To add brushes to Procreate Pocket, open a canvas, double-tap the Paint, Smudge, or Erase tool to open the Brush Library, tap the plus button, choose Import from Files, and select your .brush or .brushset file. You can also tap a brush file in the Files app, or use Share → Pocket, and it imports directly. Procreate Pocket accepts Procreate brushes (.brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary) and Adobe Photoshop .ABR brushes. New brushes land in an "Imported" folder or set at the top of your library.

What You Need Before Importing

Check these three things first:

• A supported file. Procreate Pocket reads .brush (a single brush), .brushset (a group of brushes), .brushlibrary (a whole library), and .ABR (Photoshop brushes). If your download is a .zip, unzip it before importing.
• The file on your phone. It can be in the Files app, iCloud Drive, a cloud service like Dropbox, or an email or webpage you can tap from.
• The right app. Brushes bought for the iPad version of Procreate use the same formats, but check that the seller says they work in Pocket. Some marketplace listings cover only the iPad app.

For motion work, that last point matters less than it sounds. The file formats are shared between the two apps.

Method 1: Import From Inside Procreate Pocket

This is the most reliable method because you control where the file comes from.

1. Open any canvas in Procreate Pocket.
2. Double-tap the Paint, Smudge, or Erase tool to open the Brush Library.
3. Tap the plus (+) button at the top of the Brushes panel.
4. Tap Import from Files.
5. Browse to the brush file and tap it.

A single brush appears in an Imported set at the top of your current library. A .brushset file works the same way and appears as its own set. A .brushlibrary file appears at the top of your list of libraries, which you can see by pinching out in the Brushes view.

If the file is greyed out in the picker, it is probably still zipped or has an unsupported extension. Go back to the Files app, unzip it, and try again.

Method 2: Open the File Directly From Files

If you've already downloaded the brush, you can skip the in-app steps.

1. Open the Files app and find the .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .ABR file.
2. Tap the file. In many cases Procreate Pocket opens and imports it automatically.
3. If nothing happens, press and hold the file, then choose Share → Pocket.

The result is the same as the in-app method: single brushes go to Imported, and sets and libraries appear at the top of their respective lists.

Method 3: Install From a Download in Safari or Chrome

When you buy or download brushes from a marketplace or a creator's site, you often don't need Files at all.

1. Download the brush file in your mobile browser.
2. Open the browser's downloads list.
3. Tap the file, or choose Open in and pick Procreate Pocket.

Procreate launches and installs the brush. Afterward, open the Brush Library and look for the new brush under Imported, or for a new set at the top of the list.

If a seller delivers a .zip, you may need to unzip it in Files first. Files can usually do this by tapping the archive, but some older workflows needed a third-party unzip app.

Method 4: Move Brushes From a Computer

Many artists collect brushes on a desktop. Common transfer routes include:

• AirDrop. From a Mac, AirDrop the .brush or .brushset file to your iPhone, then open it in Procreate Pocket.
• iCloud Drive or Dropbox. Put the files in a synced folder, open them from the Files app or the cloud app on your phone, and import them as above.
• Email to yourself. The simplest option for one or two files. Tap the attachment and choose Pocket.

Keep a folder on your computer with the original brush files, organized by source. If you reset a phone or switch devices, you can reimport them from that folder.

Where Your New Brushes Go

Imported brushes can be easy to lose track of the first time.

• Single brush: Brush Library → Imported set (top of the current library).
• Brush set: Appears at the top of the set list in the left panel.
• Brush library: Appears first when you pinch out in the Brushes view.

From there you can drag brushes into your own sets, rename them, and remove ones you don't need. A tidy library saves time when you're switching between a gritty texture brush and a clean inking brush mid-session.

Photoshop .ABR Brushes in Procreate Pocket

Procreate Pocket can import Photoshop .ABR files, which gives you access to the large existing pool of Photoshop brushes. Keep expectations realistic, though. Imported brushes may not behave exactly as they did in Photoshop. Test an imported .ABR brush on a scratch canvas, then tune it in Brush Studio.

Tuning a Brush After Import

Tap a selected brush to open Brush Studio, where you can adjust shape, grain, taper, opacity, responsiveness, and more. A few adjustments are worth making right away:

• Size limits: Imported brushes sometimes feel too big or small on a phone screen. Adjust the size range in the brush settings.
• Stabilization and streamline: Lines drawn with a finger or small stylus benefit from smoothing.
• Grain scale: If a texture looks too coarse or too fine at your canvas resolution, change the grain scale rather than discarding the brush.

