To activate symmetry in Procreate, open the Actions menu (wrench icon), go to the Canvas tab, switch on Drawing Guide, tap Edit Drawing Guide, and select Symmetry. Choose a mode under Options, make sure Assisted Drawing is on, and tap Done. Then confirm the layer you're drawing on shows "Assisted" beneath its name, because symmetry only applies to layers with Drawing Assist enabled.

Step-by-step: turn on symmetry in Procreate (iPad)

1. Select the layer you want to draw on. Symmetry is applied per layer, so pick the right one first.
2. Open Actions (the wrench icon, top left) and go to the Canvas tab.
3. Toggle Drawing Guide on.
4. Tap Edit Drawing Guide. This opens the Drawing Guides screen, where guide lines overlay your artwork.
5. Tap Symmetry at the bottom of the screen. The Vertical guide is the default the first time you open it.
6. Tap Options (bottom right) and pick a mode: Vertical, Horizontal, Quadrant, or Radial.
7. Check that Assisted Drawing is on. It's on by default in Symmetry, but it's an important setting to confirm, especially if symmetry isn't working.
8. Tap Done to commit and return to the canvas.

Start drawing. Whatever you paint on one side of the guide is reproduced live on the other side.

Procreate Pocket (iPhone)

The path is slightly different. Go to Modify > Actions > Guides, tap Symmetry, then tap Guide Settings to reach the Drawing Guides screen. From there the options and the Done button work the same way as on iPad.

Confirm the layer is set to Assisted

After you tap Done, look at the layer in your Layers panel. A layer with symmetry active shows the word "Assisted" under its name. If that label is missing, tap the layer and choose Drawing Assist from the menu. This is also a handy way to switch symmetry on or off for individual layers without reopening the guide editor, which is useful when you're building a design where only some layers should mirror.

A practical workflow: keep your symmetrical base shapes on Assisted layers and put asymmetrical details, such as hand-drawn imperfections, scuffs, and lighting accents, on regular layers above them.

The four symmetry modes

Each mode changes how many times your strokes are duplicated and where the guide sits.

Vertical

A guide runs down the middle of the canvas, and strokes on the left appear on the right. This is the right choice for faces, bottles, logos, characters seen from the front, and anything with bilateral symmetry. You can move and rotate the guide to create angled mirroring.

Horizontal

A guide runs across the middle, mirroring top to bottom. It works well for reflections in water, landscape mirror effects, and symmetrical shapes that are laid out sideways.

Quadrant

Both a vertical and a horizontal guide divide the canvas into four sections. Anything you draw in one quadrant appears in the other three. It's useful for tiles, ornamental frames, and pattern bases.

Radial

The canvas is split into eight segments using horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. Each stroke is repeated across all eight. This is the mode for mandalas, snowflakes, kaleidoscope-style patterns, and radial graphics.

Mirrored vs. Rotational symmetry

New guides use Mirror symmetry by default, which reflects and flips your stroke across each guide line. If you switch on the Rotational Symmetry toggle, the copies are reflected and rotated instead, so they appear flipped both horizontally and vertically at once.

The difference is easy to see with a single curved stroke. Mirror mode makes a butterfly-wing shape. Rotational mode makes a pinwheel-like arrangement. If your radial pattern looks "off" compared with a reference, toggle this setting before you redraw anything.

Adjust the guide: nodes, color, opacity, thickness

Once you're in the guide editor, you have more control than the default setup suggests.

• Blue node (positional): drag it to move the entire guide across the canvas. Use it to shift the axis off-center for asymmetrical compositions with a mirrored section.
• Green node (rotational): drag it to rotate the guide lines. Angled symmetry is a quick way to build dynamic, diagonal layouts.
• Reset: tap either node, then tap Reset to return the guide to its default centered position.
• Color, Opacity, Thickness: use the hue bar and sliders to make the guide lines more or less visible. If the lines clash with your artwork, lower the opacity or thickness. If you can't see them, raise them.

Tap Cancel to leave without saving changes, or Done to keep them.

Troubleshooting: symmetry is on but nothing mirrors

If you've followed the steps and your strokes still aren't duplicating, check these in order:

1. Is the layer marked "Assisted"? If not, tap the layer and enable Drawing Assist.
2. Is Assisted Drawing enabled in the guide options? Reopen Edit Drawing Guide, go to Options, and confirm it.
3. Is Drawing Guide toggled on in Canvas settings? If it's off, the guide won't show or apply.
4. Are you on the layer you think you're on? It's easy to be on a layer that was never set to Assisted.
5. Is the guide where you expect? If you moved the blue node earlier, the axis may be off-center. Reset it.
6. Are you in the right mode? Quadrant and Radial can look like "nothing is happening" if you're drawing very close to a guide line.

