How To Paste Layer In Procreate

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Procreate is a powerhouse of a program, but that sometimes means that the most basic of functions tin exist difficult to effigy out. There’southward no easy “⌘C and ⌘V” to help yous out when you’re using a touchscreen without a keyboard. Luckily, Procreate understands the importance of copying and pasting and makes it easy to do so…once you figure out how.

To copy and paste in Procreate, use iii fingers to swipe down on your iPad screen to open the Copy & Paste menu and choose to duplicate, cut, copy, and paste your elements from there. To copy and paste an entire layer in Procreate, indistinguishable the layer within the Layers console.

There are Then many uses for copying and pasting. I personally use it a lot to merge Procreate drawings together.

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The Procreate Copy and Paste Shortcut

The quickest way to copy and paste in Procreate is to utilise three fingers to swipe down on your iPad screen to admission the Copy & Paste menu. Within that card, yous can quickly copy, cut, paste, and indistinguishable your Procreate elements.

Let’s walk through this step-by-step.

1. Brand sure the layer that contains the elements you want to copy and paste is selected.

Open up your Layers panel and find the layer that contains the elements you desire to re-create and paste on information technology. If information technology isn’t already selected, tap on it to select it.

two. Utilise three fingers and swipe downward on your iPad screen

This will take some getting used to. Don’t worry; it volition come more than naturally once you’ve practiced.

three. Click “re-create” to copy what is on your active layer and “copy all” to copy everything on your canvas.

If y’all cull the “Re-create” push button, information technology will re-create the contents of the layer y’all selected. If you cull “Copy All,” it volition copy all visible layers in your canvas.

Information technology’south important to note that when you cull the “Copy All” option and eventually paste it onto your canvass, everything will merge into one layer.

If you need your layers or elements separated, copy each layer or chemical element separately so that you tin can keep them on different layers.

4. Activate the Copy & Paste menu once more and click “paste”

5. Use your pasted layer, as needed.

Your newly pasted layer will show up in your Layers panel and be called “Inserted Image.”

It’s worth repeating that the “copy” option will only copy what is on the layer y’all have currently selected, so make sure y’all have the right layer selected.

This is a really quick way to copy and paste, but it’s not the only way. Yous’ll want to larn additional options, especially if you desire to copy specific elements from a layer and not the entire layer.

Copying and Pasting an Entire Layer in Procreate by Duplicating it

If you need to copy an unabridged layer inside Procreate, the hack above works pretty well. There is another mode to practice it though, and then it’due south good to accept another option in your back pocket in case you need it or in case yous prefer information technology.

Ane of the quickest ways to copy and paste an entire layer is to duplicate it. Duplicating is as well great if yous need to make your lines thicker or brand other adjustments. Here how to indistinguishable in Procreate:

1. Open your Layers panel.

two. Swipe left on the layer you want to copy and paste.

3. Hitting the “Duplicate” push button.

iv. Use your duplicated layer equally y’all need to!

Notation: your new layer will often paste correct on top of your erstwhile layer, which tin can make information technology look similar nothing happened. Just motility the layer and y’all’ll see the duplicate you created.

Now y’all know how to duplicate in Procreate!

There’s another mode to re-create and paste an entire layer. It’southward non as quick as duplicating, but it’due south worth knowing, in case y’all demand information technology.

How to Re-create and Paste a Layer in Settings

The settings within each layer also requite you lot an option for copying and pasting. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Select the layer you’re going to copy so that it’s highlighted

2.
Open the layer settings so that they popular upwardly to the left of your layer

3.
Click on the “re-create” option

4.
Close the layers tab

5.
Click on the wrench to open up the settings

half-dozen.
Employ the “add” tab, which is the offset pick on the far left

7.
Click on the “paste” choice and you’re done!

Note that when we duplicated a layer in the previous section, information technology was named equally a “Layer.” Nevertheless, when you copy and paste with this method, it will show up in your Layers panel as an “Inserted Image” in the same style that it did when we used the three finger swipe shortcut to access the re-create & Paste menu.

Copying and Pasting a Single Chemical element in Procreate

Sometimes you but want to make a copy of a unmarried chemical element. Maybe you want identical circles or flowers to create a landscape. Whatever your reason, copying and pasting can be a lot more than efficient than manus drawing every single identical element. Here’south how to do it:

1. Click the selection tool in your dashboard. It’s the 3rd one that looks like an “S.”

2.
Choose the Freehand selection and draw your option around the element you want to copy and paste.

Information technology’due south important to move your element away from other elements. Anything that is captured past your pick tool will be copied and pasted, so make certain y’all don’t accidentally include elements you weren’t intending.

