I don’t think that you will ever reach that number because it would only happen in case you are working with a very low-resolution artwork and your iPad gives Procreate access to 100% of its RAM. Typically, you’ll be working with artwork sizes that have practical applications, like for social media (3000px x 3000px) or physical prints such as 16″ x 16″, A4, A3, or A2. 11 Table: Number of Procreate layers comparison based on RAM, iPadOS version, and iPad model – Source: ©Art Side of Life Time needed: 2 minutes This is a guide on how you check the number of layers you have available in your existing Procreate artwork canvas. To increase your Procreate layer limit, you can do one or all of these things: combine layers, work on two or more canvases, decrease the canvas size, and work with the smallest canvas size possible. This is a technique of increasing the number of Procreate layers suitable for all artist levels.
When I worked with my older iPad Pro 10.5″, I regularly had to increase the number of Procreate layers by merging some of them. You will see me working heavily with combining layers in my class on drawing flowers in Procreate:
To maximize the number of Procreate layers, you can always choose to work with the canvas size in px, inches, centimeters, and millimeters, and at DPI, that is the minimum required for your end product – e.g., digital screen, wall art, pattern, social media, etc. Decreasing your canvas size is a valid technique, but personally, I don’t recommend it because it can pixelate your artwork.
Photo: Number of Procreate Layers based on canvas size and DPI on my iPad Pro 12.9″ – ©Art Side of Life So if you have iPad which can run those iPadOS systems, then you are in luck with a much higher number of Procreate layers!
Procreate Limits Layers to Ensure an Awesome Drawing Experience Working with the limited access to your iPad’s RAM, the Procreate makers had to ensure the app runs smoothly in any event.
By setting a layer limit, Procreate ensures that the app runs smoothly and doesn’t crash unexpectedly, even when you are working on complex artworks. The efficient workflow is the creative reason why Procreate limits the number of layers. By setting a limit on the number of Procreate layers, the makers encourage us to make conscious decisions about our artistic choices. I actually welcome this reason because it motivates me to be more intentional, focusing on the quality and composition of my work rather than getting lost in an endless stack of layers.
It helps optimize performance, encourages efficient workflow, and ensures accessibility for artists of all levels. Remember, while layer limits can be frustrating, they’re ultimately in place to ensure that you have the best possible experience when using Procreate.
Apple optimized those operating systems to be more generous in RAM allocation to the apps.
Photo: iPad Pro number of layers at A4 and 300DPI resolution – ©Art Side of Life Photo: iPad Pro number of layers at 16″ and 300DPI resolution – ©Art Side of Life Photo: iPad Pro number of layers at 3000px resolution – ©Art Side of Life
This is because of the bigger surface area Procreate has to work with and, thus, more computational power and memory it needs to employ. DPI doesn’t play any role in your Procreate layer limit
When you make art for print, then both canvas dimensions (in inches, centimeters, or millimeters) and the DPI determine your Procreate layer limit.
Artist Review: iPad Air 4 (2020)
iPad Air 4 11-inch iPad Pro (2020) Price US $599, $749 for 64GB and 256GB US $799, $899 for 128GB and 256GB Processor A14 A12Z RAM 4GB 6GB Dimensions 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9mm Weight (Wifi) 458g 471g Speakers Two-way stereo Four-way stereo Resolution 2360 x 1640, 264 PPI 2388 x 1668, 264 PPI Display refresh rate 60Hz 120Hz Brightness 500 nits 600 nits Apple Pencil support Gen 2 Gen 2 Unlock Fingerprint scanner on power button Face unlock Port USB-C USB-C Microphones Two Five Battery life Up to 10hrs Up to 10hrs Price From US $599 From US $799 iPad Air 4 is available in five colours, namely Space Gray, Silver, Green, Rose Gold and Sky Blue.
There’s still the single camera back there, a wide angle f/1.8 with electronic image stabilisation. The fingerprint sensor built into the power button is convenient and works effectively. There are four sets of speaker grills but audio only comes out from two, the bottom two when the tablet is in landscape format. Without the fingerprint sensor from the previous model, the bezels can now be shrunk so effectively you are getting a larger display (up for 10.5inch) in a smaller body with the same fantastic battery life. Pixel density is 264 PPI so all the user interface, text, fonts, icons, visual look sharp and detailed. There’s no gap between the pen tip and the line beneath due to the laminated display.
