Graphic design can be a whole lot of a struggle when you have to face an empty screen looking for sketchable ideas that match with a brand.
Things get even worse if you’re unable to properly explore the full extent of the design software that you are using or if its features are nothing advanced to write about.
Engaging a library of premade design concepts like Pinterest and Freepiks for quick inspirations can easily solve the first problem. But the second requires getting a functional design program that has all the tools you need in one place.
And this is where Procreate comes in. As a popular, streamlined software built with tons of tools and handy add-ons, you can easily rocket your designs from the usual, bland look to something much more realistic.
In this article, you will find out more about Procreate, what you can do with this awesome design platform, and things to know when using Procreate.
What Can You Do With Procreate?
Procreate is a modern design software with a wide range of usability for graphic designers, artists, and even non-graphic designers. Here are some of the things you can use Procreate for:
1.) Logo Design
Logos are the core elements of every image building strategy. Virtually every business out on the internet has one, whether revamped or new.
This is because logos portray the values and messages of a brand. Moreover, it aids easy recognition of the brand by customers across the globe.
But you can’t get a topnotch logo design with just any design software. You need Procreate with its collections of usable functionalities.
For example, procreate brushes can help you create stamps or visually appealing water colors when designing your logo.
Other features such as the pen and pencil option make it easy to carve out textual logos with pointed or curved edges. What you get fully depends on how you want the logo to be. And so long you have the concept, there are enough inbuilt tools to bring your inspirations to life.
2.) Illustrations
Illustrations are mostly used to create product prototypes, building architectures, and many more.
With Procreate, you can easily set up your shapes, create layers and merge, re-align and pop out edges as you want it.
Illustration becomes easier with the flexible pen tool. Just drag a length and pull to get your straight lines.
There are also prebuilt shapes which you can just click on to paste and simultaneously adjust to taste.
Moreover, the export format of your illustrations in Procreate makes sure you can view and work on it with other software.
3.) Mockups, Prototypes, And Presentations
Mockups are also part of branding strategies. And UI designers use this to present the final output of their designs to clients.
Procreate allows you to create product mockups on the same workboard or different ones depending on your preference.
Also, there are premade board sizes for mockups which will help you get the best fit for your designs.
Same thing goes for presentations – you don’t need to visit Powerpoint before you can get it done.
Moreover, Procreate tools help you create more intuitive and realistic presentations with the different life-like brushes at your disposal.
4.) Animations
Procreate allows you to create simple animations with the Animation Assist feature. Users can create frame-by-frame or time-lapse videos and use the onion skinning option to ghost preceding frames.
You can also use the Assist tool to create intriguing GIFs instead of using another third-party software.
Other minor details include deleting, adjusting, blending, and adding opacity to your frames with just a click.
3 Things To Know When Using Procreate
Like any other design program, there are some tips that you need to know when starting with Procreate.
1.) Check Out Procreate Tutorials And The Community
There is a whole lot of resources created by Procreate for both new and advanced graphic designers.
You can check out the official Procreate website and navigate to the resource page for direct access.
Tutorials are quite important since they will help shorten your learning curve and help you discover Procreate features faster than you would on your own.
In the resource page, there are other sections for expert’s advice and suggestions.
The Procreate community is large and diverse. So there’s no need to feel introverted when stumped with some difficulties in using the software.
Simply join the discussion and see if your issues have been raised before by another person or just go ahead and ask your questions.
You can also find some third-party communities on Facebook. While it’s recommended that you don’t carry out transactions there, you should still be able to network with fellow Procrete users and other professionals.
And you might want to join the design challenges that these communities host.
2.) Customize Your Preference And Set Up Your Workplace
The Procreate dashboard and preferences are preset. But that might not be to your taste.
So head over to the top-right bar and click the preference button to adjust the options inside. Be careful of choosing settings that actually disrupt your design experience.
As for your workplace, you need to choose your favorite tools and put them somewhere you have easy access to.
For a designer, you can put the pen and selection tool somewhere near. Other important ones include the color palette and picker.
3.) Play Around With Colors And Brushes
Procreate has tons of colors and brushes for you to work with. Of course, too much of everything affects how fast you can decide on which tool to work with.
So just play around with your colors until you find which one works best. You can afterwards save and re-use them anytime.
The brush library includes ink brushes, sketching brushes, painting, texture, and special effect brushes. Explore each category and find your favorite.
If you often work on spicy designs, you can go for special effect and texture brushes. On the other hand, artists can go for sketching and ink brushes.
Note that what type of brush you use fully depends on the type of design you want to create.
Conclusion
Procreate is an awesome design software that offers virtually all the tools you need to create your masterpiece.
Before anything, make sure you check out the available tutorials and communities.
The brush tool is versatile and newly updated almost every time. You can also ask the Procreate team to include a special type of brush or just go ahead and create yours in the brush library.
Finally, customize your workplace and pin your favorite tools for easy access.