Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in

Procreate
A Step by Step Guide to Create Art on an iPad Pro
for Novice and Pro

Jonathan Stiner
 Copyright
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior
written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of
publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility
for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied,
with respect to the material contained herein.
Printed on acid-free paper.

Printed in the United States of America

© 2021 by Jonathan Stiner
 Table of Contents
Copyright
Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Procreate: How to Create Art on an
iPad Pro for Novice and Pro
Introduction
Getting started
What is Procreate?
Installing the Procreate software
Apple Pencil and Procreate
Using the app
Interface
A closer look at the features on the left part of your procreate app
Gestures
Create a new project
Using screen sizes
Quick menu
Gallery
Overview
Select
Import
Photo
+ (create a new canvas)
Organize
Colors
The color menu
Disc
Classic
Harmony
Value
Palettes
Brushes
Paint, Smudge and Erase
Brush Library
Types of brushes
The Brush studio
How to install brushes
Layers
Create
Organize
Layer visibility
Layer opacity
Layer options
Blend modes
Share
Text
Create and edit a text
Change text color
Duplicate, lock or delete text
Drawing Guides and Assistance
Turn on drawing guide
2D Grid
Isometric Guide
Perspective Guide
Symmetry Guide
Animation
Settings
Frame options
Actions
Add
Canvas
 Share
Video
Preferences
Help
Selections
Automatic
Freehand
Rectangle and Eclipse
Other options
Transform
How to zoom in and out
Freeform
Uniform
Distort
Warp
Snapping
Flip horizontal
Flip vertical
Rotate
Fit to screen
Interpolation
Reset
Adjustment tool
Hue, Saturation and Brightness
Color balance
Curves
Gradient map
Gaussian Blur
Motion blur
Perspective blur
 Noise
Sharpen
Bloom
Glitch
Halftone
Chromatic Aberration
Liquify
Clone
How Tos
How to backup brushes, files and color palettes in procreate
Learning and Practicing how to sketch
About the Author
 Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in
Procreate: How to Create Art on an iPad
Pro for Novice and Pro
Introduction
As the world of digital painting continues to grow, more artists now seek to
use the newest and easiest on-the-go tools to meet their demands with all
the flexibility they can get.
With this new Procreate software, we can’t help but marvel at how
technology continues to change the world of humans and how we do certain
things. The Procreate software which is specifically made for iPad is the
perfect tool for modern digital art creation.
Procreate is very easy to understand and use even if you are a novice or
completely new to the world of digital art.
Getting started
What is Procreate?
Procreate is an art software designed for sketching and painting in the iPad
device. With Procreate, you can make cartoons, paint landscapes and also
print these artworks after the job is done.
Installing the Procreate software
To begin using this software, you need to download and install it on your
iPad Pro device. Procreate comes with a lot of premium packages and that’s
why you have to pay to get it from the Apple app store.
To do this;
● Go to the Apple store app.
● Sign into your Apple account.
● Search for Procreate and click on the app in the search result.
● Click install and proceed to purchase for the app.

Apple Pencil and Procreate

The Apple Pencil is the most essential tool in the procreate experience. It is
just as important as a paint brush is to an artist. In this case, the Apple
pencil works as a pen, eraser, pencil and quite a number of other drawing
and painting tools as well.
The more you practice using the Apple pencil, the more you get used to
using it so continue practicing.
There are ways to use the Apple pencil on the Procreate app. To get the best
experience out of using the Apple Pencil, you have to make some settings
to it.
The pressure curve is a way to set and get a little used to your Apple pencil.
To prevent applying too much pressure to your iPad Pro in order to get the
desired output, set your pressure curve settings to suit your preference.
To set the pressure curve;
● Click on the actions option and select edit pressure curve.

The curve is set to default at first. However, you can change this by moving
the curve up or down. One way to get the most out of this pressure curve is
by practicing how to apply it to your art works. It doesn’t matter how much
you’ve messed up the pressure curve; you can always reset it by clicking
the reset option.
When you move the curve to a certain direction, you can test how much
pressure you have to apply to the pencil to make the pencil input appear
thicker or lighter.
In addition, this has a relationship with how much pressure you apply to the
iPad screen to get more thickness. The Pressure curve is for you to
experiment to get the best settings for you.

After setting the pressure curve, you can proceed to make more precise
settings to your Apple pencil and how it relates to the different brushes in
the procreate brush library.
To begin;
● Click on the brush icon and select a brush type.
● Double tap on the brush to bring up the brush studio at the left side of
the page.
● Select Apple Pencil. This will display the pencil size, opacity, flow,
bleed and smoothing settings.
● Moving the size sliders to the extreme right (or the positive side)
will make the Apple pencil strokes increase significantly when more
pressure is applied to it. When you move the slider to the negative
side, the pencil strokes will reduce as more pressure is applied to it.
● The opacity slider brings out more transparency or solidness as the
sliders are adjusted.
● Next is the flow slider . When slided to the right side, it allows more
paint to flow as more pressure is applied to the pencil. When slided to
the left side, more paint will flow with lesser pressure.
● The bleed slider lets you see more effects with harder pressure and
less effect with lesser pressure.
● The smoothing slider gives the pressure of other sliders a smooth
look.
● You can perform other settings for your apple pencil brush using this
brush tool box.

Using the app

The procreate app is a very easy-to-use art application. Its toolbox includes
all tools that are needed for any painting and drawing artwork. In addition
to having numerous sizes of brushes and different colors, the app makes it
all easier to use and this; makes all the difference.
Interface
The procreate interface is one built to allow users to have a very
comfortable and exciting time working. With this app on your iPad Pro
device, you can do your art works whenever, wherever and however you
want to. Also, you get to be as dynamic and creative as possible.
The procreate app’s interface is also built for comfort and creativity. On the
Procreate interface, you can also easily find controls with which to navigate
smoothly and use all the features of the procreate app.
One important feature of this comfortable and easy nature of the Procreate
app is its ability to change modes to suit your environment.
For instance, when in a dark environment, you can switch the visual switch
to a dark mode and create better focus on your painting.
Consequently, when in a light environment, you can switch to a light visual
to balance the screen light and help you see colors better.
To change the interface visuals to light mode;
● Click Actions.
● Tap Prefs.
● Click the Light interface option to switch it on. This will put
Procreate in light mode.
To change the interface visuals back to dark mode;
● Click Actions.
● Tap Prefs.
● Click the light interface option to switch it off.
In order to make the experience more comfortable, you can also change the
position of the sidebar to be on the right side of the screen. This makes it
easier for left-handed users to reach for controls as they work with their
dominant hand.
To change this positioning;
 ● Click Actions.

● Tap Prefs.
● Click the right-hand interface.
● Also follow this step to reposition it back to its previous position.
On the left side of the procreate app, you have the following functions;
● Sidebar which includes; size, modify, opacity, undo and redo
controls. This tool box is located directly to the left side of the
procreate app.

● Advanced functions such as; gallery , actions , adjustments ,

selection and transform are located at the top left side of the
procreate app.
 A closer look at the features on the left part of your
procreate app
The following are included in the sidebar:
● Size: This is used to increase or reduce the size of the brush or other
drawing tools you have picked. You can achieve thicker brush tips or
thinner ones by adjusting this feature. The size feature is the first and
top slider at the left side.

