Layers. Layer settings. Layer fun. I have talked about layers so much in videos, in college classes, and sometimes to myself as I’m working on a piece. I’m not sure I could live without using layers in one way or another when creating digital art. And so it was finally time to talk about Procreate’s layers and how they can be used.
Now, this video just goes into the mechanics. I’ll be doing another video that deals with the specifics on how to use them in art. So if you already know a bunch about layers, then you can completely ignore this video.
Procreate’s Layer Settings – So Many Options
One of the things that excited me the most in the newest iteration of Procreate was the ability to deal with blending modes. This is something that is fairly common in most desktop art applications, but is often overlooked in iPad based applications. With these settings it feels like you can accomplish much more, create more professional looking pieces.
But it doesn’t stop there. Using a number of different touch movements brings up different menus or adjusts the abilities of the layers. For example, a two finger swipe to the right changes the layer from normal to reference layer. If you are a comic book artist, then you will find this extremely helpful.
Overall, Procreate has one of the most robust, yet simple, layer setups. You can easily add and merge layers, rename them, etc. The only thing I haven’t found is the ability to group layers into folders. Once they’ve done that I’ll be in heave.
Leave Me a Question or Feedback
I’m always happy to hear from you about what I talk about on The Digital Painter Podcast. So feel free to leave me a message through one of the following ways:
- Comment on this post.
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Hey there Jane, all fixed now. Ran into some problems, but they were easy enough to remedy.
Thanks much for this, I’m new to iPad Pro and procreate. Came here to see how to move layers around, and was excited about trying the reference thing for a layer so I can fill in areas quickly (like paint bucket in PS). I can’t get it to work , clearly I’m doing something wrong but I don’t know what? I make the layer a ref layer , ink a circle in black, then select fill , but it fills the whole canvas, not just the circle.
Hey there Barb. I can’t believe I missed this comment. Are you making the inked circle the reference layer? And are you filling on a separate clean layer? And is your circle fully closed? I found it can be a bit tricky at times. If all that is working in the right order, then I’m not sure. I’ll have to play around to see if I can replicate the problem.
I had the same problem. My threshold was set too high for my color fill. Keep your finger on the screen after you bring your color down and swipe left to reduce. Should fix it!
How to move multiple layers together. Since there is no option for selecting or moving multiple layers.
Can merged layer be unnerved?
Hi
I’ve now seen a couple of your posts and I rate them as A1 excellent! Clear unhurried and friendly talk, no unnecessary clutter. I was looking for a way to move multiple layers together which wasn’t covered (and wasn’t advertised as being covered – I was being hopeful!) but I learned about smudge and alpha lock/ Reference layer which I had tried finding out about before elsewhere and had got hopelessly confused over. You made it clear. Well done! Much appreciate your efforts!