To add canvas texture in Procreate, import a canvas image with Actions (wrench) > Add > Insert a Photo (or Insert a File), scale it to cover the canvas, and place it at the top of your layer stack. Then set that layer's blend mode to Multiply (or Overlay) and lower its opacity until the weave is visible without muddying your colors. For texture that reacts to each brushstroke, you can instead adjust a brush's grain.

Quick steps: canvas texture as a layer

1. Save a canvas or linen texture to Photos or Files. Aim for at least your canvas resolution.
2. Open your artwork and tap Actions (wrench) > Add > Insert a Photo (or Insert a File for Files).
3. Use the Transform tool with Uniform selected to scale the texture past the canvas edges.
4. Drag the texture layer to the top of the stack, or to the top of a group.
5. Tap the N on the layer and choose Multiply.
6. Lower the opacity until the texture feels right. Around 10% is a common starting point for subtle textures.
7. Optionally reduce the saturation of the texture layer so it does not tint your art.

The rest of this guide covers each step, plus the alternatives and the pitfalls that matter when the artwork is headed for a motion pipeline.

Method 1: Import a texture image as a layer

This is the most common approach, and it works because Procreate has no single "canvas texture" toggle that applies a weave to the whole document. A texture is just another image layer, and you control how it interacts with everything beneath it.

Getting the file in. There are three routes, and all of them end with a new layer:

• Insert a Photo pulls from your camera roll. It is the quickest if you keep textures in an album.
• Insert a File pulls from the Files app. If nothing appears, you are probably in the wrong folder or the texture was never saved to Files.
• Drag and drop from Files, Photos, or a browser in Split View. This is often the fastest option when you are auditioning several textures.

Sizing it. Switch on Transform and make sure Uniform is selected before you drag a corner. Otherwise the weave stretches and the fibers look wrong. Overscan slightly so no edge of the texture image shows. If your texture is smaller than the canvas, enlarging it softens the weave, so use a larger source file or tile it (see below).

Layer placement. Put the texture above the artwork you want textured. Anything beneath it receives the effect, including layers you add later. If you want the lettering or a logo to stay clean, keep it above the texture layer, or put the texture inside a group with only the painted layers.

Choose the right blend mode

Normal mode at low opacity washes the artwork toward gray, which is the usual complaint ("by the time I could see the texture, the colors were dull"). Blend modes solve most of that:

• Multiply darkens. White in the texture has no effect, and darker threads and shadows in the weave show through. It is the standard choice for canvas and paper.
• Overlay helps bring back brightness while keeping the texture, which suits high-contrast weaves and gives a more "primed canvas" look.
• Linear Burn is another option some artists like. Use it sparingly.

A reliable combination is to stack the same texture twice. Set the lower copy to Multiply so the weave reads, and the upper copy to Overlay to restore some of the brightness the multiply took away. Keep both at low opacity (around 10% each is a common starting point) and adjust by eye.

If your texture has a color cast, such as a warm yellow canvas, Multiply will tint everything underneath. Reduce the saturation of the texture layer first if you want the weave without the color shift. If you want a warm ground, keep the tint and treat it as a deliberate choice.

Method 2: Use brush grain for texture that responds to strokes

An imported layer sits flat across the image. If you want the canvas to show up where paint is applied, as with a dry brush skipping over the tooth of a canvas, work with brush grain instead.

Procreate brushes carry a brush texture and, by default, a separate canvas or paper texture. In the brush settings you can:

• Open the brush and find its texture (grain) settings.
• Choose a built-in canvas-style texture, such as the stock Warby Canvas texture, or change the textures to suit your taste.

Duplicate any stock brush before editing it. Stock brushes can change between app versions, so edit the copy and keep the original untouched.

Many painters find a good painterly brush with a canvas grain is enough, and they skip a separate texture layer. For oil and acrylic looks in particular, brush grain does a lot of the work. The two methods also combine well: brush grain while painting, then a light Multiply layer at the end to unify the piece.

Method 3: Set up the texture before you paint

Rather than finishing and then adding a texture, you can place it first.

1. Create the canvas at your final delivery size.
2. Insert the canvas texture, scale it to fill the document, and set it to Multiply.
3. Create a new layer below it for your paint, and set the background color to your preferred ground (for example, off-white or warm gray).
4. Paint on the layers underneath. The texture continues to affect everything below it.

This lets you judge value and color against the final texture as you work. Lock or hide the texture layer when you want to see the artwork clean, and keep it in its own group so it is easy to toggle on and off.

Where to get canvas textures

• Scan or photograph real canvas. Shoot a blank stretched canvas or primed board in even, soft light, straight on, then crop and level it. This gives you a texture nobody else has.
• Free stock sites. Unsplash and Pixabay carry paper and fabric textures.
• Free community packs. Procreate's own community forums share paper and canvas texture sets, some at 4098 × 3072 pixels and 300 dpi.
• Paid packs. Many illustrators sell texture and brush sets, some with the blend modes already configured.
• Household fabrics. Linen, tablecloths, and upholstery with a visible weave can work well when photographed flat.