So when you’re writing or drawing, the line will look like it’s coming from directly beneath the pen tip. When drawing, the pen tip is slightly slippery on the glass surface which can affect control. Getting a matte screen protector will provide a more tactile experience when drawing and give you more control. But the downside is at certain angles, the anti-glare on the matte screen protector will create a white haze and affect the contrast of the display significantly.
The anti-glare makes working on a matte screen protector incredibly frustrating when you’re outdoors because light is everywhere to reflect off the display. If you don’t like using a matte screen protector, you remove it without feeling like you wasted too much money.
I’m talking about animation effects like scrolling of webpages, zooming in and out, writing and drawing. When drawing, the latency is actually not as noticeable compared to say, scrolling a webpage or have the apps zoom out back into the small icons.
You can get a line as long as the tip is touching the glass even if you don’t apply pressure. The stand I’m using here is the Parblo PR 100 which can be deployed at various angles and has fantastic grip on the table.
So I don’t really recommend upgrading from iPad Air 3 (that’s like making a loss on selling and paying extra to buy again). I always recommend refurbished Apple products because they are usually 15% off retail price and still comes with 1 year warranty.
If you have more budget and want a nicer looking tablet today, then the next model to consider is the 64GB iPad Air 4. I do recommend the refurbished 11-inch iPad Pro (2020) though because for $80 more you get extra 64GB storage, 120Hz ProMotion, and 4 way speakers. It’s not like you can’t draw on the Samsung Tab S7 because there is Clip Studio Paint which is an awesome illustration app.
The Ultimate Guide to Procreate Layer Limits
Fun fact: buying a new iPad right when it’s released isn’t always a good idea from a Procreate standpoint – we’ll talk about why! Procreate can’t allow for an infinite amount of layers while still functioning at the level required for the app to run well.
These are the basic factors you need to understand in order to demystify why your layer limit is what it is for different Procreate canvases.
The larger your Procreate canvas, the fewer number of layers you’ll have access to.
The more you decrease your canvas size, the more you’ll notice an increase in your layer limit. When talking about Procreate’s layer limit, it’s important to differentiate RAM from storage.
RAM, your iPad’s memory, is what we need to worry about when thinking about your Procreate layer limits. Basically, you can’t always guarantee that you’ll have access to more layers by buying an iPad with more RAM.
Procreate does the best it can to release updates that utilize more of an iPad’s RAM in order to increase layer limits. That’s why, if you’re trying to increase your layer limit, you may want to wait to buy the newest iPad models as soon as they come out. Why Buying the Newest iPad Model Won’t Immediately Increase Your Procreate Layer Limit When an iPad is first released, the Procreate app doesn’t automatically recognize it and adapt to the amount of RAM it has.
Until the developers at Procreate can release an update for that new iPad model, the RAM will be capped at 2GB. When a new iPad model is first released, the developers at Procreate have to update the app to accommodate it. When a new iPad model is released, Procreate developers don’t know how much RAM that this new operating system will give them access to (source). For the safety of your canvases, Procreate caps unknown devices as if they were an iPad with 2GB of RAM.
When a new iPad model comes out, the developers at Procreate manually test it to figure out how much RAM can be used. Until the developers have time to test the new iPad model and release an update for it, the amount of available RAM used for Procreate is capped at 2GB.
Eventually, Procreate will release an update that gives the newer iPad model as much RAM as possible but, until then, you’ll have 2GB determining your layer limit. Instantly increasing your layer limit may not be a huge deal given all of the other improvements and benefits you get.
If you buy a new iPad as soon as it’s released, just don’t be surprised if you notice that your Procreate layer limit isn’t as great as you expected it to be.
To check your layer limit for a piece of art in Procreate, click on the Canvas button within the Actions tab. To increase your layer limit in Procreate, make your canvas as small as possible without sacrificing the quality of your art. If you’re trying to increase your layer limit on an iPad you already have, adjusting your canvas size is your best bet.
