How To Use Procreate: A total beginner’s guide

Table of Contents

👁️ POV: You’ve bought your iPad Pro and downloaded the Procreate app from App Store. You’re so excited to start creating digital art. You open Procreate… and you don’t know what to do.

Was there, been that. Procreate might seem intimidating at first, even though it’s more intuitive in comparison to other digital drawing software I know.

4️⃣7️⃣ To help you learn it faster, I’ve created this list of 47 most frequently Procreate-related questions people ask on the Internet. I hope this little Procreate tutorial will help you create amazing digital art!

This guide is divided into 6 segments:

Color (6 questions)
Layers (15 questions)
Painting process (13 questions)
Brushes (6 questions)
Text (3 questions)
Gallery (4 questions)

COLOR (6)

How to use the color picker in Procreate? (How to pick a color from an image in Procreate? How to match colors in Procreate?)

To use the color picker, press and hold down your finger where you want to pull the color from, wait for the circle to take on your color, and watch for the color to appear in the color selection tool.

How to use gradient map in Procreate?

To apply a gradient map, create a new layer, access the “Adjustments” menu, select “Gradient Map,” customize the gradient by editing color stops, and adjust blend modes and opacity as needed.
Detailed guide on using gradients map in Procreate coming soon.

How to use the color fill tool in Procreate? (How to fill shapes in Procreate?)

To use color fill, drag the color disc from the top-right corner of your screen and drop it onto the area of your subject you want to fill with the chosen color.

How to use the paint bucket in Procreate?

Procreate doesn’t have a traditional paint bucket tool. Instead, you can use the Color Drop feature by tapping and holding the selected color, then dragging it into the desired area on the canvas.

How to change the color of lines in Procreate?

To change the color of lines, select the layer containing the lines, set it to Alpha Lock, and paint over the lines with the color of your choice.

How to invert colors in Procreate?

To invert colors, select a layer (click one the layer’s image on the left), and set it to “Invert.” This will flip colors to their opposite hue on the color wheel.

LAYERS (15)

How to change layer opacity in Procreate?

To change layer opacity, select a layer (click one the letter symbolizing its blending mode on the right), and the use the slider to adjust opacity.

How to use a clipping mask in Procreate?

To use a clipping mask, create a new layer above the layer you want to mask, and select it (tap the layer’s image on the left). Choose “Clipping Mask” from the pop-up menu. The top layer will now only be visible where it overlaps the layer below.

How to select multiple layers in Procreate?

To select multiple layers, swipe all the chosen layers to the right. Once selected, you can perform various actions on them together.

How to group layers in Procreate?

To group layers, select at least two layers (by swiping the chosen layers to the right), then click “Group”.

How to merge layers in Procreate?

To merge layers, choose the range of the layers, and then pinch them with your fingers. This way you can merge multiple layers. Alternatively, you can select a layer (by tapping the layer’s image on the left) and use the “Merge Down” option from the layer menu. This way you can only merge one two layers.

How to use Procreate to draw over photos?

To draw over a photo, import a photo into Procreate (go to Actions → Add → Insert a photo) – this is your layer 1. Then, create a new layer on top of it (let’s call it layer 2), and use brushes to draw over the photo. Adjust the layer 2 opacity if needed for reference.

How to use a mask in Procreate?

To use a mask, select a layer and tap the “Mask” option in the layer settings. You can paint on the mask to hide or reveal parts of the layer without permanently erasing.*
You can paint, blend, or erase elements of the mask layer. Erasing and blending is quite easy, but things get a little bit more complicated when it comes to painting. The color of your strokes will depend on the value of the color chosen. This is how Procreate explain the way Masks work:

Layer Masks are edited using grayscale. Erasing or painting in black hides parts of the parent layer, and painting in white reveals parts. Varying shades of gray alter the content with corresponding levels of opacity. When a Layer Mask is selected as your Primary layer, your Color Panel selections will ignore hue. This ensures you always paint on a Layer Mask in grayscale.

Okay, so in simpler words: painting with black works like eraser. Painting with light colors adds color to the painting.
PROCREATE TIP: As you can see, using Masks in Procreate is a rather complicated task, so let me answer the question once again: Don’t use Masks. They are counterintuitive, I never use them, (probably most Procreate users don’t), so you shouldn’t even care about them.

