Brush Libraries

Edit, organize and share brushes in Procreate.

Interface

Organized into themed categories, Procreate's brush libraries offer various brushes for different artistic workflows.

Access your Brushes

Accessible by tapping twice on Paint, Smudge or Erase, your brush library displays your brush sets on the left, and the brushes in the active set on the right.

The left panel of the brush library lists the default brush sets sorted by medium and style.

Scroll the list to navigate all the brush sets, and tap a set to view the brushes it contains on the right. When you select a brush set its icon will light up blue.

The right-hand panel of the brush library lists all available brushes in the currently selected brush set.

Tap a brush set to browse the brushes it contains. The brush list displays the name of each brush and a preview of the stroke it makes. Scroll the list to navigate, tap a brush to select it, then tap on the canvas to begin painting.

Tap on this to open a menu that allows you to build a new brush or set from the ground up, or import custom brushes.

Tap 'Create new' set to create a new brush set above your current brush sets, in the current brush library.

Tap 'Create new brush' to create a new brush and open up the Brush Studio.

Tap 'Import from Files' to bring in a brush, set or library from the Files app.

If you tapped 'Create new brush', you'll be sent to the Brush Studio to customize your new brush. You can also access Brush Studio for existing brushes by tapping on them to select them, then tapping on them again.

The Brush Studio offers you total control over each aspect of your brush. Here you can alter shape, grain, behavior, color, responsiveness, opacity, taper, and so much more. With hundreds of settings on offer, you can create limitless combinations. Or start from scratch and build original tools to suit the way you work.

Learn more about changing settings and designing brushes in Brush Studio .

Access your Brush Libraries

There are two ways to access your brush libraries. You can pinch inwards on your Brushes view:

Or you can tap on the title of your current library, and select 'Back to libraries':

Consider watching the video below if you require a demonstration of the two different ways to access your brush libraries:

Organizing Brush Libraries in Files

Brush libraries are now stored in the Files app, either in On My iPad → Procreate → Brushes or iCloud Drive → Procreate Brushes.

In these main folders, the folders within are your brush libraries:

The folders within the brush library folders are the brush sets that are in that library, and the files within each folder are the individual brushes in that brush set.

You can import individual .brush files by bringing them into a brush set folder in the Files app. You can copy, move and duplicate brushes and folders in the Files app, and any changes you make will be reflected in Procreate.

How the Brushes system interacts with the Files app

Because Procreate's Brushes system is now integrated with the iPad's Files app, when you make changes to brushes in Procreate the changes will also be reflected in Files, and vice versa. As you can see in the video below, changing files in the Files app also changes the files in the Procreate Brushes interface, after a moment:

Creating and Importing Brush Libraries

Tap the button in the top right while you are in brush library view to bring up a context menu.

Create a new brush library in your currently-selected storage area (iCloud or On My iPad).

Import a brush library from the Files app. Once imported, this will be stored in your currently-selected storage area (On My iPad or iCloud Drive).

Manage Your Individual Brush Libraries

Tap hold a brush library while in the overview to bring up a context menu:

Rename your brush library. This will change it both in Procreate and in the Files app.

Export your brush library, so that you can share it with another app or via Files.

You can also drag and drop a brush library to another position in the list, or drag it out of Procreate and into Files to export it.

Duplicate your brush library in your current storage area, making a complete independent copy of it.

Delete this brush library. Keep in mind that this deletion is permanent, and will remove the brush library both from Procreate and your Files app.

Brush Search

Swipe down from the top of the brush library, in any view, to bring up Brush Search:

Begin typing the name of your desired brush, and matches will appear beneath the search field:

Input your search query here, using part or all of the brush/Set name you can recall.

Matching brushes from the current Brush Library will appear here.

Matching search results from other brush libraries will appear here.

Brush sets that match the search query will appear here.

Tap on a search result to activate the brush, set or library. Tap hold on a brush to bring up the options to copy that brush into your currently-active library, go directly to the set it's in, or Share the brush.

Tap cancel in the top right to hide the search field and return to your current brush library.

Recent and Pinned Brushes

Access your most recently used brushes, or pin your favorites so they are always ready to use.

Recent Brushes

Find your Recent brushes at the top of the brush library sets. Access these brushes by tapping Paint, Smudge or Erase and then tapping Recent. Up to a maximum of eight individual brushes are automatically added to the Recent set as you select and use them.

To find the original set a brush in Recent belongs to, swipe left on the brush and then tap the Find button. This will jump you to the brush’s Set and highlight the activated brush.

Pinned Brushes

To pin a brush, swipe left on the brush in your Recent set and tap the Pin button. This will keep the brush permanently at the top of your Recent set. You can easily identify pinned brushes by the pin symbol in the top right hand corner. To unpin a brush, swipe left on the brush and tap the Unpin button.

Brush Set Categories

Discover the 18 new handcrafted brush sets that form the core of Procreate’s brush library. There’s a brush and category to suit every style.

Some of Procreate’s brushes are realistic. Some are fantastical. The idea behind these brushes is to give you a wide range of useful tools. These range from the practical to the experimental.

