Redraw — Rebuilding What the Text Was Covering

Redraw is reconstructing the artwork left blank after text is removed. When an SFX crossing a character's face is erased, part of that face goes with it — redraw puts it back.

When is it needed?

Redraw is needed when the text sits outside a bubble. Text inside a bubble leaves plain white behind and the job is done. An SFX running across a background means that background has to be rebuilt.

Series traits that increase redraw load: dense action scenes, large sound effects, screentone backgrounds, and vertical webtoon effects that bleed across panel gaps.

How it differs from cleaning

Cleaning is removal and it is mechanical; redraw is creation and it needs drawing skill. That is why most groups give redraw to a separate person — the editor.

Why it wrecks estimates

Every other step scales with page count: 20 pages, 20 pages of work. Redraw scales with scene content, not page count. A quiet dialogue chapter may need none; a fight chapter of the same length can cost six hours.

The practical consequence: redraw load has to be assessed separately when promising a release date. A flat "three days per chapter" assumption will embarrass the group on a heavy chapter.

Legitimate ways to avoid redraw

• Leave the effect in place. Keeping the original SFX and adding a small translation note beside it is common and widely accepted.
• Find a cleaner source. Some digital editions keep effects on a separate layer.
• Partial redraw. Fix only the area the eye lands on, and let the effect cover the rest.

Related

Redrawn pages move on to typesetting and then QC.