Procreate App for iPad Review and Guide

Procreate is a powerful digital painting and illustration app for iPad, offering a wide range of tools and features that make it a favorite among artists and designers.

The app's intuitive interface and customizable workflow make it easy to get started, even for beginners.

Procreate's versatility is one of its standout features, allowing users to work with a variety of brushes, from realistic textures to custom designs, to create unique and high-quality artwork.

Procreate's seamless integration with the iPad's touchscreen and Apple Pencil makes it a joy to use, allowing for precise and expressive control over your work.

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Procreate's main tools are located at the top right corner of the screen, including the brush tool, smudge tool, eraser tool, and layers panel. The brush tool has a vast library of default brushes, and you can easily change the size and opacity of your brush using the adjustment bar on the left side of your screen.

The smudge tool is similar to the paintbrush tool, but I rarely use it for the types of illustrations I do. However, the eraser tool is useful for erasing anything on your canvas, but I recommend using it sparingly and exploring other editing tools instead.

Procreate's layers panel is a key feature that allows you to build your artwork in different pieces or layers, giving you flexibility and control over your illustration. You can move layers around, hide them, and even trace from images.

Procreate's 3D Paint Feature is a unique selling point, allowing you to paint directly on 3D models. This feature is exclusive to Procreate and sets it apart from its competitors, such as Adobe Fresco.

Procreate's Brush Studio has an impressive number of brush attributes and properties that can be modified, making it a great tool for editing and creating new brushes. You can test them right in the DrawingPad on the right side of the screen.

Procreate's new brush library has hundreds of wonderful brushes, including 18 new sets with over 150 brushes built from the ground up by Kyle T. Webster. The beloved Classic brush library is still available by pinching out.

Procreate's interface is highly customizable, with features like brush search, libraries, and file management making it easy to find and organize your brushes. You can even backup and share your precious brush collection right in the Files app.

Procreate's 3D Paint Feature allows you to paint directly on 3D models, giving you a unique creative experience. This feature is exclusive to Procreate and sets it apart from its competitor Adobe Fresco.

The app's advanced accessibility features include motion filtering for users with tremors, single-touch gestures for hand mobility limitations, and a color card palette and notifications for the visually impaired. These features make Procreate a great choice for artists with diverse backgrounds and abilities.

You can create and save custom brushes and settings in Procreate, and with the app's Brush Studio, you can modify a wide range of brush attributes and properties. This means you can experiment with different brush styles and effects to achieve the desired look.

Procreate's brush lineup is extensive, with over 200 standard brushes and a profusion of third-party and user-created specialty brushes available for purchase. You can also test brushes in real-time within the DrawingPad.

The new Apple Pencil interactivity feature, Hover, provides an informative and contextual cursor display even before the Apple Pencil hits the glass. This feature is available on M2-powered iPad Pros and requires iPad OS 16.1 or later.

With the new Hover feature, you can adjust settings before drawing, and you can also use it to fill in spaces with a selected color by hovering above the active color swatch and double-tapping. This is similar to Adobe Illustrator’s Live Paint Bucket tool.

Procreate's new brush library boasts hundreds of wonderful brushes, including 18 new sets built from the ground up by their in-house Brush Developer Kyle T. Webster. You can search for brushes using the new brush search feature, which allows you to type text or emoji to find the ideal brush.

The app also introduces brush libraries, which enable you to build collections of your favorite brush sets and dive into your creative zone. You can create, edit, or share libraries using the pinch gesture in the brush panel.

Brush file management has been improved, allowing you to backup, organize, and share your precious brush collection right in the Files app. You can choose to store your brushes on your iPad or in iCloud Drive.

New brush settings have been added, including the ability to remove anti-aliasing with alpha threshold, perfect for pixel art. You can also control spacing, shape roundness, stroke jitter, and per-brush pressure curves.

Brush thumbnails have been updated to better reflect how brushes mark the canvas, and a new Preview tab has been added to the Brush Studio to make further adjustments to your brush thumbnails.

Colour history is now visible on all devices, including the iPad mini, and new colour palettes have been introduced. You can also personalize brush set icons to quickly find your favorite sets.