3. Choose the “Re-create & Paste” button.

four. Movement your copied and pasted element, as needed.

Your copied and pasted selection will testify up in your Layers panel with the name “From selection.” Utilize the Transform Tool to move information technology around your canvas, every bit needed.

Annotation: like the total layer option, your copied and pasted chemical element will country directly on top of your original element, which tin make it wait like zilch happened. But move the layer and you lot’ll encounter whether the copying and pasting worked or not.

Copying and Pasting Layers and Elements to New Canvases in Procreate

The actually absurd thing about Procreate is that y’all can copy and paste elements between different canvases in your gallery.

I really like using this characteristic if I’grand trying out different styles and I want them to be completely carve up pieces of art as opposed to split layers.

This can likewise work well if you are creating a series and take some layers that are going to be consequent throughout your pieces of fine art; the background for children’due south volume pictures, for instance.

Luckily, the process for doing this is basically the same as what nosotros’ve been doing. Here’s how:

ane. Apply a 3 finger swipe down on the screen to actuate the Copy & Paste carte and choose “Copy” or “Copy All” depending on your needs.

2.
Move over to your new canvas in your gallery, the one you want to re-create and paste to

3. Click on the wrench to open the Action settings
and choose the “Add” menu.

4. Choose the “Paste” button.

5. Motion your copied and pasted element around, equally needed.

Can you Copy and Paste on the Same Layer in Procreate

Procreate can’t copy and paste within the same layer. The workaround is to copy and paste to a new layer and merge it with your desired layer. Always be careful when merging your layers and double cheque that y’all want all of the elements on your two layers to be merged together.

Unfortunately, you can’t tell Procreate to copy and paste on an existing layer. Procreate will always create a new layer for your copied and pasted elements.

The workaround is to re-create and paste your elements on a new layer so merge this layer with your desired layer – the layer yous wanted to copy and paste your elements on to begin with.

Always exist careful when merging your layers. Cropping and resizing besides. You tin simply undo your merge correct afterwards you consummate it. If you return to your gallery, close Procreate, your undo history will exist wiped and you won’t be able to disengage it anymore.

Combine down isn’t the same as merge down either. Combine down will but turn your layer into a group. Merging is what you want to do if you want your elements on the same layer.

Given that Procreate doesn’t have a manner to copy and paste on the same layer, merging your layers is a adept, if not imperfect, workaround.

Things to Proceed in Mind When Copying and Pasting with Procreate

ane. Stay Authentic and Know Why You’re Using It.
Once you know how to copy and paste with Procreate, it’south like learning that boxed block mix exists. Something and so basic that’south and then useful!

Aye, you could go nigh things the hard way by pulling out the flour and baking powder and making sure you have plenty sugar, or you can just cleft a few eggs into the boxed block mix.

Aforementioned manner y’all could re-draw a lot of elements, or you can only re-create and paste.

That said, in the same manner that boxed cake mix can sometimes be viewed as generic, making copies of your art may exist seen as losing it’s authenticity depending on what you’re going for.

For me, I’ve definitely fallen into the laziness trap of copying and pasting characters from one scene to some other.

Maybe I changed their arm positions, but y’all could tell that they were slightly altered carbon copies of each other. In that case, copying and pasting was working against me as an excuse to be lazy. In other cases, I’ve copied bones shapes or backgrounds that are really ok to exist carbon copies of each other.

At times, they Need to be carbon copies like each other, like consistent backgrounds throughout a film book scene. In those cases, copying and pasting has made my pattern fourth dimension more than efficient and added to the quality of my work.

ii. Be Careful with Your Layers.
When yous copy and paste, your new elements or layers will exist inserted as an image as one single layer. True confession: I’m the WORST at managing layers in Procreate. Nosotros’re all works in progress, right?

As yous would (or should, in my case) when adding new elements, brand certain that yous’re pasting elements separately if yous demand them on divide layers. This will make your life a lot easier if you need to make changes down the line.

Copying and pasting is a smashing Procreate feature that’due south one of the great perks of digital art versus traditional art. If you lot use it correctly, you’ll unlock a lot of ways to improve the efficiency of creating your art. As long as yous don’t use it equally a crutch or an excuse to be lazy, y’all’ll take caused another Procreate superpower.