● Modify; is used to bring up the eyedropper feature. With this, you

can select colors straight from your artwork. The modify button is the
square button on the sidebar.

● Opacity is used to switch the brush transparency or solidness. Use

this when you want your brush or image to be more solid or more
transparent. The opacity slider is the slider located at the bottom of
the left sidebar.

● Undo and Redo; lets you take steps backwards to a previous time in
your editing and vice versa. In other words, you can use this feature
to undo or redo actions as you create your art works. With this
feature, you can undo up to 250 actions you have made.

To use this feature;

● Tap on the arrow facing left to undo an action and click on the
bottom arrow facing right to redo the action. This feature is
located in the sidebar.

The following are included in the advanced features:

● Gallery; is used to organize and manage your work. Here you can
create new canvases for your artwork and also import or share these
works to the world.
 ● Actions; includes a lot of tools that work together to give you total
control of your art environment. From this toolbox you can switch
between light or dark mode and also reposition the sidebar to either
left or right. Both the Light interface and right-hand interface along
with a number of other options are located in the Prefs option. Using
the action toolbox, you can access help, share your work or work with
videos.

● Adjustments: is used to make some changes that will do all the

finishing magic to your art works and make it more beautiful.
This toolbox includes; blur, sharpen, noise, clone and liquify .
These can be all the touches needed in your artwork to conclude and
get it ready for printing and/or sharing.
Other effects such as; bloom, glitch, halftone and chromatic
aberration are located in this toolbox.

● Selection: with this, you can easily separate any part of the image
you want to make other adjustments to.

● Transform; lets you easily move your images around and rearrange
them for further edits.
On the Right side of the procreate app, you get the tools for your painting
which includes the different types of brushes, colors, eraser and quite a lot
of other tool boxes.
● Paint is the first toolbox at the right side of the procreate app. With
it, you can choose an ink, a brush or switch to sketch mode.

● Smudge; is the second toolbox at the right side of the procreate app.
you can use this to blend or mix colors on your art works.

● Erase; is the third toolbox and is used to blot out mistakes on your
artwork.

● Layout; is the next toolbox and it lets you separate different objects
on your work and then make individual adjustments to these objects.
 ● The last toolbox is color and with it, you can select different types of
colors to use for your work. Also, import colors from places or drag
colors into your artwork from this toolbox.
Gestures
With gestures in Procreate, you can interact with the app. You can swipe,
slide, pinch and perform all other controls with the help of procreate
gestures.
Gestures in Procreate include the following;
● Pinch to zoom: This leads to zoom in or out on images. Pinch in to
zoom in and pinch out to zoom out. The pinch gesture also lets you
do other things such as rotating the canvas to a different position. To
rotate the position of your canvas, pinch the canvas outwardly and
then rotate clockwise or anticlockwise.

● To Paint or use the Eraser, select one of the tools and touch the
canvas to begin applying it.

● To undo an action quickly, double tap on the screen with two fingers.
To rapidly undo several actions, touch and hold the screen with two
fingers.

● To redo an action quickly, tap the canvas with three fingers. To also
rapidly redo several actions, touch and hold the screen with three
fingers.

● To display your art in full screen and hide the side bars along with
other control buttons, tap the screen with four fingers. You can also
bring back the controls by tapping again with four fingers.

● To clear or delete a layer quickly, swipe back and forth on the layer
with the three fingers. You can clear a layer from the layers option.
Click on the layer at the right side of the screen. Tap on the layer you
 want to clear or delete. Swipe to the left side and select delete from
the options it displays.

● To bring up the copy,paste and cut options quickly, swipe

downwards using three fingers.

● To draw quick and perfect shapes, first draw the shape and hold your
touch at the end of the shape line. This will make the shape a perfect
one. Note that you must not lift up your finger while drawing to
enable the quick shape to help you with the right shape.

● To make precise slider adjustments, touch and hold the slider, drag
your finger out to the right and then move it up and down. This will
enable the slider to move slowly and make precise adjustment for
you.

● To merge layers into one, open the layers panel, pinch two or more
layers together to form one. Touch a layer and drag it into another to
group it together.

● To select many layers together, swipe to the right on as many layers

as you want. When a layer turns blue, it has been selected.
 ● To quickly add opacity on a layer, tap on the layer with two fingers.

● To select a layer so that all its content is visible, touch and hold on
the layer with two fingers.

● To turn on Alpha lock (which allows you to draw on a specific layer

without affecting other layers); swipe the layer to the right using two
fingers. You can then proceed to draw on the layer.

● To eyedrop (collect and use any color from your image), touch and
hold a finger on the color then proceed to make use of the color.

● To expand a color circle from the color tool box, quickly pinch-out
the color.
You can as well set the gestures of your procreate app to better suit your
preference.
To do this;
● Select the actions option.
● Click Prefs.
● Click gesture controls.
● Click on any of the options to adjust its gesture controls. The gesture
controls you can change here include; smudge, erase, assisted
drawing, eyedropper, quick menu, full screen, clear layout, copy
and paste, layer select, general .

Create a new project

The first step to mastering the procreate app is to create a project and start
working on it. If you are an artist who just got hands on this digital art
software, you probably cannot wait to start creating your artwork.
The procreate app is very exciting to use and it gives you a great leap from
traditional art making to a digital one. With this app, you don’t get your
hands dirty with those sticky paint colors plus you can easily erase, copy,
paste, undo and redo actions you’ve made.It sure makes art more
interesting.
To begin creating a new project you first need to set up a canvas to draw on.
To do this;
● Click on the + icon at the top right side of the app. select a canvas
from the list of canvases available for you to begin.
● You can select an A4 or screen size canvas or any other canvas for
the kind of artwork you want to create.

● You can change the canvas from a plain white to a dark one if you
are in a dark environment. Open the actions menu and click Prefs.
Click the light interface to turn it on or off according to your
environment.
● Now you have to select what brush type and color you want to use.

● Click on the color option to select a color for your painting.

 ● The next step is deciding what exactly to create. If you want to create
an art work using a picture in the photo library on your iPad Pro
device, you can open both apps in split screen and then start painting
on your procreate app.

To do this while the procreate app is open, swipe up at the bottom

center of your screen to bring up the dock of your iPad device. Drag
and drop the photo app from your iPad to the left or right edge side of
your screen and release it to split the screen with the procreate app.

● Now you can begin drawing using the reference from the photo app
for more precise work.
Using screen sizes
Screen size for canvases in Procreate depends on the kind of image you
want to create.
Getting the right screen size is important to getting the best quality for your
images. If you are creating an image for instagram, then the best screen size
to use will be an instagram screen size. This is important so the platform
you share your work to does not automatically optimize your image to fit its
screen size thereby reducing the image’s quality.
The iPad Procreate comes with different screen sizes that for any kind of
artwork you need to create. You can also create custom screen sizes for
your artworks.
To select screen sizes;
● Tap on the + icon at the top right corner of the gallery option.
● You can choose from the list of preset canvas sizes, which includes;
Screen size, A4, 4K, square, 4 x 4 Photo, limited and others. This is if
any of them perfectly fits what you are creating your image for.
If you cannot find a canvas with your desired screen size, you can create
one for yourself.
To do this;
● Click Create custom size .

● At the side of the keyboard, you can select the measurement method
you want to define your canvas size with. For example, you can click
pixels if you are creating for Instagram. For prints designs, you can
click on millimetres.

● Enter the width and height of your custom canvas. The optimal
Instagram screen size is 1080 pixels in width by 566 - 1350 pixels in
height.

● The pixels should be the same as the recommended one for the
platform you are creating for. If you are not sure which screen size
would work better for your art creation, search the screen size of the
platform on the internet.
 ● Enter other settings such as; color, DPI, maximum layers and name
of the canvas.
● Click Create .

Quick menu
The quick menu lets you invoke quick controls. To use the quick menu, you
have to customize it.
To do this;
● Click the actions option at the top right side .
● Tap Prefs.
● Click gesture controls.
● Choose a quick menu.
● Choose a gesture you want to invoke the quick menu with. If you
choose touch, you can invoke the quick menu by touching the screen
with a finger.
● When you invoke the quick menu, you can touch and hold an option
to get quick access to other tools you can use.

Gallery
The gallery section is where you can manage, import and export your
artworks or photos. Canvases for all your artwork are also created from this
section.
Overview
In this section, there are four options located at the top right side to help
give you more control. They include; select, import, photo and the + icon
(used to create a new canvas).
Select
The select feature lets you highlight one or more artwork and apply a stack,
preview, share, duplicate and delete to them.
● Starks: you can create a Stark by dragging and dropping an artwork
on top of another artwork. Set a name for the stark to complete the
creation.
 To add other artworks into a stack, simply drag and drop them into a
created stark.
To move artworks out of a stark hold and drag it to the top left side.
This will take the artwork back to the gallery page.

● Preview: this option lets you view your artworks in fullscreen.

● Share: with the share option, you can share your artworks in various
formats including; JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PDF PSD and Procreate
formats.

From this option, you can also backup your photos and artworks to
your iCloud, dropbox, iPad or other storage platforms.

● Duplicate: this option lets you duplicate your artworks and Starks.
Import
This second gallery feature enables you to bring in photos into the Procreate
environment from external sources such as; iCloud, dropbox or Google
drive.
Photo
The photo feature is used to bring photos into the procreate environment
from the photo app on your iPad.
+ (create a new canvas)
This last feature under the gallery section is used to create new canvases for
artworks. When you click on this option, you can select from the list of
premade canvases or create a custom canvas.
Making a custom canvas can help you create artworks in the perfect canvas
design.
To do this;
● Click the + icon from this gallery section.
● Click on the add canvas icon ( include the icon of this)
● Enter a name for your canvas.
● Click Create to complete the creation.
 Organize
The gallery is where all your procreate artworks are stored.You can
organize your gallery using Starks. This enables you to easily find your
artworks.
To organize using Starks;
● Drag and drop an artwork on top of another to form a new stark.
● Rename the stark by clicking on the name space. Enter a name and
tap done.
You can also stark photos from the select option. Simply select one or more
images or Starks. Click Stark at the top right to stark them in a new place.
To add one or more images into a stark, hold a photo and select other photos
with your other finger. This will highlight any photo you touch. You can
then drag all the selected photos into a stark.
Colors
Coloring in art brings out the beauty. It evokes the viewer’s emotion.
Procreate has all the colors needed to beautify any kind of artwork.
The color menu

The color menu contains all the color features, which include; disc, classic,
harmony, value and palettes. Here you can select colors to use for your
artworks and also perform some color mixing.
Disc
The disc is the first view of the color menu. It is a round-shaped display of
different colors. Here you can set the hue, brightness or saturation of the
selected color.
The outer ring of the disk tool is the hue. You can use this to choose the red,
blue, green or other color attributes.

The inner circle is used to set the brightness or saturation of the selected
color. When a color is selected in the outer circle the color is displayed in
the inner circle for these further adjustments.
Moving the pointer to the left side of this inner circle makes the color
lighter .
Moving the pointer to the right side of this inner circle makes the color
more balanced between the light and dark points.
Moving the pointer downwards makes the color darker .
To select precise color brightness , pinch out the inner circle and drag the
point to the precise spot for your color.
Classic
You can get to the precise values more easily from this classic option. Here
you get a square, which you can use to get to extreme values for your colors
if you need to. You can easily get a completely saturated, white or dark
value.
The sliders located here are the hue, saturation and brightness. Use this to
make further adjustments to your colors.
Harmony
This option lets you do quite a number of color combinations using the
complementary, split-complementary, analogous, triadic and tetradic
styles. You can find different styles at the top left side of the harmony
toolbox. When you use the harmony tool, you can click on the dots at the
opposite sides of your selection to get a matching and opposite color to add
to your artwork.

The complementary style allows you to get a complimentary color on the

opposite side of your selection.
The split complementary style gives you two complementary colors
opposite your color selection. These colors at the opposite sides are very
close to each other.
The analogous style gives you three colors very near to each other. You can
drag it to any part of the circle for other colors.
The triadic style gives you a triangular shape. In other words, you get two
colors that are equally located at the sides of the circle.
The tetradic style gives you four colors that are evenly located on the color
wheel.
Value
Here you have the tools to set precise colors using RGB (Red, green, blue),
HSB (Hue, saturation, brightness) and the Hexadecimal sliders.
This comes in handy when you have the precise values of the color you
wish to use.
Palettes
This toolbox gives you a large collection of colors to choose from. Each
color collection has different brightness levels to help you get your precise
colors easily.
Here, you can also create a color palette for yourself.
To do this;
● Click on the + icon at the top right side of the page.
● Enter a name for the palette.
● Select it as the default color.
● Go to the disk or classic options and start adding colors to your
palette.
● To add a color to your palette, choose a color and tap on the space
below new.

Tip: you can quickly apply colors to your photos by dragging the circular
color icon at the top right side (while in your canvas) and dropping it into
the part where you want the color applied. This will flood the color on that
area up to its borders or lines. This action is known as color drop.

Brushes
Procreate has dozens of brushes to choose from. Here, there is a brush for
any type of artwork and having that particular brush can make your work
easier, faster and more professional.
Paint, Smudge and Erase
The following tools share the same brush library;
 ● Paint : this tool which comes first on the right side of the studio, you
can paint, sketch, paint, shade and color your artworks. All types of
brushes are also located under this tool. When you click on this tool
and select a brush under it, you can then go back to your canvas and
begin your drawing.

● Smudge: this tool lets you smoothen paintings or sketches from your
pencil/ink to make them blend into the photo. The smudge tool is the
second at the top right side of the procreate environment.
● Erase: with the eraser, you can rub out unwanted parts of your
artwork in different ways. The erase tool works just as a brush in a
certain way. You can select a brush if you want your erasers to work
with the same soft and wide or thin nature of any brush you use. In
other words, you can use a HB eraser just as you use a HB brush. The
only difference is that one produces thin lines when applied while the
other produces thin cleaning when applied.
Brush Library
The brush library in procreate comes with all the types of brushes needed in
your artwork. The paint, smudge and erase come with the same brush tools,
which are then applied accordingly.
Brushes are located on the right side of this brush library. The right side of
this brush library contains the different brush types.
Types of brushes
The brushes in Procreate are designed for many reasons. You can easily get
a particular brush for a specific type of work.
The different types of brushes tips and styles are revealed on the right side
when the brushes themselves are selected on the right side of the library.
Popular brushes in procreate include;
● Sketching: used for creating pencil sketches for your artworks.
● Inking: this brush type feels like drawing with ink on a canvas. It
lets you create very dark lines, which are bold.
● Drawing: this brush has a great mixture of wet and dry mediums and
is used for artistic drawing and life drawing.
 ● Calligraphy: this brush is great for creating decorative and smooth
handwritings.
● Painting: this brush with its acrylic, stucco and oil effects is great for
realistic drawings.
● Artistic: this brush is one with good texture and is good for
illustration.
● Airbrushing: this brush is one that can be used to create a high level
of realism as it puts down pure colors.
● Textures: this produces a large amount of realistic texture.
● Charcoals: this charcoal-like brush is great for creating portraits and
life drawings.
● Vintage: this brush which is inspired by illustrations of the past
creates good lines for your artwork.
Other brush types in procreate are; elements, spray paints, touch ups,
luminance, industrial, organic and water . You might have to test them
out to determine which one works best for you. These are all brush sets and
a brush set simply contains different sizes and styles of the same brush.
You can also create custom brushes in your procreate library to enable you
to work as best as you can. First you may need to backup your brushes so
you can always have a copy of the default brush. See how to backup
brushes, files and color palettes in procreate
Creating a custom brush;
It is much easier to create a custom brush by tweaking the settings of
another related brush.
To begin;
● Go to the brush library.
● First, duplicate a brush so you can have a copy of the original one.
Swipe left on a brush and click d uplicate.
● Tap on the new brush that pops up on top of the original brush. This
will take you to the brush studio where you can make all the
adjustments for your new brush.
● After making the adjustments, click done to complete the custom-
ization.
To create a brush set for your customized brush;
 ● From the brush library
● Drag down on the list of brushes sets to bring out the + button at the
top left side.
● Click the + button
● Enter the name for your new brush.
● Drag the custom brush from the brush set it is located and drop it into
your new custom brush set.

The Brush studio

The brush studio is the place for all brush settings. The studio is displayed
in two parts; one for the drawing and the other for the settings. You can
draw on this path to see how the different settings are being applied to your
brush.
The following settings are included in the brush studio ;
● Stroke path : here you can adjust the properties of your brush’s
stroke and define other attributes such as spacing, streamline, jitter
and fall off. These settings help to define how the strokes are laid
down on the paper and the path they follow. The fall off option here
defines how the stroke fades away.
● Taper: the pressure taper under this setting lets you adjust the brush
for sensitive operation such as when using an Apple pencil. Also, the
touch taper lets you adjust settings for normal operation such as when
using your hands.
● Shape: this is the shape of the brush being created. One of the main
differences between brushes is their shape. Under this setting, you’ll
find shape behavior, shape filtering and others to set the shape of
the brush to your preference.
● Grain: use this to add more grain to your brush strokes
● Rendering: you can use this setting to adjust the way brush interacts
with your canvas.
● Wet mix: this is further used to set how you brush works with the
colors and how they interact with the canvas.
● Color dynamics: this is a way to set the relationship between the
pressure of the Apple pencil and the color, saturation and other
attributes of the brush.
 Other settings you can find in this brush studio include; Apple pencil and
Properties.
How to install brushes
Aside from having a wide list of brushes, you can also import brushes from
other sources.
To do this;
● Make sure you have downloaded the brush to your device.
● Click on the brush icon at the top right side of procreate.
● Swipe down to display the + icon at the top of the brush panel.
● Click on the + sign to create a new brush folder.
● Tap on the + sign inside the folder.
● Click import at the top right side.
● Enter the location where your brush is located and select the brush.
This will install the brush to your procreate.

Layers

In Procreate, the layer option gives you the ability to create separate parts
for your drawings. With this, you can expand, organize and be more
creative with your artworks.
Create
To create a new layer;
 ● To bring up the layer tool, click on the layer icon and click on + to
create a new layer. You can then proceed to drawing on your selected
layer in your canvas.
Layers are important because with them, you can easily apply changes to
specific parts of your drawing.
When a new document is created, a layer for the background color is
created by default. You can always make changes to this layer by clicking
on it and selecting from the list of colors.
To lock, duplicate or delete a layer;
● Swipe left on the layer and select one of the options.
● The lock option keeps a layer locked. When a layer is locked, actions
cannot be carried out on it until it is unlocked.
Organize
To organize your layers, you can easily create groups and add them into the
group. Grouping layers is very useful when you are faced with complex
projects since you can easily apply changes to several layers at a time.
To create a layer group;
● Go to the layers panel and select two or more layers to add to the
group. You can do this by swiping the layers to the right one after the
other. When a layer turns blue then it has been selected.

● Click on the group button at the top right side of this layers panel.
● Click the new group.

● Click Rename and enter the name of the new group.

● To expand and see the layers in a group, click the drop down arrow
by the side of the group. When a group is selected, you can easily
move all the layers in the group around and apply changes to them at
the same time.
● You can also add changes to your individual layers by selecting them
from the group.
Layer visibility
With the layer visibility feature, you can hide or show layers to allow you
apply more specific adjustments to your artworks. This is very helpful when
working on a project, which has become complicated.
To hide layer visibility;
● Click on the check box beside the layer.
The visibility option also lets you display only the specific layer you want
to make adjustments to.
To do this;
● Touch and hold a layer’s check box. When you do this, all other
layers are unchecked except that one.This can also be known as solo
visibility as it isolates this layer from others.

Layer opacity
The layer opacity option, you can adjust the transparency of the layer.
To do this;
● Click on the N button below the layer and adjust the slider.
Layer options
You can also use other features of the layer panel. You can bring up the
options of a layer by clicking on a selection. The options are then displayed
at the left side of the layers panel.
The layers options include the following:
● Rename: you can use this to set a name for your layers for more
precise organization.
● Select: this enables you to select the contents of a layer.
● Copy: this option copies your layer on your clipboard. To paste a
copied layer, click actions, tap add and tap paste.
● Fill layer: this lets you fill the entire layer with the selected color.
● Clear: erase an entire layer or an object in the layer using this tool.
● Alpha lock: this tool identifies the shape, outlines of the selected
layer, and lets you apply changes without going outside the shape of
the layer or affecting other layers. This comes in pretty handy when
the artwork contains a lot of layers you don’t want your coloring to
affect.
When you adjust a layer using Alpha lock, you cannot make more
changes once you uncheck it from options. In other words, the
changes made using Alpha lock will become part of the layer itself.
This can limit professionals who may need to come back and remove
or add some elements.

● Mask is used to make changes to the parent layer using a mask. With
this function, you can make changes to the appearance of the parent
layer and also retain the properties of the parent layer. The changes
only cover up that of the parent folder and are not necessarily
permanent, which means you can remove the changes made by the
mask whenever you want and still get the previous appearance of the
parent layer.