Procreate's main tools are located at the top right corner of the screen. The brush tool is the first icon you'll see, with a vast library of default brushes to choose from.

You can easily change the size and opacity of your brush using the adjustment bar on the left side of your screen. The top scrubber adjusts the size of the brush, and the bottom adjusts opacity.

The smudge tool is also available, but it's not as commonly used as the brush tool. It functions similarly to the paintbrush tool, with a library of smudge brushes to explore.

The eraser tool is next in line, but it's not recommended to use it for editing. Instead, you can use the undo feature or non-destructive editing methods that are safer and more straightforward.

Layers are a key feature in Procreate, allowing you to build your artwork in different pieces or layers. This gives you flexibility when it comes to your piece, and you can move layers around, hide them, or trace from images.

Procreate's 3D Paint Feature is a unique tool that lets you paint directly on 3D models. This feature is not available in Adobe Fresco, making Procreate a standout in this area.

The app also includes advanced accessibility features, such as motion filtering for users with tremors and single-touch gestures for users with hand mobility limitations.

Procreate's Extra Special Effects will take your artwork to the next level. With the ability to recolor all or part of your work and balance HSB curves and histograms with just three simple sliders, you can experiment with different adjustments to stylize your work.

Adjusting the HSB sliders allows for precise control over the hue, saturation, and brightness of your image. This feature gives you the flexibility to make subtle or dramatic changes to your artwork.

Procreate's gesture-based blurring makes it easy to add dimension and life to your masterpiece. By using adjustable Gaussian, motion, and perspective blurs, you can create a sense of depth and movement in your work.

The Bloom feature allows you to create an atmospheric glow directly on your image or as a layer effect filter. This can add a sense of warmth and texture to your artwork.

Adding a halftone or glitch effect can also add texture and interest to your work. These effects can help to break up solid areas of color and create a more dynamic visual interest.

Procreate is an incredibly powerful app, and with practice, you'll become a pro in no time. If you're new to Procreate, start by getting comfortable with the basic tools and techniques.

To undo your previous action, simply tap the screen with two fingers. This shortcut is a game-changer, and you'll use it a lot.

Getting familiar with the undo and redo shortcuts will save you a ton of time and frustration. To redo your previous action, tap the screen with three fingers.

I love seeing what you create, and I'm always eager to see your Procreate drawings. Tag me on Instagram so I can check them out!

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Procreate's latest update, version 5.4, offers exciting new features that can help take your digital art to the next level.

With Procreate 5.4, you can now access a wealth of resources to help you get the most out of its key features.

Dip into these resources to unlock your full creative potential and discover what's new in this latest update.

Importing images is a breeze in Procreate. It supports most common image file types, so you can easily use them in your artwork.

Procreate imports a wide range of file types, making it a versatile tool for creatives. This allows you to incorporate existing images into your work, saving you time and effort.

Whether you're working on a digital painting or a graphic design project, having the right images at your fingertips is essential. Procreate's ability to import various file types makes it an ideal choice for artists and designers.

You can import a range of brush file types into Procreate, including .brush and .brushset files.

Procreate comes with a wealth of versatile brushes built into its Brush Libraries, which you can edit, organize, share, and explore.

Perfecting line work is a breeze with Procreate's powerful tools, and you can even create your own custom brushes using the Brush Studio.

The new Brushes system introduced in Procreate version 5.4 offers a fresh and improved way to work with brushes, but details about its features are not provided here.

Procreate allows you to import custom brushes, giving you the freedom to tailor your creative process to your specific needs.

Procreate's Brush Studio is a powerful tool that lets you create your own custom brushes from scratch.

In Procreate, you can import 3D models and paint directly on them, giving you a unique creative outlet. This feature allows you to add a new dimension to your artwork.

With 3D painting, you can add lighting effects to your models, creating a more realistic and engaging visual experience. This can be a game-changer for artists who want to create immersive and interactive designs.

Procreate's 3D painting feature is surprisingly easy to use, and with a little practice, you can achieve professional-looking results.

I illustrated all of these designs in Procreate, a powerful drawing app for iPad. Procreate is a great tool for creatives who want to express themselves through art.

