material texture parameters set on 3D models in glTF format files and PBR materials in FBX or OBJ files.
  • Add ambient light and panorama reflections for more realistic textures.

Paint on more 3D model types

  • Draw directly on 3D objects with UV-mapped vertices as well as 3D primitives and 3D drawing figures.
  • Add patterns or guide lines to use as references for different angles.

Group 3D objects

  • Group multiple 3D models into a folder and move and rotate the group as one.

Improvements to interface and usability

Improved workspace and palettes

  • Merged Sub Tools into Tools to simplify terms.
  • Tool icons can now pop up with related palettes.

Upgraded Material palette

  • Quickly see recently used materials in the new History folder.
  • Easier to search and sort materials in the palette.

Auto-install downloaded materials

  • Automatically add materials downloaded from Clip Studio Assets to the corresponding palette or list.
  • Auto-install tools, color sets, Auto Actions, gradient sets, and workspaces.

Tonal correction for multiple layers

  • Use Tonal Correction on multiple selected layers at once.

Improved Transform features

  • Rotate the bounding box to align with the orientation of an object when transforming.
  • Improved processing speed for rotating, scaling up, Free Transformation, Mesh Transformation, and Puppet Warp on raster layers.

Batch delete empty layers and hidden layers

  • Select “Empty layers” to delete all layers with nothing drawn.
  • Select “Hidden layers” to delete all hidden layers at once.

Enhanced multi-page and printed work features

Improved layer comps for multi-page works (EX)

  • Apply selected layer comps to multiple pages at once.
  • Batch export all layer comps or selected layer comps.

Improved color profile settings

  • Set a color profile when creating a new canvas.
  • Set an embedded profile to prevent colors from looking different when working across multiple environments.
  • Previewed color profile is also reflected in color palettes.

Improved performance and creative experience

Continuous saving of clip files

  • Continuously saves data for restoration. If the app is closed without saving, it will load the canvas before closing and restore it on restart.

Graph of daily creative hours

  • See a graph of how long you’ve been creating under My Creative Hours in Clip Studio.

New features added to Simple Mode

Basic animations

  • Draw while using onion skin to see neighboring frames.

Puppet warp

  • Easily adjust character poses by transforming them like a movable puppet.

3D head models

  • Adjust facial parts and angles for drawing references.

Sub View

  • Display reference images in the app.

Additional languages

Simplified Chinese (Windows / macOS)

  • Language supported on both PCs and mobile devices. Now available as an app display language.
Simplified Chinese (Windows / macOS)

2. How to get Ver. 5.0

  • For New Users

    How to get Ver. 5.0
  • For Current Users

    How to get Ver. 5.0

You can use Clip Studio Paint Ver. 5.0 with any of the following.

Ver. 5.0 (Perpetual License) One-time purchase Windows / macOS
Ver. 5.0 (Perpetual License)
One-time purchase Windows / macOS
  • Use the features included in this base version of Ver. 5.0 for an indefinite time period.
Ver. 4.0 > 5.0
Discounted version upgrade (Perpetual License)
One-time purchase Windows / macOS
Ver. 4.0 > 5.0
Discounted version upgrade (Perpetual License)
One-time purchase Windows / macOS
  • Users with a Ver. 4.0 perpetual license can upgrade to Ver. 5.0 at a discounted rate for a single payment.
  • Use the features included in this base version of Ver. 5.0 for an indefinite time period.
Update Pass Annual payment Windows / macOS
Update Pass
Annual payment Windows / macOS
  • Perpetual license users with any version can get all features and updates for a low price without purchasing a new perpetual license.
  • Always get the latest features and updates.
  • You will continue to have access to the latest versions including Ver. 5.0 and later while your plan is active.
Annual/Monthly plan Monthly or annual payment iPad / Android / Windows
macOS / iPhone
Annual/Monthly plan
Monthly or annual payment iPad / Android / Windows
macOS / iPhone
  • Available for all supported platforms.
  • Choose between monthly payments to manage your spending by month or save money with an annual payment.
  • Always get the latest features and updates.
  • You will continue to have access to the latest versions including Ver. 5.0 and later while your plan is active.

See below for details on how to use Ver. 5.0 for new and existing users.

For new users

Ver. 4.0 perpetual license users

  • Update Pass
  • Buy the Ver. 4.0 > Ver. 5.0 discounted version upgrade

Ver. 3.0 perpetual license users

Ver. 2.0 perpetual license users

  • Update Pass
  • If you want to use PRO with a one-time payment, the best value is to purchase a new Ver. 5.0 perpetual license.
  • If you want to use EX with a one-time payment, the best value is to upgrade your license. First get the discounted upgrade from Ver. 2.0 > Ver 3.0, then purchase the discounted upgrade from Ver. 3.0 > Ver. 4.0 and from Ver. 4.0 to Ver. 5.0.

Ver. 1 perpetual license users

  • Update Pass
  • If you prefer a one-time payment, the best value is to purchase a new Ver. 5.0 perpetual license.

Annual/Monthly plan or Update Pass users

  • You are good as is! You will continue having access to the latest version including Ver. 5.0 and beyond.

3. Ver. 5.0 Pricing

The following are the prices of the new products that will be available with the release of Ver. 5.0.

Clip Studio Paint PRO

Ver. 5.0 (Perpetual License) US$63.00
Windows / macOS
Ver. 4.0 > Ver. 5.0 discounted upgrade (perpetual license, one-time purchase)
US$28.99

Clip Studio Paint EX

Windows / macOS
Ver. 5.0 (Perpetual License)
US$277.00
Windows / macOS
Ver. 4.0 > Ver. 5.0 discounted upgrade (from EX, perpetual license, one-time purchase)
US$82.99
Windows / macOS
Ver. 4.0 > Ver. 5.0 discounted upgrade (from PRO, perpetual version, one-time purchase)
US$242.99

Note: All prices are tax inclusive

FAQ

Will I be able to open .clip files created using Ver. 5.0 in Ver. 4.0 and earlier versions?
Yes. However, when the .clip file is opened in Ver. 4 or earlier, you may not be able to edit parts that use new Ver. 5.0 features.
I received a Ver. 4.0 perpetual version license from a pre-release offer last year. How can I get Ver. 5.0?
Purchase the Ver. 4.0 > Ver. 5.0 discounted upgrade, or get the Update Pass to use Ver. 5.0.
Is there a discounted upgrade for Ver. 3 or earlier to Ver. 5.0?
We recommend that perpetual license users buy the Update Pass (annual payment) to access the latest versions at a lower price.
It is not possible to upgrade a perpetual license directly from Ver. 1, Ver. 2.0, or Ver. 3.0 to Ver. 5.0. The best deal for you to get Ver. 5.0 depends on the version you are currently using. Please see here for your current license and check out your options to get Ver. 5.0.
Can I continue to use Ver. 4.0 and earlier versions even after the release of Ver. 5.0?
Yes, you can continue to use your existing license. We will still provide free stability patches when necessary to address major bugs in the app.

Feel free to get in touch with our support team at the following: