To add a video to a Procreate animation, import the clip as a new canvas from the Gallery (Import, then choose the file from Files or Photos). Procreate converts it into frames you can draw on, which makes it a rotoscoping setup. In Procreate Dreams, tap the plus icon in a project and pick the video, and it lands on its own track with your drawing tracks above it. Keep clips short, because long videos can be constrained in how many layers they allow.

Procreate vs. Procreate Dreams: Pick the Right Import Path

The two apps handle video differently, and most confusion comes from mixing them up.

• Procreate (iPad): The video is imported as its own canvas. With Animation Assist on, the footage appears as a stack of layers, one per frame, and you draw on top of or between them.
• Procreate Dreams: The video sits on a timeline track like any other clip. You add new tracks above it for sketches, guides, and frame-by-frame animation, so the footage stays intact underneath.

If you need a timeline, multiple tracks, and non-destructive overlays, Dreams is the more natural fit. If you only need a quick trace-over on a short clip, standard Procreate is enough.

Method 1: Import a Video Into Procreate

Start from the Gallery, not from inside an open canvas.

1. Open Procreate and stay in the main Gallery. Don't create a blank canvas first.
2. Tap Import in the top right.
3. Browse to the video in the Files app and select it. Some versions also offer a Photo button that pulls from your photo library.
4. Procreate creates a new canvas from the clip. Open it and make sure Animation Assist is on.
5. Go to the first frame, pick a brush, and begin drawing.

You can also start from Files: locate the video, tap Share, and choose the Procreate icon. It imports the same way.

What Happens to the Frames

Each frame of the clip becomes a layer, so the frame count determines how many layers the project uses. A long clip can hit the layer limit for your device. Long videos can be constrained in how many layers they allow, so work in short segments. Do a few seconds, finish them, and come back for more rather than importing a full take.

Remember too that you will need layers for your own drawing as well as the video frames. Budget for that before you commit to a clip length.

Troubleshooting: The Video Won't Import

A common complaint is that videos don't show up in the camera roll picker, or that video files appear grayed out when choosing "Add a file." A few things to try:

• Move the clip into Files. Save or copy the video into the Files app, either in the Procreate folder or any folder you choose. Then import from there. This works around the Photos picker problem, which has been reported as a bug in some versions.
• Use Share instead of Import. From Files, select the video, tap Share, and pick Procreate.
• Import from the Gallery. If files are grayed out when you use "Add a file," go back to the Gallery and use Import instead.
• Shorten the clip. If the import stalls or the app crashes, trim the footage and try again.

Method 2: Add Video in Procreate Dreams

Dreams is built for animating over footage, and the setup is more forgiving.

1. Create the project to match the footage. Use the same dimensions as the video, such as 4K widescreen for 4K footage. Pick a frame rate that suits your drawing style. Twelve frames per second is common for hand-drawn work, equivalent to drawing on twos in a 24 fps timeline.
2. Set the duration. Start with a length close to the clip, and extend later if needed.
3. Tap the plus icon and choose the video you want to use.
4. Fix performance issues. If 4K footage stutters or the app crashes, open the options for the clip and switch the format to Most Compatible. This is especially useful on older or less powerful iPads.
5. Add tracks above the video. A typical stack is a guide track on top, a sketch track beneath it, and a flipbook animation track directly over the footage.
6. Enter flipbook mode on the empty animation track and draw frame by frame.

Using a Guide Track

One habit worth borrowing: draw your motion paths on a separate guide track first, using a color that won't clash with the final linework. Add tick marks along each path to plan spacing. Tight marks mean slow movement, wide gaps mean fast movement. Lower the guide's opacity while you animate, then hide it. Use the fill-duration control to hold frames across the span you need.

Prep the Clip Before It Reaches the iPad

Because long clips can run into layer limits, preparing the footage in your usual editing tools saves time. If you're working in After Effects or Premiere Pro anyway, do this there:

• Trim to the shot you need. Cut handles to the minimum. Fewer frames means fewer layers and fewer crashes.
• Match frame rate to your drawing plan. If you plan to animate on twos, consider conforming the clip so your frame count lines up with the drawn frames.
• Lock the resolution. Export at the final aspect ratio. Reframing a drawn animation later is painful.
• Color-correct later. Bring in a neutral, ungraded or lightly graded version, then grade the final composite.

Naming your export clearly and keeping the original timecode in a note will also make it easier to drop the animation back into the edit.

Drawing Over the Footage

A few workflow practices keep the project manageable:

• Draw on separate layers or tracks. Don't merge your linework into the video frames. If you do, you lose the ability to change the underlying clip.
• Avoid grouping the video frames. In Procreate, grouping the video layers collapses them into a single frame on the timeline, which breaks the animation.
• Limit onion skins. Reducing the number of previous frames shown to one makes it easier to read the motion.
• Start simple. Tracing a single outline on 30 to 40 frames is far more realistic than detailing every frame of a 200-frame clip. Choose a simple design if the timeline is tight.
• Pick the right brush. A consistent pen like the Studio Pen keeps line weight predictable across frames.

Exporting the Result

In Procreate, open the Actions menu (the wrench icon next to Gallery), go to Share, and choose Animated MP4. You can pick the resolution and frame rate. Higher frame rates give smoother playback, while lower ones can suit a deliberately choppy overlay look. A 25 fps export is a clean default for simple work.

If your drawing is going into a larger comp, check the export options in your version of the app for formats that support transparency, so you can overlay the linework on the original footage in After Effects or Premiere Pro.

Quick Reference

Prepare a short, correctly sized clip, import it from the Gallery or add it to a Dreams timeline, and keep your drawing on separate layers or tracks. That covers most of the problems you're likely to hit.