How to remove the background in Procreate?

To remove the background, you can use the selection tools to isolate the subject, then either delete the background.

How to delete a layer in Procreate?

To delete a layer, swipe left on the layer you want to delete in the layer panel, and then tap the “Delete” option.
This will only work if you have at least two layers. Otherwise, after swiping left, you’ll only see the “Clear” option instead.

How to duplicate a layer in Procreate?

To duplicate a layer, swipe right on the layer you want to duplicate in the layer panel, and then tap the “Duplicate” option.

How to make a layer transparent in Procreate? (How to fade a layer in Procreate?)

To make a layer transparent, adjust the layer’s opacity by selecting the layer and using the opacity slider in the layer settings panel. Reducing opacity makes the layer more transparent, creating a fading effect.

How to move layers in Procreate?

To move layers, tap and hold the layer you want to move in the layer panel, then drag it to a new position in the stacking order.

How to move multiple layers in Procreate?

You can move multiple layersby selecting multiple layers in the layer panel (choose one layer, then swipe right the others), and then dragging them to a new position in the stacking order.

How to make the background transparent in Procreate?

To make the background transparent, simply turn off the background layer (it’s called “Background color”) in the layers tab.
When exporting, choose a file format that supports transparency, such as PNG. This way you can create a backgroundless image (and, for example, use it as a sticker).

How to copy layers to another canvas in Procreate?

To copy layers to another canvas, select the layers you want to copy, then press and hold them, and drag the layers out of the layer bar. With you second hand, click “Gallery” (while still holding the layers!). Click on the canvas you want to copy the layers to, and, finally, drop the layers (phew).
Remember that the layers imported this method transfer as images, and will not keep Blend Modes (they will be set by default to “Normal”), Masks, or other layer-specific data.

PAINTING PROCESS (13)

How to crop in Procreate?

To crop the Canvas, go to the “Actions” menu, select “Canvas,” and then choose “Crop & Resize.” Adjust the crop handles to select the desired area, and tap “Done” to confirm.

How to use symmetry in Procreate?

To use the symmetry tool, go to the “Actions” menu, select “Canvas,” enable “Drawing Guide”. Then enable “Edit Drawing Guide” and choose the symmetry option. Now you can create symmetrical drawings by drawing on one side of the canvas.
If the symmetry option doesn’t work, check if the “Assisted drawing” setting is on by clicking a layer and enabling clicking “Drawing Assist”. You will know it’s on when you see the label “Assisted” under the layer’s name.

How do I cut an image in Procreate?

In Procreate, you can cut a part of an image by making a selection around the area you want to cut, swipe down the screen with three fingers, then tap the “Cut” option from the selection menu. The selected portion will be removed from the image.

How to flip the canvas in Procreate?

To flip the canvas, go to the “Canvas” menu, and select “Flip Horizontal” or “Flip Vertical” to mirror the canvas horizontally or vertically.

How to blend in Procreate?

To blend colors, select the Smudge tool (the hand icon) and blend the colors until you get a smooth transition.

How to undo in Procreate?

To undo an action, simply tap the screen with two fingers.

How to erase in Procreate?

To erase in Procreate, select the Eraser tool, choose your desired brush, and then erase by drawing over the areas you want to remove. Adjust the eraser brush size and opacity as needed.

How to copy and paste in Procreate?

To copy and paste, select the element you want to copy, swipe down the screen with three fingers, tap the “Copy” option in the toolbar, swipe down the screen with three fingers again, and then tap “Paste” to place the copied element on the canvas.

How to redo in Procreate?

To redo an action simply tap the screen with three fingers.

How to move a selection in Procreate?

To move a selection, create a selection using any selection tool, then drag the selected area to a new location on the canvas.

How to draw straight lines in Procreate?

To draw straight lines, simply draw a line and hold your Apple Pencil on the screen until the line becomes straight.

How to turn off finger drawing in Procreate?

To turn off finger drawing, go to “Action”, then “Prefs”, and “Gesture controls.” Finally, go to “General,” and disable “Enable painting with finger.”

How to add a reference photo in Procreate?