Tips for cleaner symmetrical drawings

• Work on separate layers for each symmetrical element. This makes it easier to recolor, scale, or hide pieces later.
• Draw the large shapes first. Block in major forms with a monoline or a basic inking brush, then refine once the structure is right.
• Turn the guide's visibility down before you finish. Guide lines can influence how you judge edges and spacing while you work.
• Use Radial for pattern exploration. It generates variations quickly, and you can keep the best ones.
• Try an offset axis. Moving the blue node away from center gives you a mirrored design that still feels asymmetrical in the frame.

Where symmetrical Procreate art fits in a motion pipeline

For motion designers, animators, and VFX artists, Procreate's symmetry is useful less as a finished-art tool and more as a fast generator of clean source material:

• Logo and icon construction: draw half a mark, get a perfectly mirrored version, then export and vectorize or rebuild it as shapes in After Effects.
• Mandalas and radial patterns: export your artwork and animate rotation, scale, and opacity on separate layers in After Effects.
• Textures and pattern bases: quadrant symmetry gives you tile-friendly starting points that can be used as maps in Cinema 4D or Blender, or as plates in Nuke.
• Character front views and design sheets: draw one half, mirror it, and use the result as a reference for rigging or 3D modeling.
• Style frames: symmetrical compositions are common in title sequences and abstract motion design, and Procreate is a quick place to sketch them.

Keeping each element on its own layer is the habit that pays off most. When you export layered artwork, your compositor can pull apart shapes, color passes, and accent layers without redrawing.

Quick reference

FAQ

Why does my symmetry guide show but my strokes don't mirror? A common cause is that the active layer isn't set to Assisted. Tap the layer and enable Drawing Assist, then check that Assisted Drawing is on in the guide options.

Can I use symmetry on only one layer? Yes. Symmetry applies to layers with Drawing Assist enabled, so you can switch it on or off per layer.

Can I tilt the symmetry axis? Yes. Use the green rotational node in the guide editor to angle the guide, and the blue node to reposition it.

What's the difference between Mirror and Rotational symmetry? Mirror reflects your strokes across the guide. Rotational reflects and rotates them, so copies are flipped both horizontally and vertically.

To activate symmetry in Procreate, open the Actions menu (wrench icon), go to the Canvas tab, switch on Drawing Guide, tap Edit Drawing Guide, and select Symmetry. Choose a mode under Options, make sure Assisted Drawing is on, and tap Done. Then confirm the layer you're drawing on shows "Assisted" beneath its name, because symmetry only applies to layers with Drawing Assist enabled.

Step-by-step: turn on symmetry in Procreate (iPad)

1. Select the layer you want to draw on. Symmetry is applied per layer, so pick the right one first.
2. Open Actions (the wrench icon, top left) and go to the Canvas tab.
3. Toggle Drawing Guide on.
4. Tap Edit Drawing Guide. This opens the Drawing Guides screen, where guide lines overlay your artwork.
5. Tap Symmetry at the bottom of the screen. The Vertical guide is the default the first time you open it.
6. Tap Options (bottom right) and pick a mode: Vertical, Horizontal, Quadrant, or Radial.
7. Check that Assisted Drawing is on. It's on by default in Symmetry, but it's an important setting to confirm, especially if symmetry isn't working.
8. Tap Done to commit and return to the canvas.

Start drawing. Whatever you paint on one side of the guide is reproduced live on the other side.

Procreate Pocket (iPhone)

The path is slightly different. Go to Modify > Actions > Guides, tap Symmetry, then tap Guide Settings to reach the Drawing Guides screen. From there the options and the Done button work the same way as on iPad.

Confirm the layer is set to Assisted

After you tap Done, look at the layer in your Layers panel. A layer with symmetry active shows the word "Assisted" under its name. If that label is missing, tap the layer and choose Drawing Assist from the menu. This is also a handy way to switch symmetry on or off for individual layers without reopening the guide editor, which is useful when you're building a design where only some layers should mirror.

A practical workflow: keep your symmetrical base shapes on Assisted layers and put asymmetrical details, such as hand-drawn imperfections, scuffs, and lighting accents, on regular layers above them.

The four symmetry modes

Each mode changes how many times your strokes are duplicated and where the guide sits.

Vertical

A guide runs down the middle of the canvas, and strokes on the left appear on the right. This is the right choice for faces, bottles, logos, characters seen from the front, and anything with bilateral symmetry. You can move and rotate the guide to create angled mirroring.