So, lower your canvas size to a level that works for your art project. Before getting started with your work, think about how you plan to use it and what canvas size you need as a result. But, if you learn how to master them, you’ll get into a nice rhythm with using them that you won’t even have to think twice about after awhile.
Diana’s latest obsession is digitally drawing with Procreate and creating t-shirt designs with Canva.
Which iPad is Best for Procreate?
Since I have access to a few different iPad models that I’ve owned over the years, I thought I run a few comparison tests (is it wrong that I was actually excited to collect data and make some graphs?) I multiplied the width and height of each canvas to get an overall resolution and converted to megapixels (MP) for easier to read numbers (i.e. 2000px x 2000px = 4,000,000px = 4MP).
How to solve the limited layer problem in procreate
I am quoting Adobe here: “You can create up to 8000 layers in an image, each with its own blending mode and opacity. However, memory constraints may lower this limit.”) In procreate, however, there is a considerable limit on how many layers you can create.
This limit is not definitive, it depends on the iPad’s specifications and the size the drawing canvas.
Maximum number of layers for a 2048x2742px canvas project, on iPad Pro 2020 Maximum number of layers for a 2048x2742px canvas project on iPad Air 2014 The process is not destructive to the old layers, however it can be annoying since it requires more work on your part.
Also keep in mind that merging is a destructive process, you won’t have access to the individual layers any more. BUT if pixel size is not so much of an issue, you can solve the problem if you shrink your canvas.
To be honest this is not something I normally do, I wouldn’t trade size for extra layers, (mind you, most of my work is photorealistic, so details do matter) however, depending on your needs, you might want to consider shrinking your canvas. Of course there’s the disadvantage of the additional program which quite cancels why you started off in procreate anyway, but if it’s not so much of an issue for you, you can try it.
Apple iPad kopen – Welke heb ik nodig voor Procreate?
Dit zijn één van de vele vragen die ik regelmatig krijg. iPad mini 2021 6e generatie (de kleinste): Gelamineerd scherm, wel een anti-reflectiecoating. Deze iPad Pro’s hebben een M1 chip waardoor je veel meer lagen kan gebruiken in Procreate en je hebt de 2nd generation Apple Pencil nodig (die draadloos oplaadt). De 11-inch iPad Pro vond ik net iets te klein. Mijn schermgrootte is niet alleen voor het digitaal tekenen zelf prettig, maar is ook praktisch om tijdens klant gesprekken mijn werk te kunnen tonen. Het grotere scherm is ook handig als ik livestreams doe, of als ik op evenementen live portretteer: het publiek kijkt zo gemakkelijk mee.
Er zijn een paar vragen die je jezelf kunt stellen bij het maken van deze keuze: Dan is een grotere iPad wellicht wat handiger voor je.
Dan is een kleinere iPad ideaal voor jou zodat deze makkelijk in je tas past.
Mijn ultieme tip: Ga langs bij een Apple Store (of Mediamarkt/Coolblue) en durf de tijd te nemen om de verschillende iPads in je hand te houden.
Hoe voelt het wanneer je op een kleinere iPad tekent? Je kunt de iPads van 10.2 tot 11 inch het beste vergelijken met een A5-formaat.
De iPad van 12.9 inch is het beste te vergelijken met een A4-formaat. In deze blog ga ik er vanuit dat je op zoek bent naar een iPad om voornamelijk mee te gaan tekenen (in Procreate). Het geheugen dat de volgende apps (programma’s) gemiddeld van je iPad zullen vragen: Dit komt omdat hier tijdelijke bestanden worden opgeslagen om te zorgen dat je iPad goed kan blijven functioneren. Ook de grootte van je canvas speelt hierin een rol. Dit is dus indicatief en kan afwijken van jouw iPad. Mijn iPad Pro gebruik ik zo goed als dagelijks voor het tekenen, maar ik gebruik daarnaast ook veel management-tools, plan-apps, documentatie-apps zoals Pages en Numbers, en natuurlijk apps voor mijn webshop en online cursus. 64 GB : Je gebruikt de iPad een paar keer per week en je wilt de iPad gebruiken voor bijvoorbeeld digitaal tekenen en wat games.