● Clipping mask: this lets you add adjustments to a layer using

another layer.
It is similar to alpha lock in the sense that you can make adjustments
within the outlines of a layer; however, they are very different and it
can be difficult to understand.

To use a clipping mask, you have to create a new layer for that. When
you create a new layer for the clipping mask, it points down to the
 previous layers indicating a connection to it. This then means that any
change you make to this new clipping mask layer will only display on
the layer, which it is connected to.

In the case of an alpha lock, you can’t make multiple changes to the
adjustments you made inside the layer but in the case of a clipping
mask, it is a layer inside another layer which can then be edited
separately.

A clipping mask also gives you more flexibility to make changes

within the layer without affecting other layers in the art work.
To create a clipping mask, select a layer you want to apply it to.
While the layer is selected, click on the + icon. Tap on the new layer
to bring out the options. Tap clipping mask.
● Invert: this is used to replace colors of your selected layer with a
complementary color.
● Reference: procreate reference allows you to keep your line work
while safely coloring different parts of your crew separately.
● Merge down: this merges the activity of the layer above to the one
below.
● Combine down : this merges an active layer with the one beneath it
into a new group.
Blend modes
Blend mode lets you adjust layers in your artworks in different ways. With
the blend mode feature, you can reduce the opacity of a new layer to allow
the attributes of the layers under it display as well. This is useful in case
you do not want a new layer to cover up all the content of the one behind it.
This can also help you create multiple layer effects on different layers on
top of each other. One of these amazing effects is combining two layer
colors together to bring out a beautiful combination.
The blend mode feature is located just below a layer with two different
parts; the opacity slider and the different blend modes.
To adjust the opacity slider;
 ● Tap on the N icon below the layer. This will bring down a menu
where you can see the opacity slider.
● Use the slider to adjust the opacity.
The default blend mode setting is normal and it is indicated by a letter N
just below the layer. This mode Click the letter N to bring up other blend
modes, which include;
● Multiply: this blend mode multiplies the color of layer to bring out a
darker output. This is very useful when creating shadows for your
artwork. Use the opacity slider to increase or reduce the darkness of
the blend.
● Darken: this blend mode brings out only the dark shade after
comparing the two layers. You can use the opacity slider to reduce
this dark shade, which then creates a great shadow blend into your
artwork.
● Color burn: this mode increases the overall darkness of the image.
This mode produces a much darker blend than multiply so be to sure
adjust this darkness using the opacity sliders as much as you can.
● Linear burn: similar to the multiply and color burn, this blend
mode also produces dark and saturated colors. Its intensity is usually
higher than the multiply mode; however its intensity is not as strong
as that of the color burn mode.
● Lighten: this is just the opposite of the darken mode. It compares
two layers and brings out the brighter colors out of them.
● Screen: this mode is good for brightening images as it brings out
different levels of brightness.
● Color dodge: this mode also produces brighter results in your
artworks and its brightness is much higher than that of the screen
mode.
● Add: with this mode, you can get even higher brightness results than
the color dodge and screen modes.
● Lighter color: this lets you lighten the artwork just like the lighten
mode would do. All colors in the lighten color mode are set to their
lightest to help bring out a lighter effect in your artwork.
● Overlay: this blend mode lightens or darkens the image by changing
the mid-tones.
● Soft light: this brings out a very soft blend mode and is in fact a
much gentler version of the overlay mode. With this mode, you get
the same lighter or darker effects in the overlay while making it as
soft as possible.
● Hard Light: this mode uses the brightness or darkness of the layers
to produce darker or brighter colors.
● Vivid Light: this mode produces similar effects like the overlay and
soft light; although it has more intensity. It darkens the image when
tones of grey is darker than 50% and also brightens the image when
the tones of grey is lighter than 50%. The darkness effect of this
blend mode is considered an extreme version of dark light while the
lightness effect is considered an extreme version of soft light.

● Linear Light: this mode combines the effects of the dodge mode on
lighter colors and also uses the effects of the burn mode on darker
colors. The opacity slider will bring out the best effects in this mode.
● Pin Light: after removing the mid-tones, this mode darkens and
lightens the image simultaneously.
● Hard mix: this mode creates flattened results and only works with
the colors; red, green, blue, cyan. Magenta or yellow colors.
● Difference: In this mode, white colors will invert the base layer
colors while dark colors like greys will get darker. This works by
using the difference between the layers.
● Exclusion: in this mode, the greys do not get dark but every other
working is same as that of the difference mode.
● Subtract: this mode subtracts the brightness in a layer thereby
producing darker colors. It is most effective in bright areas and less
effective in dark areas.
● Divide: this mode is opposite to the subtract mode. It subtracts the
darkness in a layer thereby producing brighter colors.
● Hue: this changes the hue of the layer while maintaining its tone and
saturation.
● Saturation: this preserves hue and luminosity while applying the
color saturation.
● Color: this preserves the luminosity of the bottom layer while using
the hue and saturation of the top layer.
 ● Luminosity: this preserves the hue and saturation of the bottom
layer while using the luminosity of the top layer.
Share
The share option in procreate lets you share images and layers in different
formats such as; PDF, PNG Files, Animated GIF, Animated PNG,
Animated MP4, Animated HEVC.
Layers have to be visible in the layers panel for them to be shared. Make
sure the checkboxes are checked.
To share the checked layers;
● Click actions.
● Tap share.
● Under share layouts, select a file format.

● Choose a quality for your export. Qualities usually differ in size.

Improved qualities are often larger in size compared to other
qualities. PNG and PDF files offer three file qualities - good, better
and best. Other file formats (Animated GIF, Animated PNG,
Animated MP4, and Animated HEVC) offer two quality types - Max
resolution (better quality, larger file size) and Web ready (lower
quality and smaller file size).
● Choose a destination for your export and proceed to export.
Text
The text feature in procreate is one that gives you the ability to add text to
your drawing. This text can be made in so many ways that it blends with the
drawing to bring out a perfect combination.
When you add text to an image, you can edit its font, style, size or color.
Create and edit a text
To create and edit;
● Click on actions.
● Tap add.
● Select add text and proceed to type in your text using your keyboard.
 ● At the right side of the keyboard, click edit style to edit your style.
● Adjust the font, style or design of the text by using the tools under it.
● You can align the text to your preferred direction using the settings
located at the right side of the edit style screen.

● The TT toggle capitalizes the text.

● Touch and move the text around your canvas to reposition it.
Change text color
To change text color;
● Return to the keyboard by tapping on the icon at the left side.
● Click on the edit style at the right side to go again to the text settings.
This is to remove the cursor to enable you to apply the color to your
text.
● Tap on the color panel and select a color.
Another way to edit text is from the layer menu.
To do this;
● Go to the layers menu and select the text layer.
● Go back to the canvas and triple –tap on the text.
● Click on the font name on the quick menu that pops up to the edit
style menu.

Duplicate, lock or delete text

To duplicate, lock or delete a text in procreate;
● Go to the layers panel.
● Swipe left on the text layer and click on an action to take.