Procreate Pocket remembers the settings of each brush, so you can customize several and switch between them without losing adjustments.

Troubleshooting Common Import Problems

The brush doesn't appear. Check the Imported set, and scroll to the top of the set list. If you imported a library, pinch out to see the library overview.

The file won't open in Pocket. Confirm the extension is .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .ABR. Unzip any archive. Try Share → Pocket instead of tapping.

The brush looks different from the preview. Previews may be made on the creator's canvas size and device. Check pressure and tilt settings, since a finger doesn't send pressure the way a stylus does.

An older brush misbehaves. Very old brush files or files made in much newer versions of Procreate may not translate perfectly. Update the app first, then try again.

The import seems stuck. Close the app fully, reopen it, and check whether the brush landed in the library anyway. Then retry from Files if not.

Why Motion Designers Bother With Procreate Brushes

Procreate Pocket isn't a compositing tool, but it's a handy quick-sketch surface for people who work in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Cinema 4D, Blender, or Nuke. Typical uses:

• Hand-drawn texture elements. Ink splatters, dry-brush edges, grain, and paper marks that you export as PNGs and use as mattes or overlays in After Effects.
• Storyboards and style explorations. Quick thumbnails and color studies you can show a client before building anything.
• Frame-by-frame sketches. Rough key poses or effects animation drawn on a phone, then refined elsewhere.
• Reference art. Painted style frames you feed into the next stage of the pipeline.

The brush you choose determines how convincing those marks look, which is why a handful of well-chosen imported brushes is worth the setup.

Turning Procreate Art Into Motion With Styleframe

Once you have a few drawn frames or a painted style frame, the next question is how to animate them without redrawing everything. Styleframe is an AI video tool you can look at for that step. Check its current feature list to see how it works with reference images and keyframes.

Quick Checklist

• Unzip downloads and confirm the file extension.
• Use Brush Library → + → Import from Files, or tap the file in Files and choose Share → Pocket.
• Look in the Imported set (brushes), the top of the set list (sets), or the library overview (libraries).
• Test each new brush on a scratch canvas and tune it in Brush Studio.
• Keep original brush files backed up on your computer or cloud storage.

Once the import routine is familiar, adding a new brush is quick, which leaves your time for what the brush is actually for.

To add brushes to Procreate Pocket, open a canvas, double-tap the Paint, Smudge, or Erase tool to open the Brush Library, tap the plus button, choose Import from Files, and select your .brush or .brushset file. You can also tap a brush file in the Files app, or use Share → Pocket, and it imports directly. Procreate Pocket accepts Procreate brushes (.brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary) and Adobe Photoshop .ABR brushes. New brushes land in an "Imported" folder or set at the top of your library.

What You Need Before Importing

Check these three things first:

• A supported file. Procreate Pocket reads .brush (a single brush), .brushset (a group of brushes), .brushlibrary (a whole library), and .ABR (Photoshop brushes). If your download is a .zip, unzip it before importing.
• The file on your phone. It can be in the Files app, iCloud Drive, a cloud service like Dropbox, or an email or webpage you can tap from.
• The right app. Brushes bought for the iPad version of Procreate use the same formats, but check that the seller says they work in Pocket. Some marketplace listings cover only the iPad app.

For motion work, that last point matters less than it sounds. The file formats are shared between the two apps.

Method 1: Import From Inside Procreate Pocket

This is the most reliable method because you control where the file comes from.

1. Open any canvas in Procreate Pocket.
2. Double-tap the Paint, Smudge, or Erase tool to open the Brush Library.
3. Tap the plus (+) button at the top of the Brushes panel.
4. Tap Import from Files.
5. Browse to the brush file and tap it.

A single brush appears in an Imported set at the top of your current library. A .brushset file works the same way and appears as its own set. A .brushlibrary file appears at the top of your list of libraries, which you can see by pinching out in the Brushes view.

If the file is greyed out in the picker, it is probably still zipped or has an unsupported extension. Go back to the Files app, unzip it, and try again.

Method 2: Open the File Directly From Files

If you've already downloaded the brush, you can skip the in-app steps.

1. Open the Files app and find the .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .ABR file.
2. Tap the file. In many cases Procreate Pocket opens and imports it automatically.
3. If nothing happens, press and hold the file, then choose Share → Pocket.

The result is the same as the in-app method: single brushes go to Imported, and sets and libraries appear at the top of their respective lists.

Method 3: Install From a Download in Safari or Chrome

When you buy or download brushes from a marketplace or a creator's site, you often don't need Files at all.