Look for even lighting. A texture with a lighting gradient or shadow across it will imprint that gradient on your artwork when set to Multiply.

For resolution, match or exceed your canvas pixel dimensions. If you plan to export for video at UHD, a canvas of 3840 × 2160 or larger keeps the weave from going soft.

Tiling a small texture

If you only have a seamless tile, scale it to a sensible size, duplicate the layer, and snap copies edge to edge. Then merge them into one layer. Check for visible seams at 100% zoom, and if you see a repeating pattern, try a larger or non-repeating source.

Troubleshooting

• Colors look dull. Reduce opacity, reduce the texture's saturation, and try the Multiply-plus-Overlay stack.
• Texture is invisible. Raise opacity, try Linear Burn or Overlay, or choose a texture with more contrast.
• Weave looks stretched. You scaled without Uniform on. Undo and redo the transform.
• Texture covers lettering. Move the type above the texture layer or outside the group.
• Color shifts after export. Check your canvas color profile settings and keep the profile consistent with your video project, typically sRGB unless your pipeline is set up for something wider.

Taking a textured Procreate frame into motion work

If your Procreate art is going into After Effects, Premiere Pro, or Nuke, you have a decision to make: bake the texture into the artwork, or keep it separate.

Keep it separate whenever you can. Export your art without the texture layer (as layers or separate images), and bring the canvas texture into After Effects as its own layer with a Multiply or Overlay blend. That lets you:

• Control opacity and contrast at grade time without reopening Procreate.
• Apply the same texture to animated elements, type, and footage so everything feels like one surface.
• Avoid the "shower door" effect. A texture that is perfectly locked to the frame while artwork moves can look like a screen overlay. Parent it to the artwork for a printed feel, or let it drift or "boil" slightly (changing between a few texture variants at a low frame rate) for a hand-made feel.

Summary

Procreate treats canvas texture as an image you place and blend yourself. Insert the texture, scale it uniformly, set it to Multiply (or Overlay for a different result), and reduce opacity until it supports the art instead of dulling it. Use brush grain when you want the texture to respond to strokes. If the work is headed for motion, keep the texture on its own layer so you can control it in your compositing app.

To add canvas texture in Procreate, import a canvas image with Actions (wrench) > Add > Insert a Photo (or Insert a File), scale it to cover the canvas, and place it at the top of your layer stack. Then set that layer's blend mode to Multiply (or Overlay) and lower its opacity until the weave is visible without muddying your colors. For texture that reacts to each brushstroke, you can instead adjust a brush's grain.

Quick steps: canvas texture as a layer

1. Save a canvas or linen texture to Photos or Files. Aim for at least your canvas resolution.
2. Open your artwork and tap Actions (wrench) > Add > Insert a Photo (or Insert a File for Files).
3. Use the Transform tool with Uniform selected to scale the texture past the canvas edges.
4. Drag the texture layer to the top of the stack, or to the top of a group.
5. Tap the N on the layer and choose Multiply.
6. Lower the opacity until the texture feels right. Around 10% is a common starting point for subtle textures.
7. Optionally reduce the saturation of the texture layer so it does not tint your art.

The rest of this guide covers each step, plus the alternatives and the pitfalls that matter when the artwork is headed for a motion pipeline.

Method 1: Import a texture image as a layer

This is the most common approach, and it works because Procreate has no single "canvas texture" toggle that applies a weave to the whole document. A texture is just another image layer, and you control how it interacts with everything beneath it.

Getting the file in. There are three routes, and all of them end with a new layer:

• Insert a Photo pulls from your camera roll. It is the quickest if you keep textures in an album.
• Insert a File pulls from the Files app. If nothing appears, you are probably in the wrong folder or the texture was never saved to Files.
• Drag and drop from Files, Photos, or a browser in Split View. This is often the fastest option when you are auditioning several textures.

Sizing it. Switch on Transform and make sure Uniform is selected before you drag a corner. Otherwise the weave stretches and the fibers look wrong. Overscan slightly so no edge of the texture image shows. If your texture is smaller than the canvas, enlarging it softens the weave, so use a larger source file or tile it (see below).

Layer placement. Put the texture above the artwork you want textured. Anything beneath it receives the effect, including layers you add later. If you want the lettering or a logo to stay clean, keep it above the texture layer, or put the texture inside a group with only the painted layers.