Drawing Guides and Assistance

The drawing guide in procreate is a feature that guides the user through the
process of drawing. This makes the whole art creation easier especially for
artists new to digital art.
Turn on drawing guide
To turn on drawing guide;
● Go to the actions panel at the top left side of your procreate. This is
the wrench icon.
● Click canvas and toggle the drawing guide switch on.
● This will activate a guide for you to follow on the selected layer.
● With this, you can easily draw shapes and objects you are not
familiar with.
● Under the drawing guide, tap on the edit drawing guide option which
is activated as you switch on the drawing guide.
● You can choose from the list of drawing grids from the interface that
shows up next.
Always make sure to turn assisted drawing on from the layers option to
enable you harness the full potential of the drawing guide.
To do this;
● Tap on the layers panel.
● Click on the layer you want to draw on to bring up the layer option.
● Click drawing assist. When you do this, any line you draw in the
layer will follow the selected grid.
The different types of guides are available to help guide your drawing in
dynamic ways. They include 2D Grid, Isometric grid, Perspective grid and
Symmetry.
2D Grid
The 2D grid is filled with lines and boxes that help you get accurate lines on
your drawing. Note that this grid or any other grid will only assist you fully
when you turn on the drawing assist in layers.
To edit your 2D grid;
● Tap on the action panel and select edit drawing guide.
● Use the opacity, thickness and grid size sliders to adjust this drawing
guide.
This drawing guide is mainly used for flat illustrations
To change the line direction of the grid;
● Tap actions and click edit drawing guide under the canvas option.
 ● Drag the blue dot on the grid to whichever direction you want it to
face.
● Click done and continue drawing with the new adjustment.
You can also change the direction of the lines by drawing a line and
holding it, then moving it around to your preferred position.
Isometric Guide
This grid helps you easily get cube-like shapes in your drawing. It also
produces creative house-like structures.
To use this grid;
● Go to actions at the top left side.
● Tap canvas.
● Toggle the drawing guide on and click edit drawing guide under it.
● Use the opacity, thickness and grid size sliders to get your preferred
grid.
Perspective Guide
The perspective grid does not display the lines except when you tap on an
area on the screen after which it then produces some vanishing points for
your drawing. You can tap anywhere on the layer to add more vanishing
points to your drawing.
To use this grid;
● Tap to select it from the edit drawing guide interface.
● Use the sliders below to adjust its settings.
● One thing to note is that this grid does visibly display lines by default
like other grids. You can only get these lines guides when you tap on
a point in the layer.
The perspective grid is very useful for architectural designs.
Symmetry Guide
Symmetry divides the layer into different equal parts and creates mirror
effects on these other part(s) of the layer. This can be used to create really
complex shapes and objects that would take a lot of time if drawn without
the help of this guide.
This guide has four options you can choose from. These options all produce
very useful and exciting effects. They include the following:
● Vertical: this creates a vertical mirror effect for your drawing,
allowing the actions you make on one side to be reflected on the
opposite side.
● Horizontal: this creates horizontal mirror effects on your drawing,
which means that actions you make on one side are also displayed on
the other side.
● Quadrant: this allows actions you make on one side to be repeated
on all four sides of the layer. This can be used to quickly and easily
draw complex shapes and objects as you don’t have to repeat drawing
on all four sides of the layer.
● Radial: this enables your drawings to be repeated on all four axes.
The rotational symmetry option located under this symmetry guide is also
a feature that creates repeated effects just like other guides; however, its
effects appear in a rotational manner.

With this feature, you can create highly complex structures in a little time
because every stroke you make will create the same effect in a circular
shape.

Animation
Animation assist can be used to create animations in procreate.
To begin creating animations;
 ● Go to the actions (the wrench icon at the top left side)
● Click on canvas. Turn on animation assist. This will bring up the
animation assist interface on the canvas.

● Click settings on the time below the screen and proceed to set up the
animation.

Animation in procreate is all about adding different frames, creating objects

on them, connecting these frame motions to each other and then bringing
them alive by hitting the play button.
To add a frame to your canvas, tap add frame. You can see only one frame
at a time in your canvas. One the timeline are little boxes that are used to
indicate the frames. Click on a box to display its frame.
Settings
The settings option on the animation timeline includes the following tools
to help you create your animation:
● Frames per second: This determines how fast your animation
plays. Use the sliders to increase or reduce this speed.
● Onion skin frame: this is used to see what the other frames in your
artwork looks like. This is an important feature since the animation
feature can only allow one frame to be displayed at a time. The onion
skin frame can also help you arrange the motions of the different
layers so they are connected to one another, creating a more realistic
effect.
 You can see up to 12 frames at a time using this feature. When this
feature is turned on, you can switch to any one of them by clicking
their boxes on the timeline.
● Onion skin opacity: you can use this to increase or decrease the
transparency of the onion skin.
● Blend primary frames: this will blend your front frame to enable
you to see other frames easily.
● Color secondary frames: this lets you see which onion skin frame is
before or after your front frame. The secondary frames will then be
colored in red and green

Frame options
Tap on the box on the animation assist timeline to bring up the frame opti-
ons.
● The hold duration slider allows you to keep one frame in view for a
specified duration. This is to delay it before others are played. This
means that when you move the sliders to 5, the frame will hold on the
screen for the duration of 5 frames.
● Delete or duplicate a frame by tapping the option from the dialog
box.
● The background option keeps a certain frame visible throughout
other frames.
Click play or pause on the timeline to view an animation in motion.
● Loop : this is a play option that will play your animation from start
to finish and continue in that manner until you hit pause.
● Ping-pong: this will play your animation from start to finish and
from finish to start just like a ping-pong ball bounces back and forth.
● One shot: this plays your animation from start to finish just once.

Actions
The actions panel which is indicated by the wrench icon at the top left side
contains quite a lot of features and options. Tools here include those to help
you share, save your work, insert photos, edit a canvas and others. Below
are the features you can find in this panel.
 Add
This is the first option in the actions panel. Under this option, you will find
the following tools;
● Insert a file: this tool lets you add files to your canvas from a
location on your device.
● Insert a photo: this tool lets you add photos to your canvas from a
location on your device.
● Take a photo: this option enables you to take photos with your
device’s camera. The photos taken are then added to your canvas for
you to work with.
● Add a text: this option lets you include texts in your artwork. With
this tool, you can create fancy texts and add styles to bring out more
detail in your artworks.
● Cut: delete a selection using this tool.
● Copy: this copies a selection to the clipboard.
● Copy canvas: with this tool, you can copy all visible layers of your
canvas.
● Paste: this is used to paste copied items.
Canvas
This second option under the actions panel is there to help you make
adjustments to your canvas and get the most out of procreating. Under this
opinion, you will find the following tools:
● Crop and resize: use this option to adjust the size of your images.
When you click this option, you can drag the canvas from the sides to
your preferred size and click done to save the crop. If you want to
manually resize your image, use the settings below the page to
manually adjust and manually enter the DPI for your image.
● Animation assist: this is the option that gives you all the tools
needed to create animations. See Animation above to learn more
about this option.
● Drawing guide: this is a feature that provides you with very useful
guides to help you make your work more creative. With this feature,
you can create complex artworks, draw shapes you are completely
new to and also change between different other useful guides to
follow.
● Reference: the reference option adds a floating window to your
artwork, which gives you a reference to use while working in your
artwork. With this feature, you don’t have to open apps in a split view
to be able to use a reference.