A summary of each brush set is below. Experiment with the different brushes to explore what's possible. Discover the variety of effects you can achieve and what works best for you.

Procreate Library

Pencils

A collection of pencils ranging from light/hard graphite to very soft, each with unique paper textures and tilt-responsive behaviors.

Pens

This brush collection includes precise instruments such as ballpoint and fine-tip pens, as well as more expressive tools like brushpens and worn, broken nibs.

Inks

Brushes that offer artists numerous creative inking effects, from pressure-controlled spatter on a line to broad sumi-e style brushwork.

Markers

Brushes that allow for building up ink on the canvas, while still showcasing the fiber of the marker itself.

Pastels

Brushes of different thickness and grains that produce crumbly and colorful marks with options that emulate the behaviors of everything from oil pastels to simple wax crayons.

Oils

Offering bold and painterly brush strokes and the ability to smudge and blend colors on the canvas.

Paints

Each of these brushes takes advantage of assorted textures and stamp shapes to produce different wet media effects.

Gouache

These brushes offer the range of transparent and opaque brush marks that this unique medium offers in the physical world.

Watercolors

Wet brushes that produce a transparent watercolor effect suitable for larger washes, layering of paint, and varied edges.

Charcoals

Thick charcoal sticks, finer willow charcoal for drawing, and several other carbon-inspired options, each offering a variety of effects that can be controlled with pressure and tilt.

Basics

The set for clean and simple, mostly rounded brushes. Useful across Paint, Smudge and Erase and a good starting point if you're used to other digital art software.

Lettering

Brushes that lend themselves to sweeping and precise calligraphy, helped by increased stabilization.

Comics

Your go-to for comic or manga-style brushes with inks, halftones, and more. This set is designed to make your comic workflow faster and easier.

Design

Clean and purpose-built to allow for projects with a more technical lean. This set holds some brushes that you might find useful for architectural or drafting projects, markup, etc.

Grunge

Brushes that are gritty and textural for a variety of interesting and crispy surfaces and effects.

Street Art

Textured and loud, these brushes are expressive, but can be used for finer bursts of color, too.

Digital

A set with a geometric focus, these brushes allow you to lay down both clean and crunchy textural shapes.

Creative

Brushes that allow you to produce interesting and unusual marks quickly and expressively.

Classic Library

Sketching

Designed for practical drawing, planning, sketching and quick studies. These brushes mimic graphite pencils, technical pencils, pastels and artist crayons.

Drawing

This set of brushes offers a range of rendering brushes for artistic drawing. These brushes offer a versatile mix of wet and dry mediums and are ideal for quick studies and life drawing.

Inking

Ideal for cleaning up artwork and drawing in ink-centric styles like sumi-e. These brushes include a variety of ink-and-brush styles, technical pens, markers, gel pens, and dry ink effects.

Painting

These brushes encompass a range of realistic and digital painting effects. This selection of brushes covers mediums from acrylic to stucco to oil. They offer a range of brush behaviors including the drag of an aged brush and the smear of an oil brush loaded with turpentine.

Artistic

Texture is the focus of this fascinating brush set. These brushes offer a range of effects from watery to clumpy. They build up or strip away color to reveal an underlying texture of paper or canvas.

Calligraphy

These brushes all have Streamline enabled. This allows letterers to create smooth and even calligraphic forms. They come in a variety of textures with particular responsiveness to pressure.

Airbrushing

A staple of classic digital art. The airbrush set allows artists to lay down pure color and smooth gradients fast.

Textures

These brushes lay down large areas of texture fast. This versatile set offers a unique and eclectic set of realistic textures that mimic a wide range of surfaces and patterns.

Abstract

This playful set demonstrates the unique capabilities of Procreate’s versatile Brush Studio. Included are brushes that change color, create smoky effects and generate chaotic shapes. This is a good demonstration of the unexpected effects brush customization can achieve.

Charcoals

This range of realistic charcoal brushes is ideal for studies, portraits, and life drawing.

Elements

These fantastical effects brushes render convincing smoke, flames, water, clouds, and more.

Spraypaints

A variety of convincing spatter and spray effects are available in this grungy and versatile brush set.

Materials

A variety of Material brushes featuring metallics and roughness created for 3D Painting. Plus a selection of brushes to add fine touchups like hair, stubble, noise, and several styles of skin texture to turbocharge your concept art.

Vintage

A vintage-inspired brush set with a range of retro textures and scattered design elements for your creations.

Luminance

This mind-blowing brush takes full advantage of the power of digital art. It creates a range of vivid light effects from pulses to galaxies, sparkles, and bokeh.

Industrial

Designed to add realistic grunge textures to your art. The Industrial set is where you’ll find concrete, metal, stone, and rust effects.

Organic

The Organic brush set offers all things natural. It includes a range of scatter brushes to add grass, leaves, and bark textures to concept pieces. It also offers brushes that mimic the strokes created by handmade mediums. This allows you to ink with a reed, draw with bamboo, or paint with a sable brush.

Water

This set offers several realistic watercolour brushes. It includes stamp brushes for splashes, flicks, blotches and drips.

Brush Library Basics

Learn how to create your own brushes and brush sets, import sets created by others, keep your library organized, and share your creations.

In this section we'll explore the controls for managing individual Brushes and organizing brush sets within a brush library.

Create Brushes and Brush Sets

Tap the button in the top right of Brushes to bring up a context menu that allows you to create and import new brushes and sets.

Tap here to create a new brush in your current brush set. You will immediately be brought into Brush Studio to create your brushes.

Tap here to create a new brush set in your current brush library. Input the name of the new set with the iPadOS keyboard, then tap Apply to confirm it or Cancel to revert the creation.

Tap here to import a brush, brush set or brush library from the Files app. Brush files use the .brush extension, brush sets use the .brushset extension, and brush libraries use the .brushlibrary.

To add a new brush, tap the button on the top right of the brush library and tap Create new brush.

Learn more about creating brushes in the Brush Studio .

Edit a Brush

Change a wide array of settings on any existing brush.

To edit an existing brush, tap the brush to select it, then tap it again to bring up the Brush Studio.

Learn more about editing existing brushes in Brush Studio Settings .

Organize Your Brushes and Brush Sets

To duplicate a brush, swipe left on it and tap Duplicate.

To duplicate a brush set, tap twice on any set then tap Duplicate. An exact copy of the set will appear below the original.

Rename a Brush or Brush Set

Give your brushes and sets memorable names to keep your library organized.

To rename a brush, tap and hold on it in the Brushes interface, then tap Rename.

To rename a brush set, tap it twice (or tap and hold) and select Rename. You can also Share (export) your set from here, or give it an icon from our icon library.

Duplicate a Brush or Brush Set

Make an immediate copy of your selected brush or brush set, so that you can have multiple copies which you can move around.

To duplicate a brush or set, tap hold on it and press Duplicate in the menu that appears.

Customize Icon (Brush Set only)

Select from some fun icons to assign to one of your brush sets.

Tap hold a brush set and select Customize icon to select from one of our included icons.

Share a Brush or Brush Set

Share your custom brushes and brush sets with other Procreate users.

Share an individual brush by swiping left on the brush thumbnail and tapping Share. Procreate will package your brush into a .brush file that you can share.

Share a custom brush set by tapping it twice and selecting Share. Select a destination for your .brushset file.

Drag and drop Brushes and Brush Sets

Tap and hold the brush or brush set you want to move. After a moment, it will ‘lift up’ and fade slightly. Drag it to a new position in the list and lift your finger to release it.

You can also tap the destination brush set with another finger while you're holding the brush, to switch over to that set, allowing you to drop the brush inside, which moves the brush from its original set into the new one.

To copy a brush from one brush set to another, tap and hold the brush to pick it up, then hover it over the destination brush set title and raise your finger to drop a copy into that set.

To move multiple brushes or brush sets, pick up the first item as above and drag it. A green icon will appear on it. With another finger, tap any other items you want to add to the stack. A number will appear next to the icon counting how many items your stack holds. You can now drop the stack into a new position in the list.

Moving Brushes and Brush Sets between Brush Libraries

To move a brush or brush set from one brush library to another, tap and hold the brush or brush set to pick it up.

Now, use another hand to pinch inwards on the brushes interface (or tap on the library title → Back to libraries), then tap on the library you'd like to deposit the set into.

1. If you're holding a brush, hover the brush over or tap on the destination set with another finger and then drop the brush within.

2. If you're holding a set, simply drag it into the position on the list you'd like and release it to move it across.

You can also move brushes and sets between libraries in bulk, too. Tap hold one to pick it up, then tap on others (brushes if moving brushes, sets if moving sets) with another finger to add them to the group you're holding.

Use the same method described above to navigate to the new destination, and release them when you're happy with their new position.

Delete a Brush or Brush Set

Tidy up your brush library by deleting unwanted duplicates and unused custom brushes.

To delete a brush, swipe left on it and tap Delete. You will be prompted with a confirmation to delete.

To delete a custom brush set, tap it twice and select Delete.

Reset a Brush

To reset a brush in Procreate, you must enter Brush Studio. Tap twice on a brush in the Brushes interface, then tap About this Brush on the list on the left, and tap Reset Brush and confirm this to return it to a previous state.

Read more about this in the Brush Studio Settings section .

Import

Download and import useful new brushes and brush sets into Procreate.

In the brush library, tap the button to open the context menu. Tap the Import from Files button to import a .brush, .brushset, or .brushlibrary file from the Files app.

An imported brush set will be added to the top of your brush library.

You can also import new brushes from outside the app. Locate a new .brush, .brushset or .brushlibrary file in Files. When you tap the file, it will either automatically import into Procreate, or a prompt to import the new brush to Procreate will appear.

A set called Imported is created when you import a single brush. The Imported folder will be at the bottom of your brush sets list, and will have a corresponding folder in the Files app.

If you import a brush set this way, it will appear at the top of your brush library.