1. Download the brush file in your mobile browser.
2. Open the browser's downloads list.
3. Tap the file, or choose Open in and pick Procreate Pocket.

Procreate launches and installs the brush. Afterward, open the Brush Library and look for the new brush under Imported, or for a new set at the top of the list.

If a seller delivers a .zip, you may need to unzip it in Files first. Files can usually do this by tapping the archive, but some older workflows needed a third-party unzip app.

Method 4: Move Brushes From a Computer

Many artists collect brushes on a desktop. Common transfer routes include:

• AirDrop. From a Mac, AirDrop the .brush or .brushset file to your iPhone, then open it in Procreate Pocket.
• iCloud Drive or Dropbox. Put the files in a synced folder, open them from the Files app or the cloud app on your phone, and import them as above.
• Email to yourself. The simplest option for one or two files. Tap the attachment and choose Pocket.

Keep a folder on your computer with the original brush files, organized by source. If you reset a phone or switch devices, you can reimport them from that folder.

Where Your New Brushes Go

Imported brushes can be easy to lose track of the first time.

• Single brush: Brush Library → Imported set (top of the current library).
• Brush set: Appears at the top of the set list in the left panel.
• Brush library: Appears first when you pinch out in the Brushes view.

From there you can drag brushes into your own sets, rename them, and remove ones you don't need. A tidy library saves time when you're switching between a gritty texture brush and a clean inking brush mid-session.

Photoshop .ABR Brushes in Procreate Pocket

Procreate Pocket can import Photoshop .ABR files, which gives you access to the large existing pool of Photoshop brushes. Keep expectations realistic, though. Imported brushes may not behave exactly as they did in Photoshop. Test an imported .ABR brush on a scratch canvas, then tune it in Brush Studio.

Tuning a Brush After Import

Tap a selected brush to open Brush Studio, where you can adjust shape, grain, taper, opacity, responsiveness, and more. A few adjustments are worth making right away:

• Size limits: Imported brushes sometimes feel too big or small on a phone screen. Adjust the size range in the brush settings.
• Stabilization and streamline: Lines drawn with a finger or small stylus benefit from smoothing.
• Grain scale: If a texture looks too coarse or too fine at your canvas resolution, change the grain scale rather than discarding the brush.

Procreate Pocket remembers the settings of each brush, so you can customize several and switch between them without losing adjustments.

Troubleshooting Common Import Problems

The brush doesn't appear. Check the Imported set, and scroll to the top of the set list. If you imported a library, pinch out to see the library overview.

The file won't open in Pocket. Confirm the extension is .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .ABR. Unzip any archive. Try Share → Pocket instead of tapping.

The brush looks different from the preview. Previews may be made on the creator's canvas size and device. Check pressure and tilt settings, since a finger doesn't send pressure the way a stylus does.

An older brush misbehaves. Very old brush files or files made in much newer versions of Procreate may not translate perfectly. Update the app first, then try again.

The import seems stuck. Close the app fully, reopen it, and check whether the brush landed in the library anyway. Then retry from Files if not.

Why Motion Designers Bother With Procreate Brushes

Procreate Pocket isn't a compositing tool, but it's a handy quick-sketch surface for people who work in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Cinema 4D, Blender, or Nuke. Typical uses:

• Hand-drawn texture elements. Ink splatters, dry-brush edges, grain, and paper marks that you export as PNGs and use as mattes or overlays in After Effects.
• Storyboards and style explorations. Quick thumbnails and color studies you can show a client before building anything.
• Frame-by-frame sketches. Rough key poses or effects animation drawn on a phone, then refined elsewhere.
• Reference art. Painted style frames you feed into the next stage of the pipeline.

The brush you choose determines how convincing those marks look, which is why a handful of well-chosen imported brushes is worth the setup.

Turning Procreate Art Into Motion With Styleframe

Once you have a few drawn frames or a painted style frame, the next question is how to animate them without redrawing everything. Styleframe is an AI video tool you can look at for that step. Check its current feature list to see how it works with reference images and keyframes.

Quick Checklist

• Unzip downloads and confirm the file extension.
• Use Brush Library → + → Import from Files, or tap the file in Files and choose Share → Pocket.
• Look in the Imported set (brushes), the top of the set list (sets), or the library overview (libraries).
• Test each new brush on a scratch canvas and tune it in Brush Studio.
• Keep original brush files backed up on your computer or cloud storage.

Once the import routine is familiar, adding a new brush is quick, which leaves your time for what the brush is actually for.