Horizontal

A guide runs across the middle, mirroring top to bottom. It works well for reflections in water, landscape mirror effects, and symmetrical shapes that are laid out sideways.

Quadrant

Both a vertical and a horizontal guide divide the canvas into four sections. Anything you draw in one quadrant appears in the other three. It's useful for tiles, ornamental frames, and pattern bases.

Radial

The canvas is split into eight segments using horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. Each stroke is repeated across all eight. This is the mode for mandalas, snowflakes, kaleidoscope-style patterns, and radial graphics.

Mirrored vs. Rotational symmetry

New guides use Mirror symmetry by default, which reflects and flips your stroke across each guide line. If you switch on the Rotational Symmetry toggle, the copies are reflected and rotated instead, so they appear flipped both horizontally and vertically at once.

The difference is easy to see with a single curved stroke. Mirror mode makes a butterfly-wing shape. Rotational mode makes a pinwheel-like arrangement. If your radial pattern looks "off" compared with a reference, toggle this setting before you redraw anything.

Adjust the guide: nodes, color, opacity, thickness

Once you're in the guide editor, you have more control than the default setup suggests.

• Blue node (positional): drag it to move the entire guide across the canvas. Use it to shift the axis off-center for asymmetrical compositions with a mirrored section.
• Green node (rotational): drag it to rotate the guide lines. Angled symmetry is a quick way to build dynamic, diagonal layouts.
• Reset: tap either node, then tap Reset to return the guide to its default centered position.
• Color, Opacity, Thickness: use the hue bar and sliders to make the guide lines more or less visible. If the lines clash with your artwork, lower the opacity or thickness. If you can't see them, raise them.

Tap Cancel to leave without saving changes, or Done to keep them.

Troubleshooting: symmetry is on but nothing mirrors

If you've followed the steps and your strokes still aren't duplicating, check these in order:

1. Is the layer marked "Assisted"? If not, tap the layer and enable Drawing Assist.
2. Is Assisted Drawing enabled in the guide options? Reopen Edit Drawing Guide, go to Options, and confirm it.
3. Is Drawing Guide toggled on in Canvas settings? If it's off, the guide won't show or apply.
4. Are you on the layer you think you're on? It's easy to be on a layer that was never set to Assisted.
5. Is the guide where you expect? If you moved the blue node earlier, the axis may be off-center. Reset it.
6. Are you in the right mode? Quadrant and Radial can look like "nothing is happening" if you're drawing very close to a guide line.

Tips for cleaner symmetrical drawings

• Work on separate layers for each symmetrical element. This makes it easier to recolor, scale, or hide pieces later.
• Draw the large shapes first. Block in major forms with a monoline or a basic inking brush, then refine once the structure is right.
• Turn the guide's visibility down before you finish. Guide lines can influence how you judge edges and spacing while you work.
• Use Radial for pattern exploration. It generates variations quickly, and you can keep the best ones.
• Try an offset axis. Moving the blue node away from center gives you a mirrored design that still feels asymmetrical in the frame.

Where symmetrical Procreate art fits in a motion pipeline

For motion designers, animators, and VFX artists, Procreate's symmetry is useful less as a finished-art tool and more as a fast generator of clean source material:

• Logo and icon construction: draw half a mark, get a perfectly mirrored version, then export and vectorize or rebuild it as shapes in After Effects.
• Mandalas and radial patterns: export your artwork and animate rotation, scale, and opacity on separate layers in After Effects.
• Textures and pattern bases: quadrant symmetry gives you tile-friendly starting points that can be used as maps in Cinema 4D or Blender, or as plates in Nuke.
• Character front views and design sheets: draw one half, mirror it, and use the result as a reference for rigging or 3D modeling.
• Style frames: symmetrical compositions are common in title sequences and abstract motion design, and Procreate is a quick place to sketch them.

Keeping each element on its own layer is the habit that pays off most. When you export layered artwork, your compositor can pull apart shapes, color passes, and accent layers without redrawing.

Quick reference

FAQ

Why does my symmetry guide show but my strokes don't mirror? A common cause is that the active layer isn't set to Assisted. Tap the layer and enable Drawing Assist, then check that Assisted Drawing is on in the guide options.

Can I use symmetry on only one layer? Yes. Symmetry applies to layers with Drawing Assist enabled, so you can switch it on or off per layer.

Can I tilt the symmetry axis? Yes. Use the green rotational node in the guide editor to angle the guide, and the blue node to reposition it.

What's the difference between Mirror and Rotational symmetry? Mirror reflects your strokes across the guide. Rotational reflects and rotates them, so copies are flipped both horizontally and vertically.