: Je gebruikt de iPad een paar keer per week en je wilt de iPad gebruiken voor bijvoorbeeld digitaal tekenen en wat games. Let op: Bovenstaande lijst is indicatief, gebruik altijd je eigen verstand en ervaringen om voor jou de juiste beslissing te nemen!
What is the Best iPad for Procreate: A Beginners Guide 2021
Once you get into using Procreate, you’ll find a huge library of art and lettering tutorials on Youtube and Skillshare to keep you busy. Learning to use Procreate was one of the primary things I’ve done over the past year to cope with all that has been going on.
Procreate is an amazingly powerful tool for digital lettering and illustration. In my opinion, 64 GB is way too small, so I don’t recommend getting that one…though it will work.
It is a bit more expensive than the 8th generation, but likely worth it because the storage capacity is higher and it has more RAM, which I’ll describe shortly. These versions have storage capacity of up to 2 TB, which is pretty awesome and the pro also has the most RAM.
The mini has storage capacity of up to 256 GB and is compatible with the 2nd generation of the Apple Pencil. The fist think I would consider when choosing an iPad for use with the Procreate app is whether it is compatible with the Apple Pencil. The Apple Pencil is able to tell how hard or soft you are pushing on the screen and behaves appropriately, just like you’d expect if you were using a real art tool. The main differences are the way they charge and also that you can program the 2nd generation pencil to turn on the eraser if you tap on it. Only the iPad Pro models have the ability to show your color history. This makes it so easy to go back to colors you’ve recently used in your project.
The other versions of the iPad do not have the ability to have color history because of the size of the screen. The way I think of layers is similar to if you took a bunch of clear pieces of paper and stacked them on top of each other. In general my artwork is not very intricate so it makes sense that I don’t use that many layers, although I suppose 30 could be considered a lot. I’ve heard Procreate is coming out with some new, more powerful things like 3D…however, that’s beyond my abilities haha. iPad Pro 2021 (1 TB model or higher) Layers with Procreate 5.2 Beta = 444 iPad Pro 2021 (1 TB model or higher) Layers with Procreate 5.2 Beta = 225 There are many different opinions on this topic, especially since most Apple users have access to iCloud. Cloud storage makes in house capacity much less of an issue since you can store things outside of your iPad.
This may be a matter of preference, but I don’t want to worry about having to remove my artworks from Procreate. I actually find joy in looking at all of them in my different stacks and seeing my progress over time.
I love that Procreate records a time lapse video of my artworks so I enjoy having the larger capacity iPad. By way of comparison, GoodNotes, where I store EVERYTHING including my digital planners is only taking up 9.26 GB.
If you store a lot of photos, graphics (stickers), planners, other documents, podcasts, or other things on your iPad you may want to opt for a larger size. I’ve done a lot of researching message boards recently and it seems like the 256 GB model is pretty popular. The new 2021 model of the iPad is pretty pricey, especially if you want all the bells and whistles. It may even be a great idea to purchase that version if you’re not sure you’ll enjoy using Procreate or other things like digital planning. If you’ve ever had the experience where you click on your iPad and it takes a long time for it to do anything, you may have a slower processor. People have been predicting that Apple will announce some powerful software next month at WWDC.
If you can’t already tell, my number one recommendation was the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inch version, which of course makes sense since that’s what I just purchased! The large display makes this the best choice for using the latest version of Procreate to the best of its ability.
Since my favorite thing to do with my iPad is to create art and lettering, having as much room on the screen is SUPER important to me. I currently have a 256 GB one that has met my needs for several years but is (just now) starting to fill up. Keep in mind thought that this is quite a popular size and many people purchased the 256 GB. I recommend going for at least the 1 TB version though so you can take advantage of all the extra layers.