When you toggle the reference option on you get the canvas, image
and face options under the floating window.

The canvas option displays your entire canvas on the floating

window to give you its reference. With the image option, you can
select and import a photo from the photos app on your iPad and it will
display on this floating window.

The face option is an interesting one that displays your face on the
floating window using the front camera of your iPad. You can then
proceed to paint all you want on your face.
 ● Flip canvas horizontally: With this option, you can change the view
of your canvas into a horizontal one to give you room for further
edits.
● Flip canvas vertically: just like the option above, this option lets
you change your view point into a vertical one.
● Canvas information: with this, you can view all the details of your
canvas. Some of this information includes; layers used, the file sizes,
pixel dimensions, DPI, color space, physical dimension and other
information available on your canvas.
Share
This option lets you export your artworks in formats such as procreate,
PSD, PDF, JPEG, PNG and TIFF.
Video
This feature can be used to show you a video replay of your art creation
process. You will find the following options under this feature:
● Time-lapse replay: this lets you play back the process of your art
creation in a short video.
● Time-lapse recording: this allows your drawing process to be
recorded when it is turned on.
● Export time-lapse video: this saves the video of your art creation
process. Here you are provided with the option of saving the full-
length video or a 30 second speed-up video.
Preferences
This contains settings that involves the display, gestures and interface
You will find the following options under this feature:
● Light interface: changes the interface of your drawing screen to a
light or dark view.
● Right-hand interface: this is used to change the position of the
sidebar. You can change it to the left or right side.
● Brush cursor: this gives you a view of your brush so you can know
what shape it will create.
 ● Project canvas: this can be used to connect your iPad to a second
display using a cable or other means. The second display will only
have a full screen view of your canvas.

● Connect third-party styles: you can use this option to adjust

pressure sensitivity of your hand, Apple pencil or other pressure
sensitive stylus.
● Edit pressure curves: use this tool to adjust the pressure for your
different strokes. With this option, you can set the amount of pressure
you have to put in to get thin or thick brush strokes.
● Gesture controls: this lets you set the gestures that control your
procreate app.
● Rapid indo delay: this lets you set the time between when you touch
the screen and when the rapid undo action begins. Adjust the time
using the sliders.
● Selection mask visibility: This increases or reduces the visibility of
the unselected items.
Help
Get support from here. You will find the following options under this
feature;
● Restore purchases: here you can get back app purchases you might
have lost due to a device or system upgrade.
● Advanced settings: this option takes you to a settings page where
you can carry out more procreate settings.
● Procreate handbook: get a handbook for procreate here.
● Learn to procreate: this is a link to YouTube tutorial videos on how
to work with Procreate.
● Customer support: this takes you to procreate online support where
you can get live support for procreate. It also includes forums where
you can ask for help and get answers in the form of discussions for
other procreate users.
● Procreate portfolio: this is a showroom for different and amazing
artworks that have been done by other artists.
 ● Leave a review: tell procreate what you think about the app. Share
your experiences (good or bad) and also ways you think the art
software can improve.

Selections
The selection tool is one that helps you make selections on your artworks.
This tool is indicated by the ‘s’ icon at the top right side of the screen.
When the selection tool is active, you can select parts of your artwork and
apply changes to them. The selection tool can be used in four different ways
which include; Automatic, freehand, rectangle and eclipse.
Automatic
This option lets you select everything you tap on the canvas. Simply tap on
a part of your canvas to select the object in that area.
Freehand
When you select use this method of selection, you can draw the selection on
your canvas. This is useful when selecting an object in a complex artwork.
Rectangle and Eclipse
These options let you use rectangular or elliptical shapes to make your
selections.
Other options
The selection bar below the page also includes options that can be used with
the selection tool. These options include;
● Add: use this option to add to an existing selection.
● Remove: this option lets you remove items from selection.
● Invert: This tool lets you select the background of an object.
● Copy and paste: use this option to copy and paste sections to
different layers.
● Feather: this tool has a slider that can be used to increase or
decrease the softness at the edges of a selection.
● Save and load: you can save some of your selections for future use
with this option.
 ● Color fill: when an item is selected, this option lets you fill it with
colors.
● Clear: use this when you need to delete selections.

Transform
The transform tool is used to select the content of a layer. With this tool,
you can move, stretch, distort and resize your selection.
The transformation tool is the arrow shape at the top left side of your
screen. Tap on this icon to bring up the transformation tools. Your layer
must contain contents for the transform tool to work. When you click on the
transform icon, the object in your layer is selected. You can also see the
transform tool bar at the bottom of the canvas.

Blue, green and yellow dots

The little blue dots at the corners of the bounding box are the
transformation nodes and are used to stretch or squash your object.
The green dot at the middle top of the bounding box is the rotation node and
it is used to rotate your object. Hold and move this dot in a rotational
manner to rotate the object.
The yellow dot at the bottom of the bounding box can be used to adjust the
object’s orientation.
How to zoom in and out
To zoom an object, pinch in or out of the object.
 ● When you hold the transform button and pinch in or out anywhere
outside the bounding box, you can zoom in or out of the object
without zooming the canvas.
● When you pinch in or out anywhere on the canvas without holding
the selection tool, it will zoom the canvas.
The bar at the bottom includes transform settings and methods.
The transform can be used in freeform , uniform, distort and warp
methods.
Freeform
Freeform allows you to move your object freely across the canvas. Simply
tap on any part of the image or the screen and drag to move it around. Tap
continuously on any part outside the bounding box to move your object
slowly.
Uniform
This gives you the ability to shrink or expand the shape of your object using
dots. With this tool, you can adjust the width and height of your selected
object simultaneously.
Distort
With this transform method, you can reshape the item to bring out a
distorted image and create interesting 3D effects.
Warp
This option displays curvy grid lines on your object that can be used to
reshape and transform on your art in interesting ways.
Below the transform menu bar are other options to help you get full
potential of the transform tool. These transformation tools include the
following:
Snapping
This lets you align your objects when they are being moved.
Flip horizontal
Use this when you want the object to be displayed horizontally.
 Flip vertical
Use this when you want the object to flip vertically.
Rotate
This enables you to rotate objects in 45% fixed increments.
Fit to screen
Use this when you want your object to fill the screen.
Interpolation
This next option contains four inner tools which include; nearest neighbor,
bilinear, bicubic. It is used to adjust the pixels in your image when it is
being transferred. This is to keep your image as clearly as possible during
and after a transformation.
● Nearest neighbor: this option is great for basic transformations. It
uses the pixels along the nearest points being interpolated.
● Bilinear: this option uses a pixel of 2 x 2 grids to create smoother
images.
● Bicubic: this very effective interpolation method uses 4 x 4 pixels
around the area and creates the smoothest effects of all.

Reset
Use this option when to reset all changes you have made on your objects.