Choose the right blend mode

Normal mode at low opacity washes the artwork toward gray, which is the usual complaint ("by the time I could see the texture, the colors were dull"). Blend modes solve most of that:

• Multiply darkens. White in the texture has no effect, and darker threads and shadows in the weave show through. It is the standard choice for canvas and paper.
• Overlay helps bring back brightness while keeping the texture, which suits high-contrast weaves and gives a more "primed canvas" look.
• Linear Burn is another option some artists like. Use it sparingly.

A reliable combination is to stack the same texture twice. Set the lower copy to Multiply so the weave reads, and the upper copy to Overlay to restore some of the brightness the multiply took away. Keep both at low opacity (around 10% each is a common starting point) and adjust by eye.

If your texture has a color cast, such as a warm yellow canvas, Multiply will tint everything underneath. Reduce the saturation of the texture layer first if you want the weave without the color shift. If you want a warm ground, keep the tint and treat it as a deliberate choice.

Method 2: Use brush grain for texture that responds to strokes

An imported layer sits flat across the image. If you want the canvas to show up where paint is applied, as with a dry brush skipping over the tooth of a canvas, work with brush grain instead.

Procreate brushes carry a brush texture and, by default, a separate canvas or paper texture. In the brush settings you can:

• Open the brush and find its texture (grain) settings.
• Choose a built-in canvas-style texture, such as the stock Warby Canvas texture, or change the textures to suit your taste.

Duplicate any stock brush before editing it. Stock brushes can change between app versions, so edit the copy and keep the original untouched.

Many painters find a good painterly brush with a canvas grain is enough, and they skip a separate texture layer. For oil and acrylic looks in particular, brush grain does a lot of the work. The two methods also combine well: brush grain while painting, then a light Multiply layer at the end to unify the piece.

Method 3: Set up the texture before you paint

Rather than finishing and then adding a texture, you can place it first.

1. Create the canvas at your final delivery size.
2. Insert the canvas texture, scale it to fill the document, and set it to Multiply.
3. Create a new layer below it for your paint, and set the background color to your preferred ground (for example, off-white or warm gray).
4. Paint on the layers underneath. The texture continues to affect everything below it.

This lets you judge value and color against the final texture as you work. Lock or hide the texture layer when you want to see the artwork clean, and keep it in its own group so it is easy to toggle on and off.

Where to get canvas textures

• Scan or photograph real canvas. Shoot a blank stretched canvas or primed board in even, soft light, straight on, then crop and level it. This gives you a texture nobody else has.
• Free stock sites. Unsplash and Pixabay carry paper and fabric textures.
• Free community packs. Procreate's own community forums share paper and canvas texture sets, some at 4098 × 3072 pixels and 300 dpi.
• Paid packs. Many illustrators sell texture and brush sets, some with the blend modes already configured.
• Household fabrics. Linen, tablecloths, and upholstery with a visible weave can work well when photographed flat.

Look for even lighting. A texture with a lighting gradient or shadow across it will imprint that gradient on your artwork when set to Multiply.

For resolution, match or exceed your canvas pixel dimensions. If you plan to export for video at UHD, a canvas of 3840 × 2160 or larger keeps the weave from going soft.

Tiling a small texture

If you only have a seamless tile, scale it to a sensible size, duplicate the layer, and snap copies edge to edge. Then merge them into one layer. Check for visible seams at 100% zoom, and if you see a repeating pattern, try a larger or non-repeating source.

Troubleshooting

• Colors look dull. Reduce opacity, reduce the texture's saturation, and try the Multiply-plus-Overlay stack.
• Texture is invisible. Raise opacity, try Linear Burn or Overlay, or choose a texture with more contrast.
• Weave looks stretched. You scaled without Uniform on. Undo and redo the transform.
• Texture covers lettering. Move the type above the texture layer or outside the group.
• Color shifts after export. Check your canvas color profile settings and keep the profile consistent with your video project, typically sRGB unless your pipeline is set up for something wider.

Taking a textured Procreate frame into motion work

If your Procreate art is going into After Effects, Premiere Pro, or Nuke, you have a decision to make: bake the texture into the artwork, or keep it separate.

Keep it separate whenever you can. Export your art without the texture layer (as layers or separate images), and bring the canvas texture into After Effects as its own layer with a Multiply or Overlay blend. That lets you:

• Control opacity and contrast at grade time without reopening Procreate.
• Apply the same texture to animated elements, type, and footage so everything feels like one surface.
• Avoid the "shower door" effect. A texture that is perfectly locked to the frame while artwork moves can look like a screen overlay. Parent it to the artwork for a printed feel, or let it drift or "boil" slightly (changing between a few texture variants at a low frame rate) for a hand-made feel.

Summary

Procreate treats canvas texture as an image you place and blend yourself. Insert the texture, scale it uniformly, set it to Multiply (or Overlay for a different result), and reduce opacity until it supports the art instead of dulling it. Use brush grain when you want the texture to respond to strokes. If the work is headed for motion, keep the texture on its own layer so you can control it in your compositing app.