Procreate is the perfect app for professional and casual artists alike. It doesn't matter if you've been drawing masterpieces for years or if you're just starting in the world of digital art; Procreate is a great place to make and store all your art.

Procreate is really straightforward to use, but it's packed with many features and tricks you can use to make your drawing experience easier than ever. If you want to get more out of Procreate, here are some tips you should keep in mind.

1. Don't Let Your Hand Get in the Way

If you're using Procreate on the iPad, chances are, you're also using the Apple Pencil or a stylus. It's a convenient tool that lets you draw as if you're using real paper. That being said, if you touch the screen with your hand, your canvas might get ruined by accident.

Fortunately, you can make it so Procreate doesn't register your hands when drawing. The best part is, you'll still be able to make other gestures with your hands without ruining your art. Here's how you can do it.

  1. When you're on a canvas, tap on the Settings button located on the top left side.
    Procreate Settings
  2. Tap on Prefs.
    Gesture Controls Settings Procreate
  3. Select Gesture Controls.
  4. If you aren't there already, tap on the General tab on your left side.
  5. Enable the option Disable Touch Actions.
    How to disable Touch Actions on Procreate
  6. Tap Done on the top right side.

2. Create Perfect Shapes in Seconds

Creating straight lines, circles, or rectangles is both impossible and necessary for most art pieces you'll create. And it doesn't matter how good you are; you can't make them all perfect.

The good news is that Procreate has a feature called Quick Shape that will draw perfect shapes for you. Here's how you can use it.

  1. Draw a figure on your screen, but don't lift your stylus or finger.
    Poorly drawn oval shape in Procreate
  2. Hold with your finger or stylus until you see Procreate change your figure into a perfectly drawn shape.
    How to Create a new

Keep in mind that Quick Shape isn't perfect, and sometimes, it might not give you the shape you wanted. Try to make your figure as clear as possible to avoid any wrong guesses.

Related: Must-Have Professional Apps for Your iPad Pro

3. Change Your Setup If You're Left-Handed

Left-handed people might have some issues when using tools that aren't made for them. But that doesn't have to be a problem in Procreate.

You can actually move the sidebar tools to the right side. This way, you don't have to use your left hand to draw and change your brushes' size, all while your right hand is doing nothing. Here's how:

  1. On your canvas, tap on Settings.
    Procreate Settings
  2. Tap on Prefs.
  3. Enable Right-hand interface.
    Gesture Controls Settings Procreate

4. Pick Colors Quickly

The Color Picker lets you quickly grab colors on your canvas, so you don't accidentally choose the wrong color. Think of it as the eyedropper tool on other art apps. You can use the Color Picker in different ways, but we'll go over the fastest way to access it.

  1. Press and hold your finger on the color you want.
  2. You'll see a small circle appear on your screen, showing you the color you're going to grab.
    Color Picker in Procreate iPad
  3. Release your finger to let Procreate copy that color.

Related: How to Install Brushes in Procreate

5. Start Using the Quick Menu

The Quick Menu is just what you think it is: a small popup menu that lets you quickly access different tools and features instead of having to look for them. It has many customizable options to improve your productivity.

Here's how you can start using it:

  1. On your canvas, go to the Settings.
  2. Tap on Prefs.
    Gesture Controls Settings Procreate
  3. Select Gesture Controls.
  4. Go to the Quick Menu tab.
    How to enable Quick Menu in Procreate for iPad
  5. You'll see a list of gestures you can use to open up the Quick Menu. Choose the one you want.
  6. Tap on Done on the top right side.

Afterward, you can go to your canvas and use the gesture you selected. You'll see the Quick Menu appear on top of your canvas. And don't worry, you can customize it to your liking.

6. Customize the Quick Menu

You can change the options the Quick Menu gives you when you open it up. It's pretty simple to do; just follow these steps.

  1. Open up the Quick Menu on your canvas.
    Screenshot showcasing Quick Menu in Procreate
  2. Press and hold any option you want to change.
  3. Scroll through the list, and tap on the option that you want to have instead.
    How to edit Quick Menu in Procreate

7. Select Multiple Layers

Procreate stands out because it uses a lot of gestures. This makes some actions different from other apps, including selecting multiple layers at once. If you want to move them around or change them entirely, it's easier to select all the layers you want first.

Here's what you need to do:

  1. On your canvas, tap on the Layers panel on the top left side.
  2. Swipe to the right on the layers you want to select.
    Select multiple layers in Procreate

You'll know which layers you selected because a blue highlight will appear behind each of them.

8. Merge Several Layers

If you want, you can also merge any number of layers. It's easier than you think, and you can do it with a single gesture.

  1. Open the Layers panel on the top right side of your screen.
  2. Use two fingers and pinch all the layers you want to merge together.
    How to merge layers in Procreate
  3. You'll see a small animation of the layers merging. Release your fingers, and you'll see just one layer.

9. Move Layers to Another Canvas

You probably already know you can move your layers around in your Layers panel, but did you know you can actually take your layers and move them to a completely different canvas?

It's super simple to do, and it could save you a lot of time. Here's how:

  1. On your canvas, open the Layers panel.
  2. Touch and hold one or more layers until you can move them around.
    Moving a layer in Procreate
  3. With your other hand, tap on Gallery to go back to your other canvas.
  4. Tap on the canvas you want to move your layers to.
    How to move a layer to another canvas in Procreate
  5. Drop the layers on the new canvas.

You'll find your old layers on your new canvas' Layers panel.

Now It's Your Turn

These tips will turn you into a productivity machine whenever you're drawing. Whether you've been using Procreate for years, or you just picked up the app, these tips and tricks will make your life a whole lot easier. Now, nothing is stopping you from honing your drawing skills.