Preface

Procreate is a robust and industry-grade painting software that is an extremely versatile yet affordable alternative to subscription-based applications. Get Set Procreate is a comprehensive introduction to the latest version of the software, for those who are new to Procreate. Complete with step-by-step instructions, easy-to-follow descriptions, and practical guidelines, this guide will reveal the ins and outs of the application.

You will learn how to use the features of Procreate 5.2 to create beautiful illustrations, animations, 3D paintings, and much more. The book will take you through all the tools available on Procreate and explain how to use them effectively to create high-quality artworks.

By the end of the book, you will be able to confidently navigate the application to achieve the results you want.

Who this book is for

If you're a beginner who wants to start illustrating professionally on Procreate but doesn’t know where to begin, this is the book for you. This book is also for experienced illustrators and animators accustomed to other software, like Photoshop, looking to pick up a new skill.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, The Gallery – Organizing Your Files, is where you will learn about the landing page of the application, called the Gallery. This will allow you to jump in as soon as you open the app.

Chapter 2, Getting Started – Setting Up a Canvas, will go over how to create a new canvas, both starting with a preset and starting a custom one from scratch to suit your specific needs. Using this knowledge, you will be able to choose your preferred settings, dimensions, color profiles, and much more.

Chapter 3, Understanding Your Workspace, will briefly map out the interface of Procreate, namely the toolbars and buttons visible in the workspace. For experienced artists, it will help you recognize and locate features you may already know from other software.

Chapter 4, Using the Actions Menu, goes into more detail about the Actions menu. It is a powerful set of tools that can be used to make changes to the canvas, interface, and so forth.

Chapter 5, Selecting and Transforming, is where we discuss the Selections tool and the Transform tool. Both of these tools are often used together to select and modify specific areas of an image.

Chapter 6, Using Gestures and Shortcuts, looks at how, by lowering UI complexity, Procreate leaves room for a variety of intuitive gestures. This chapter will give you a thorough overview of the different types of gestures and shortcuts available. If you are familiar with keyboard shortcuts on a computer, it will give you an alternative on the iPad.

Chapter 7, Organizing Your Layers, introduces you to how layers work in Procreate, including features such as layer options and blend modes.

Chapter 8, Painting Tools and the Brush Library – Using and Organizing Brushes, is where you will learn about the painting tools, namely the three types of brushes that are available. You will also learn how to organize, import, and share brushes using the Brush Library. Lastly, the chapter will introduce the basics of using the Brush Studio.

Chapter 9, Brush Studio Settings – Editing and Combining Brushes, is an in-depth discussion of the Brush Studio, covering all its features. It also explains how to combine two brushes into one Dual Brush.

Chapter 10, Using Color Tools, talks about how Procreate has a wide variety of color selection tools to suit your workflow. This chapter will go over each of those in detail.

Chapter 11, Adjustments – Applying Image Effects, is about the Adjustments menu. It consists of several layer adjustment tools to give your artwork an extra edge, using features such as image effects and color adjustments.

Chapter 12, Using Assisted Drawing Tools, talks about Drawing Assist, which is a set of tools that help you automate your drawing for accuracy when you need to follow perspective, symmetry, and other geometrical rules. The chapter will discuss the different types of assisted drawing tools available in Procreate.

Chapter 13, Using Animation Assist for 2D Animation, discusses how Animation Assist works, which is Procreate’s very own animation tool.

Chapter 14, Sketchbooking with Page Assist, explains how to use Page Assist. This is a useful tool for maintaining multiple pages of art on a single canvas, just as you would with a sketchbook or comic book.

Chapter 15, Painting on 3D Models, is all about the fascinating 3D painting feature that allows you to paint directly on 3D models. It will introduce the basics of how 3D models are composed and how they can be painted on.

Chapter 16, Rendering Objects Using Blend Modes, sees you blend layers together to enhance the quality of your rendering. This chapter is a step-by-step walk-through of an illustration, with a special focus on using blend modes to render different types of materials.

To get the most out of this book

This book covers Procreate 5.2, specifically as used on an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (third generation). It is supported by the iPad models mentioned in the following table. To start using this book, you will need to have purchased and launched the Procreate application, which is available on the App Store, for a one-time price of 10 USD.

iPad models that support Procreate 5.2	Operating system requirements
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (first to fifth generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (first to third generation), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 9.7-inch	iPadOS
iPad (fifth to ninth generation)	iPadOS
iPad mini (fifth and sixth generation), iPad mini 4	iPadOS
iPad Air (third to fifth generation), iPad Air 2	iPadOS

If you are new to Procreate, you will automatically find the latest version on the App Store. If you’re a prior user, make sure the app is updated to Procreate 5.2.

While it’s possible to use Procreate with multiple types of styluses, using an Apple Pencil is highly recommended to experience its full spectrum of features.

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://packt.link/UlHUL.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “From here, choose any .swatches file to import the Procreate palette directly into your app.”

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “In the top right-hand corner of the Layers panel, you will spot a + icon.”

Tips or important notes

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Get in touch

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