To add a reference photo, go to the “Actions” menu, select “Canvas,” and choose “Reference” to import and place a photo on your canvas for reference.
There are three options to choose from. If you choose “Canvas” the reference will be showing what you’re doing in the canvas in real time. “Image” enables you to import an image from your iPad as a reference. Finally, if you choose “Face”, the front camera will turn on – you can draw your face!

BRUSHES (6)

How to change brush opacity in Procreate?

To change the opacity of a brush, use the bottom slider on the left side of your screen.

How to make lines smooth in Procreate?

To make lines smooth, go to “Actions” → “Prefs” → “Pressure and Smoothing”. Here, adjust the “Stabilization” slider until you’re satisfied with the steadiness of lines.
If you want to make lines smooth just for a specific brush, go to“Brush Library”, and double-click a brush to enter Brush Studio. Go to “Stabilization”. There are 6 sliders here, but you probably just gonna need 2 of them: StreamLine Amount and Stabilization Amount. Swipe the slider a little bit to the right until you’re satisfied with the steadiness of lines.

How to turn off pressure sensitivity in Procreate?

To turn off pressure sensitivity, go to “Actions” → “Prefs” → “Pressure and Smoothing”. In the “App Pressure Sensitivity” grid, move the blue point on the left to the very top. This way, you will turn off pressure sensitivity for all your brushes.

How to download Procreate brushes?

You can download Procreate brushes from various online sources and marketplaces. Look for brush sets compatible with Procreate, download the files, and then import them into the app.
Here are my top 5 FREE Procreate brushes with download links – check them out!

How to add brushes to Procreate?

You can add brushes to Procreate by importing them. Download a compatible brush set (usually in .brush or .brushset format) to your device. Then go to “Brush Library”, click the “+” button, and click “Import”. Click the brush file – ready!

How to create custom brushes in Procreate?

To create custom brushes, go to “Brush Library” and click the “+” button. By adjusting the settings, you can create a completely custom brush.
This is a super generic answer, I know. However, I will create a big tutorial on how to create a custom brush, so subscribe to my newsletter below to stay tuned!

TEXT (3)

How to use text in Procreate?

To use fonts in Procreate, go to “Actions” → “Add” → “Add text.”

How to use fonts in Procreate?

To use fonts, go to “Actions” → “Add” → “Add text.” Write your text. Click it until the entire text is selected, and you’ll see a text edition menu. Click the name of the font (Eina 01 by default); now you can edit it to your liking or import a new one.

How to curve text in Procreate?

To curve text, go to the “Transform” tool, then click “Warp.” Now you curve the text.
Alternatively, you can go to “Adjustments” and click “Liquify.” Now you can push the text in various directions.

GALLERY (4)

How to unstack in Procreate?

To unstack your artworks, tap a stack to enter it. Hold an artwork and drag it over the “Stack” button to bring it back to the Gallery. Finally, drop the artwork.

How to save Procreate artwork to photos?

To save your Procreate artwork to your device’s photos, go to “Actions” → “Share”, and choose the export format. Then click “Save Image” to save it locally, or tap the app icon (e.g. the Google Drive icon) to save it on your drive.
Alternatively, you can go to the “Gallery” in Procreate, select the artwork you want to export and tap the “Share” icon (or simply swipe the artwork left), choose the “Save” option, and then follow the process as I described above.

How to delete a canvas in Procreate?

To delete a canvas, go to the “Gallery,” swipe left on the canvas you want to delete, and tap the “Delete” option.
Alternatively, you can click “Select”, select the canvas you want to delete, and click “Delete.”

How to change DPI in Procreate?

DPI (dots per inch) is typically set when creating a new canvas in Procreate. To change the DPI for an existing canvas, go to “Actions” → “Canvas” → “Crop and Resize” → “Settings” and adjust the DPI.
For digital artwork that will only be displayed on screens (websites, social media, digital displays), you typically don’t need a specific DPI setting. If you plan to print your digital artwork, the DPI setting becomes crucial. Common print resolutions are 300 DPI. However, many artists work at a higher resolution (e.g., 300 DPI) by default, even if they’re unsure about the final output. This provides flexibility if they decide to print the artwork later. I also also set my canvas to 300 DPI.

How to use Procreate? Summary

Taking your first steps as a digital artist aren’t easy. I hope these answers help you enhance your Procreate skills and use it more effectively! To learn more, check Procreate’s official handbook and YouTube playlist.

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