Pen Pressure sensitivity is a feature that allows you to draw light and thick lines in Clip Studio Paint.
But sometimes, Clip Studio Paint doesn’t register the correct input from your drawing tablet.
Here is a list of solutions to make Pen Pressure Sensitivity work properly in CSP on Windows, iPad and MacOS.
Our step-by-step solutions listed below apply to drawing tablet brands such as Wacom, XP-Pen, Huion, Xencelabs, and others.
Table of Contents
Solution 1: Turn on Pen Pressure in Clip Studio Paint
Pen pressure sensitivity is turned on by default in Clip Studio Paint. But if it’s disabled, follow these steps to enable pen pressure sensitivity.
Windows 10 & Windows 11
Step 1: Connect your graphic tablet with your art device
Step 2: Click File > Pen Pressure Settings. Select the Show Pen Pressure Graph option
Step 3: Adjust the pen pressure by dragging the line.
Step 4: Click Check Adjusted Settings. Draw on the canvas while intentionally pressing your stylus lighter and stronger to test the pen pressure.
Step 5: Keep adjusting the pen pressure until you’re satisfied with it. Click the Stronger or Lighter option to adjust the pen pressure manually.
Step 6: Select Done to save your pen pressure settings.
MacOS
Step 1: Connect your drawing tablet to your MacBook.
Step 2: On the top left menu, select Clip Studio Paint > Pen Pressure settings
Step 3: Modify the pen pressure by adjusting the Pen Pressure Graph line. Don’t forget to click Check Adjusting Settings to test your new config.
Step 4: Click Done to save the change
iPad
Step 1: Open the Clip Studio Paint app on your iPad
Step 2: Click the CSP icon at the top left
Step 3: Select the Pen Pressure Setting option. Click Initial Settings to reset your pen pressure to default app settings.
Step 4: Using the Apple Pencil, adjust the pen pressure graph
Step 5: Select Try adjusted results to test your current pen pressure sensitivity. Draw on the canvas with your Apple pencil. Try to press your pencil harder and lighter. Don’t forget to tilt while drawing.
Step 6: Select OK to save the change
Solution 2: Identifying Hardware or Software Issues
I recommend installing another drawing app to determine whether the problem is on the software or not.
For detailed information on Clip Studio Paint’s system requirements, please refer to our guide on Clip Studio Paint system requirements.
If your system barely passes the minimum requirement, you can modify your CSP setting to make it run faster.
Here is the list of free drawing apps you can get:
Windows: Krita, Medibang, Inkscape, GIMP
MacOS: Krita, Medibang, PaintBrush
iPad: IbisPaint, Medibang, SketchBook
Try to draw anything with the pen pressure turned on. Testing with multiple brushes is better to ensure the brush setting does not cause the issue.
If nothing is wrong with your drawing, the problem is caused by software or clip studio paint. Follow the Solution 3 or Solution 4 to solve the issue.
If the pen pressure issue persists, the problem is on your hardware or drawing tablet. Follow the Solution 5 or Solution 6 to solve the issue.
Solution 3: Change the Tablet Settings in CSP
Step 1: Select File > Preference (Ctrl + K or Cmd ⌘ + K)
Step 2: On the left menu, select Tablet settings
Step 3: On Tablet Settings, beside the Precision option, choose Prefer Quality
Step 4: Choose between the Wintab and Tablet PC options under the Using Tablet Service section. Test for pen pressure by drawing on the canvas.
Wintab refers to drawing tablets and display tablets connected to your computers while
Tablet PC applies to Windows tablets like Microsoft Surface Tablet.
If you’re using a Wacom drawing tablet like me, I recommend using the WinTab setting.
Step 5: Select OK to save the new settings.
Solution 4: Reset the Clip Studio Paint Settings
Resetting Clip Studio Paint will delete some of your custom configurations. Your personalized settings, brushes, or workspace layouts will be lost.
Luckily, Clip Studio Paint allows you to select which setting to reset. You only need to reset the Tool and Preference to fix pen pressure sensitivity.
Step 1: Close Clip Studio Paint. Open the Clip Studio app (The app you used to log in and register CSP).
Step 2: Press the Paint icon while holding Shift on your keyboard
Step 3: Uptick the Tool and Preference option
Step 4: Click OK to reset CSP settings
If resetting CSP settings doesn’t fix your issue, I recommend reinstalling Clip Studio Paint.
Solution 5: Reset Your Drawing Tablet’s Driver
Before resetting your drawing tablet driver, you must run a diagnostic to detect the issue.
If you use a Wacom drawing tablet, follow these steps:
Running Wacom Diagnostic Tool
Step 1: Open the Wacom Center app
Step 2: On My Devices, select your drawing tablet
Step 3: Select the Advanced menu and click Diagnostics
Step 4: Wait until the diagnostic process ended
Reset all settings for the Wacom Tablet
Beware that this solution will reset all Wacom device settings to their factory default.
Step 1: Open the Wacom Center app
Step 2: Click the Gear icon.
Step 3: Click General settings, Select the Reset all settings option
If the issue persists, you can access support for your drawing tablet through these links:
Wacom Support Page: https://support.wacom.com/hc/en-us#product-support
XP-Pen Support Page: https://www.xp-pen.com/support
Huion Support Page: https://www.huion.com/contact_us.html
If your drawing tablet is still under warranty, consider getting it repaired or replaced at no cost.
Not that you may have installed the wrong driver because you use multiple drawing tablets from multiple brands. Sadly, their driver will conflict with each other, so you must uninstall the other one and keep your favorite.
I recommend using the Wacom drawing tablet based on my ranking in this guide: The Top Drawing Tablet Brand Ranked.
Solution 6: Reinstall the Drawing Tablet Driver
Sometimes, if the driver for your drawing tablet is corrupted, it can cause random issues whenever you use it.
You need to redownload the driver from a reliable website.
I’ve searched the internet to find the correct download pages for popular drawing tablet brands:
Wacom Driver Page: https://www.wacom.com/en-us/support/product-support/drivers
Huion Driver Page: https://www.huion.com/download/
XP-Pen Driver Page: https://www.xp-pen.com/download
Solution 7: Restarting your Computer
After making any adjustments to your tablet settings or updating drivers, it’s a good practice to restart your computer.
I repeat, restarting, not shut down.
Restarting differs from shutting down and putting the computer to sleep, as it involves a complete shutdown followed by a fresh start.
This can help apply the changes effectively, clear temporary data from memory, and ensure a smoother experience with your drawing tablet in Clip Studio Paint.
Solution 8: Update Clip Studio Paint
Maybe your issue has been fixed in the new version of Clip Studio Paint. You can try to update CSP by downloading and installing the new version.
Before updating CSP, don’t forget to backup your files.
Download CSP at this link below:
https://www.clipstudio.net/en/dl
Solution 9: Contact the CSP support team
If you’ve tried everything and still have problems with pen pressure sensitivity, I suggest contacting the CSP support teams.
Clip Studio Paint support page: https://support.clip-studio.com/en-us
There’s a chance that your issue comes from a hidden software bug that the developers haven’t found yet.
By reporting your issue to the support team, we can hope that it will be addressed in a future update.