Adjustment tool
This tool can be used to make all the adjustments you need to make your
artwork more creative. Each option under this section contains settings that
can be applied to the layer or a pencil. When you click on an option, choose
whether you want to add it to a layer or a pencil.
Hue, Saturation and Brightness
This option adjusts the hue, saturation and brightness of a selected layer.
Use the sliders to make this adjustment.
Color balance
Color balance is a more advanced color adjustment tool to help you balance
your colors.
The Cyan/red, magenta/green and yellow/blue sliders can be used to
achieve this color balancing. The sliders contain two colors each because
they are opposite colors.
The sunlight icon also contains shadows, midtones and highlights. This
lets you adjust the colors specifically for each of them. When you select
shadows, the adjustments you make are applied to the shadows of the
image.
Curves
This option comes with a graph and some gamma, red, green and blue
color options by its side. When you click on one of the colors, you can use
the line on the graph to adjust the colors on your layer just like the color
balance.
Click on any part of the line to add nodes for further adjustments.
 Gradient map
This contains different color backgrounds that can change the view of the
image. You can easily change the gradient by clicking on a different one
from the gradient library. With this option, you can easily change the color
view of grey images
When you click on a view from the library, you can adjust the colors to fit
the gradient map.
Click on the + sign to create your own gradient map. Click on the boxes at
the extremes to select colors for your gradient lines. Also tap on a part of
the gradient line to add more colors.
Gaussian Blur
This lets you blur the layer by sliding forward on the screen.
Motion blur
This option lets you blur the motion of an image to create a more realistic
effect. Slide forward or backward on the screen to adjust this setting.
Perspective blur
This lets you select the part of the layer to have more blurred effects. Use
the sliders to blur the layer and then drag the round bar to select the blur
direction and parts.
Noise
You can use this option to add more realistic attributes to your image. Slide
forward to increase the noise in the image.
Noise, billows and ridges are different patterns of noise you can use.
The scale sliders help you get bigger noise size;
The octave lets you adjust the contrast and;
The turbulence slider lets you increase the noise in the layer
Sharpen
This option lets you sharpen your image by simply sliding forward on the
screen.
 Bloom
This is used to add an atmosphere glow to your artwork. You can use the
effects of this tool on a layer or on a pencil. Slide forward or backward on
the screen to increase or decrease bloom.
The following options can be found under this option:
● Transition: transition allows the effects of bloom to be applied to
dark or light tones. Use the sliders to make this adjustment.
● Size: this adapts to the blur effects of the bloom edges.
● Burn: this is used to increase or decrease the intensity of the bloom
effects.
● Tap on the canvas to bring up the bloom quick menu, which contains
preview, undo, reset, cancel and apply options. Click on an option
to use it.

Glitch
This tool can be used to create distortion effects on your layer.
You will find the following options under this menu:
● Artifact: this creates scattered shapes on your image.
● Wave: this creates a wavy view of your image.
● Signal: this creates a signal loss effect on your image.
● Diverge: this creates a chromatic distortion.
Use the sliders below these options to adjust each distorted view.
Halftone
This enables you to add grayscale, color halftones effects to your artwork
such that it looks halftoned, and like a print. You can choose between a full
color, screen print and newspaper to change the modes of your halftone.
Slide forward or backward to increase and decrease the size of the effects.
Chromatic Aberration
This helps you adjust the wavelengths of your images to be more jagged
and produces that color fringing effect.
Slide forward to increase this effect and use the round bar to position the
direction of the distortion.
The perspective and displace options are different views for this effect. Use
the sliders below each view to make further adjustments.
Liquify
The liquify tool can be used to bend your images.
You will find the following options in liquify
● Push: this can be used to adjust the lines of your images. You can
use this to stretch or shrink parts of your images.
● Twist right
● Twist left
● Pinch: you can use this to make things smaller with a tap.
● Expand: use this to enlarge parts of your image.
● Crystal: you can use this to add artifacts to your image.
● Edge
● Reconstruct: this helps you to bring back the original parts of the
image. When you click on this tool, paint the part of the image where
you want to bring back the original appearance.
● View:
● Adjust: this lets you increase or decrease the strength of the liquify
effects.
● reset

Clone
The clone tool lets you copy parts of your image and paint them onto
another part of the image.
 ● When you click on this tool, a circle is displayed on the screen. Drag
the circle to a part where you want to add to another part.

● Select a brush and paint on the part where you want to make the
clone.
● You will notice that the circle rotates on the part where you place it
and produces exactly the same effects as you paint on another part of
the photo.

How Tos
How to backup brushes, files and color palettes in
procreate
Backups protect your procreate content from getting lost due to an update
or system crash.
To backup brushes;
● Go to the brush library.
● Swipe up on your iPad from the bottom to bring the iPad dock.
● Drag the files app into a split screen and open the backup location
such as iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox or others.
● On the other side of the screen, go to the brush library to procreate.
● To select multiple brush sets, tap and hold one brush set then click on
others to add them to the select.
 ● When you are done selecting the brush sets, drag and drop them into
the backup location on your files app.
● If you have individual brushes you want to save, swipe the brush to
the left and click share. Choose a location and click Save.
● To backup individual brush sets, tap on the brush set and click share.
Choose a location and click Save.
To backup files;
● Go to gallery in procreate.
● Click select .
● Select the files you want to backup.
● Click share.
● Choose a file type to proceed. The procreate file type preserves
attributes of your artworks such as the video process of its creation.
● Choose a location to export it to and click Save.
To backup color palettes;
● Go to the color panel.
● Swipe up on your iPad from the bottom to bring the iPad dock.
● Drag the files app into split screen and open a backup location such
as iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox or others
● On the procreate app, tap palettes at the bottom of the color panel.
● Hold a palette and tap others to add them to the select.
● Drop them into your backup location.
Learning and Practicing how to sketch
If you already know how to sketch, you won’t find it difficult sketching on
the iPad device; however if you are completely new to sketching and
drawing, you can practice and master this with the procreate app.
professionals can also use this to practice as well.
A way to do this is by referencing a photo. You can begin by placing a
photo in the background of your canvas and then sketch the photo
accordingly.
To do this;
● Open the gallery and click the + button at the top right side.
● Select a canvas of your choice to start.
● Click on the actions feature.
● Click Insert a photo.

● Choose a photo from your library to insert into the canvas.

● Click the layers option located at the top right side.

● Click the letter at the side of the layer option to bring out the layer
options.
● Slide the opacity slider to the left side to reduce the opacity of the
image.
● Choose a brush for your sketching. Go to the brush option and click
sketching. Select from the list of sketching pencils, which includes
HB, 6B and others. When you click a pencil, you can adjust the
opacity and other settings to suit your preference.
● Now you’re all set. You can go ahead and start sketching the outlines
of the photo in your canvas.
● You can also practice your sketching by shifting the photo on your
canvas to one side. This will create a space in the middle for you to
sketch while easily looking at the reference photo.
● You can also open photos from your browser or your photo app in
split view to easily use the reference photo. While the procreate app
is open, simply drag either the browser or photo app to one side.
 About the Author
Jonathan Stiner is an artist and writer who have found a way to combine his
two strengths into creating amazing content. This book is a comprehensive
guide from Designer Jonathan’s years of professional use of the procreate
software.