To move your projects around, all you have to do is tap and hold on the project you want to move and you can drag it wherever you like. This feature is super helpful when you're working on multiple projects at once.

Getting started with Procreate is as easy as tapping and holding to move your projects around. With this basic understanding, you can start experimenting with different designs and techniques.

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Drawing Seamless Patterns requires a specific set of skills, which you can learn in a class like the one mentioned in Example 1. This class teaches you how to use your artwork to create professional, repeat patterns.

In this class, you'll learn how to make your patterns line up perfectly into pattern blocks, which is a crucial aspect of seamless pattern design.

Color Palettes are a game-changer for illustrators. You can select a custom color palette to work with for each illustration you're working on.

The default screen is the color palettes menu, which is one of the most useful features in Procreate. This allows you to reference and select your chosen colors with just a few taps.

The values menu is another option available for picking custom colors. It has a lot of different scrubbers that you can manipulate to find the perfect color you're looking for.

The classic menu is a straightforward way to select custom colors, giving you all the flexibility you need to create stunning colors. I use it most frequently because it's easy to navigate.

To add a color to a palette, simply go back to your palettes menu and tap on one of the spaces in the palette you want to add it to. This will automatically add that color to your color palette.

You can also use the color picker tool to grab a color directly from your artwork or photo. The color picker is the little box in the middle of the horizontal tool on the far left of the screen.

Procreate 5.4 brings a revamped Brushes system that's sure to excite artists.

The new Brushes system in Procreate 5.4 offers a more intuitive and customizable experience.

With Procreate 5.4, you can now access a set of articles and Handbook entries that contain valuable information about the update.

These resources will help you get the most out of the key features of Procreate 5.4.

The official information about the major changes and improvements in Procreate 5.4 is a must-read for anyone looking to upgrade their skills.

Dip into these resources to get started with the new features and take your design and creativity to the next level.

One of the best things about Procreate is its ability to seamlessly integrate with other creative apps, allowing you to work with a wide range of tools and effects.

The app also has a strong community of users who create and share their own brushes, textures, and other assets that can be easily imported into Procreate.

Procreate's interface is minimal, keeping your canvas uncluttered and free from distractions, although occasionally it would be nice to have the option to keep two menus open simultaneously.

One of the standout features of this app is its ability to create unique effects that few other apps can.

The app has a few niche competitors that excel in creating these effects, such as Cosmic Brush and Flame Painter for iPad.

Cosmic Brush offers a free version and a flat $6 upgrade to the full version.

Flame Painter for iPad costs a flat $89.99.

iOrnament Pro is another competitor that offers a free version and a $6.99 upgrade to the Pro version.

Generative particle-simulation is also available in Silk 2 for $2.99.

Adobe Rush is a free app that's worth considering.

The app's interface is minimal, making it easy to focus on your work.

There are no tear-off menus like in Fresco, which keeps your canvas uncluttered.

However, occasionally it would be nice to have the option to keep two menus open at the same time.

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Procreate is a relatively affordable option, costing $12.99 for iPad and $5.99 for iPhone.

Procreate's pricing is a significant advantage over its competitors. Adobe Fresco, a main tablet-only competitor, offers a basic app for free, but a more robust version requires a Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, which starts at $35.99 per month.

The cost of other drawing and painting apps can be much higher. CorelDRAW Standard, for example, costs $299 flat, or $269 per year as part of the CorelDraw Graphics Suite subscription.

In comparison, Procreate's pricing is quite reasonable, especially considering its robust feature set.

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Procreate is an iPad-only app, so you'll need an iPad to use it. You can find the full list of compatible devices on its website.

I use Procreate on a third-gen iPad Air, and it's a great device for the app. The Apple Pencil isn't required, but it's highly recommended for detailed work.

If your device isn't compatible with the Apple Pencil, Procreate supports some third-party stylus models. You can find the complete list on its website.

To make physical prints, you'll need to understand how to size your digital canvas. The Procreate handbook breaks down what you need to know about cropping, resizing, resolution, and more.

Bardot Brush has a handy tool to determine canvas size or how large you can print your artwork.

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