To add a video to a Procreate animation, import the clip as a new canvas from the Gallery (Import, then choose the file from Files or Photos). Procreate converts it into frames you can draw on, which makes it a rotoscoping setup. In Procreate Dreams, tap the plus icon in a project and pick the video, and it lands on its own track with your drawing tracks above it. Keep clips short, because long videos can be constrained in how many layers they allow.

Procreate vs. Procreate Dreams: Pick the Right Import Path

The two apps handle video differently, and most confusion comes from mixing them up.

• Procreate (iPad): The video is imported as its own canvas. With Animation Assist on, the footage appears as a stack of layers, one per frame, and you draw on top of or between them.
• Procreate Dreams: The video sits on a timeline track like any other clip. You add new tracks above it for sketches, guides, and frame-by-frame animation, so the footage stays intact underneath.

If you need a timeline, multiple tracks, and non-destructive overlays, Dreams is the more natural fit. If you only need a quick trace-over on a short clip, standard Procreate is enough.

Method 1: Import a Video Into Procreate

Start from the Gallery, not from inside an open canvas.

1. Open Procreate and stay in the main Gallery. Don't create a blank canvas first.
2. Tap Import in the top right.
3. Browse to the video in the Files app and select it. Some versions also offer a Photo button that pulls from your photo library.
4. Procreate creates a new canvas from the clip. Open it and make sure Animation Assist is on.
5. Go to the first frame, pick a brush, and begin drawing.

You can also start from Files: locate the video, tap Share, and choose the Procreate icon. It imports the same way.

What Happens to the Frames

Each frame of the clip becomes a layer, so the frame count determines how many layers the project uses. A long clip can hit the layer limit for your device. Long videos can be constrained in how many layers they allow, so work in short segments. Do a few seconds, finish them, and come back for more rather than importing a full take.

Remember too that you will need layers for your own drawing as well as the video frames. Budget for that before you commit to a clip length.

Troubleshooting: The Video Won't Import

A common complaint is that videos don't show up in the camera roll picker, or that video files appear grayed out when choosing "Add a file." A few things to try:

• Move the clip into Files. Save or copy the video into the Files app, either in the Procreate folder or any folder you choose. Then import from there. This works around the Photos picker problem, which has been reported as a bug in some versions.
• Use Share instead of Import. From Files, select the video, tap Share, and pick Procreate.
• Import from the Gallery. If files are grayed out when you use "Add a file," go back to the Gallery and use Import instead.
• Shorten the clip. If the import stalls or the app crashes, trim the footage and try again.

Method 2: Add Video in Procreate Dreams

Dreams is built for animating over footage, and the setup is more forgiving.

1. Create the project to match the footage. Use the same dimensions as the video, such as 4K widescreen for 4K footage. Pick a frame rate that suits your drawing style. Twelve frames per second is common for hand-drawn work, equivalent to drawing on twos in a 24 fps timeline.
2. Set the duration. Start with a length close to the clip, and extend later if needed.
3. Tap the plus icon and choose the video you want to use.
4. Fix performance issues. If 4K footage stutters or the app crashes, open the options for the clip and switch the format to Most Compatible. This is especially useful on older or less powerful iPads.
5. Add tracks above the video. A typical stack is a guide track on top, a sketch track beneath it, and a flipbook animation track directly over the footage.
6. Enter flipbook mode on the empty animation track and draw frame by frame.

Using a Guide Track

One habit worth borrowing: draw your motion paths on a separate guide track first, using a color that won't clash with the final linework. Add tick marks along each path to plan spacing. Tight marks mean slow movement, wide gaps mean fast movement. Lower the guide's opacity while you animate, then hide it. Use the fill-duration control to hold frames across the span you need.

Prep the Clip Before It Reaches the iPad

Because long clips can run into layer limits, preparing the footage in your usual editing tools saves time. If you're working in After Effects or Premiere Pro anyway, do this there:

• Trim to the shot you need. Cut handles to the minimum. Fewer frames means fewer layers and fewer crashes.
• Match frame rate to your drawing plan. If you plan to animate on twos, consider conforming the clip so your frame count lines up with the drawn frames.
• Lock the resolution. Export at the final aspect ratio. Reframing a drawn animation later is painful.
• Color-correct later. Bring in a neutral, ungraded or lightly graded version, then grade the final composite.

Naming your export clearly and keeping the original timecode in a note will also make it easier to drop the animation back into the edit.

Drawing Over the Footage

A few workflow practices keep the project manageable:

• Draw on separate layers or tracks. Don't merge your linework into the video frames. If you do, you lose the ability to change the underlying clip.
• Avoid grouping the video frames. In Procreate, grouping the video layers collapses them into a single frame on the timeline, which breaks the animation.
• Limit onion skins. Reducing the number of previous frames shown to one makes it easier to read the motion.
• Start simple. Tracing a single outline on 30 to 40 frames is far more realistic than detailing every frame of a 200-frame clip. Choose a simple design if the timeline is tight.
• Pick the right brush. A consistent pen like the Studio Pen keeps line weight predictable across frames.

Exporting the Result

In Procreate, open the Actions menu (the wrench icon next to Gallery), go to Share, and choose Animated MP4. You can pick the resolution and frame rate. Higher frame rates give smoother playback, while lower ones can suit a deliberately choppy overlay look. A 25 fps export is a clean default for simple work.

If your drawing is going into a larger comp, check the export options in your version of the app for formats that support transparency, so you can overlay the linework on the original footage in After Effects or Premiere Pro.

Quick Reference

Prepare a short, correctly sized clip, import it from the Gallery or add it to a Dreams timeline, and keep your drawing on separate layers or tracks. That covers most of the problems you're likely to hit.