Although you will have less layers, a smaller screen, less storage capacity, and will lose the ability to have your color history, I think you’ll find that it will work just fine for any Digital Artist. My goal is to help give you all of the information that is specifically relevant to using the iPad for Procreate and there are a few more things to think about: Although you need internet to export and share your artwork, you could always wait to do that until you are in range of Wifi. I do admit that I always talk myself into getting the cell version “just in case” but I think I only NEEDED to use it once when there was a power outage.
My mini also has cellular but I purchased that because I had a 3 hour daily commute and wanted to listen to some courses while driving without using all the data from my cell phone plan. It is pretty easy to export your artwork so you could add it to a new device if you end up getting a new one in the future. The only problem at the time of this writing is that you’ll have to do a preorder and WAIT (not my favorite thing). If you don’t care about getting the best (and most expensive) iPads, all of the other ones I mentioned are still great buys. In addition to the above reason, I also find it kind of weird and difficult to write on glass so use a matte screen protector on my iPad. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t like it because it takes the shine out of the screen but I LOVE IT. I sit on the couch a lot when doing digital art and recently purchased a lap desk that I am pretty happy with. In addition to it being really lightweight, it is nice because it tilts up so that you can have a comfortable angle on your iPad when you’re drawing.
It has a little ledge on it that your iPad leans agains so that it doesn’t slide down onto your lap. I share some of my projects on Instagram Feel free to follow me and introduce yourself so I know to look at your stuff! You’ll learn how to make super simple drawings and turn them into stickers!
Which iPad to Buy in 2023
The demand and interest for digital art has been steadily rising the past decade, especially since beginner–friendly drawing applications like Procreate has made it easier than before to start learning. Procreate, which is only available on the iPad as of writing, is said to be one of the best and most preferred illustration apps out there these days. In fact, it’s actually one of the main reasons some people, like myself, buy an iPad and Apple Pencil in the first place.
These models can be further divided based on their different specifications like the size, storage, generation, and and so on. While the long list of options can be overwhelming, asking the right first question would make it a lot easier. If you’re a professional artist, you might be looking for a bigger screen for ease of work or something that could handle your big and high-resolution projects.
In Procreate, the higher your canvas resolution is, the fewer layers you can work on. There are some professional artists that make do with smaller iPad, and there are also those who choose the bigger option. Since the layers weren’t enough for the canvas size and resolution I was drawing on, I had to find a way. Remember, the bigger and the higher resolution a drawing is, the fewer layers you can work with. The iPad’s RAM is another thing that affects the number of layers you can work with on Procreate. Procreate files are relatively small, so if you’re using the iPad solely for this purpose, the smallest storage you can find is a decent choice if you’re on a budget.
If you’re planning to export your Procreate files into other filetypes, such as PSD, PNG, or JPG, consider getting more storage as well. In addition to Procreate, if you’re planning to do video editing or audio recording on your iPad, I’d also suggest you choose a bigger storage. Otherwise, you’ll waste your time going back and forth freeing up space for newer files. It was easily filled up, especially with the system update taking up a lot of that every time. Older iPad generations are usually cheaper than the latest release, like any other gadget, so they’re always considered good options for those on a budget. This is because after some time, older iPads cannot be updated past a certain IOS or iPadOS version. The iPad’s base model, currently in its 9th generation, is perfect for those just looking to join in on the iPad-user community. It always has the top-of-the-line processor for the iPad, currently the M1 chip, and has the biggest screen size options at 12.9” and 11”. The iPad Pro amazed many users with its specs when it first came out, but was disappointed to know that the huge RAM will not be utilized due to software restrictions set by Apple.
Thanks to the latest iPadOS update, apps can now fully maximize the 8GB or 16 GB RAM in the iPad Pro. But with the latest generation, the iPad Air which also uses the M1 chip and an 8 GB RAM is now a worthy opponent for the Pro. With that, and all the other things we’ve explained so far, I’ll give 3 recommendations for the best iPad you can get depending on your budget.
Future-proof your iPad by opting for the higher possible storage you can spend from your budget. Its screen is also just the right size at 10.9 inches and costs $150 less compared to its iPad Pro 11” counterpart.
Now if you’re really tight on the budget and you just want to start your Procreate journey, go for the base iPad model.
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