Procreate is a painting app that is designed for mobile devices and it is created to work with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil while giving you the feeling of a real-world drawing with the power of digital art.
Procreate has many features including selecting multiple layers. Layers allow you to stack image elements on top of each other. It allows you to paint objects that overlap without changing the work you have already done. With layers, you can also move, edit, recolour, invert and delete elements with full creative freedom.
Here in this article, you would learn how to select multiple layers in procreate app.
How To Select Multiple Layers In Procreate
On how to select multiple layers in procreate, you can select multiple layers at once as it offers Primary and Secondary layers selection which gives you finer control.
Primary Layers
Open the Layers panel, then tap any layer to make it your active primary layer. Now your active primary layer will be shown in the layer panel as bright blue. However, you can only have one Primary layer at a time and any drawing or painting carried out will affect the Primary layer.
Secondary Layers
To add a layer to your selection, swipe on any layer to add it as a secondary layer. The secondary layer would be displayed in the Layer’s panel as dark blue. Although you can have just one primary layer at the same time, you can have multiple secondary layers. Also drawing and painting will be displayed only on the Primary layer.
How Do You Quick Select Layers In Procreate
Go to the Layers panel, then tap a layer to bring up Layer Options, and click Select. Only the non-transparent section where you have drawn, pasted images, or painted would be selected.
Whenever a selection is active, areas outside the selection marked will be shown by moving diagonal lines. You can then proceed to take some actions on the selected area. You can decide to paint, transform, copy, feather, or clear it, etc.
How To Select Multiple Layers In Procreate And Copy
On how to select multiple layers in procreate, after you have selected multiple layers and you would like to copy the active layer to the clipboard. From the Layers panel. Click on a layer to bring up Layer Options, then tap Copy.
Once you have copied image data to the clipboard, you may decide to paste it into another layer or paste it into a different Procreate canvas. You can also decide to paste it into an email or paste it into another app.
How To Select And Move Multiple Layers In Procreate
With this feature, you can drag and drop layers, groups, and layer selections to reorganize elements within an artwork.
To move layers and layer groups simply tap and hold to pick up a layer, you may decide to drag it up or down in the layer order and then release it to set the new order.
If you have selected a secondary layer you would like to move, you should know that moving the Primary layer will move all Secondary layers with it.
If you would like to move layers between canvases, drag and drop layers from one canvas to another, or you can drop them in the Gallery to create new canvases. Tap and hold to pick up a layer, tap other layers to pick them up. Use your other finger to tap the Gallery button.
Dropping layers in the Gallery would create a new canvas for each layer that you are holding. The dimension of the canvas will be the same as the canvas’s origin.
If you would like to drop layers to add to the existing canvas: While you are holding your layers in the Gallery, tap the destination canvas using your other finger. After the canvas loads, open the Layers panel and drop your layers into the panel. You should know that layers that are imported by this method transfer as images, would not keep blend modes, masks, and other layer-specific data.
Procreate Selection Tool
With procreate, you can adjust any part of your artwork with fine control. You can use selections to isolate part of your artwork for repainting, transforming, editing, etc.
Follow these steps to use procreate selection tool:
To create
Tap the Selection button in the top menu. The Selection toolbar will be displayed, giving you a range of ways in which you can define the area you would like to edit. A moving dotted line shows the boundaries of any selection you make.
Undo and Redo
When you are drawing a selection, tap with two fingers to undo your last action or tap with three fingers to Redo.
Commit
To commit your selection click any other tool, instead of dotted lines the area outside of your selection will be shaded and would display as semi-transparent moving diagonal lines.
Edit
After you have selected an area you can paint, erase, smudge, transform and fill the area. This can be done while you still preserve everything around it untouched. Click the tool you want to use. The button you clicked and the Selection button you just clicked would both be highlighted.
Cancel
Tap the Selection button again, if you would like to cancel a selection you have made then go back to your artwork.
How do You Select and Duplicate Multiple Layers in Procreate
On how to select multiple layers in procreate. With Lock, you can protect a completed layer from accidental edits while with Duplicate you can reproduce an existing layer. All masks, blend modes, and artwork will be reproduced from the original whenever you Duplicate a layer or Layer group. Duplicating a layer is such a good way to experiment with major changes as the original won’t be affected.
Can You Move Multiple Layers at Once in Procreate
You can move multiple layers in the procreate App by dragging and dropping layers, layer selections, and groups so you can reorganize elements within an artwork. You can decide to move layers and layer groups, move primary and secondary layers, and also move layers between canvases.
How to resize multiple layers in Procreate
To resize multiple layers in Procreate, navigate to the Action menu then tap Canvas. Under Canvas you will see options to crop and resize, you can decide to make your canvas smaller, larger, or into a different shape,
- Navigate to Actions > Canvas > Crop and Resize.
The Crop and Resize interface, helps to add a grid overlay to your image. The edges of the grid box will represent the new edges of your canvas and they can be adjusted in various ways.
Procreate Liquify Multiple Layers
Liquify works like a brush and it allows you to paint effects onto the canvas by using the Apple Pencil or your finger. Liquify has six different modes which can be combined or combined with different tools to create useful and unusual image effects.
How to Ungroup Layers in Procreate
If you are trying to figure out how to ungroup layers in procreate follow the listed steps below:
- Click one layer in the group, it will be your Primary layer and it will be selected in bright blue.
- Then swipe right on all other layers you want to move with it, to make it your Secondary layer which will be selected in desaturated blue.
- Now hold on to any one of the highlighted layers to grab it: as soon as you move it all the others will bunch together and move with it.
- Drag the group and place it outside the Group envelope. This helps better if you have a few layers above and below the group to allow you to place them between them.
- Finally, delete the empty Group envelope, or use it for a different layer.
In conclusion, to select multiple layers in procreate using layers allows you to stack image elements on top of each other. Layers in procreate give you full freedom to move, edit, recolour, and delete elements.