In Procreate, you bring a layer to the front by opening the Layers panel (the square icon at the top right), pressing and holding the layer, and dragging it to the top of the list. Stack order alone decides depth: the top of the list sits in front, and the bottom sits behind everything else. To move several layers at once, swipe right on each one to select it, then drag the selection together.

How to Bring a Layer to the Front in Procreate

1. Open the Layers panel. Tap the square icon in the top right of the canvas.
2. Press and hold the layer. After a moment it lifts out of the list, which means it can be moved.
3. Drag it to the top of the list. Drop it above every other layer you want it to cover.
4. Release. The layer's contents now draw over everything below.

If you want the layer in front of some content but still behind other items, don't go all the way to the top. Drop it directly above the highest layer it should cover and below the layers that should stay in front.

Sending a layer to the back works the same way in reverse. Drag it to the bottom of the list.

Why Procreate Works This Way

Procreate treats the Layers panel as a vertical stack, like sheets of paper laid on top of each other. A layer high in the list covers whatever lies beneath it wherever it has opaque pixels. Transparent areas let lower layers show through.

If you're coming from Photoshop, the idea is the same: you arrange layers by dragging them around, and the layer at the top of the list is the front layer. The drag gesture is how you reorder here. The model is the same as in other layer-based tools, so your instincts still apply.

Layer order also explains a common beginner problem. If you paint color on a new layer and it hides your line art, that layer sits above the line art. Move the color layer below the line layer, and the line work reads on top again.

Moving Multiple Layers or Groups to the Front

Reordering one layer at a time gets slow on a complex illustration. Procreate offers two ways to speed it up.

Select several layers at once

Tap a layer to make it the Primary layer, which shows in bright blue. Then swipe right on other layers to add them as Secondary layers, shown in a darker blue. With several layers selected, press and hold one of them and drag. The selection moves together.

Keep in mind that drawing only affects the Primary layer. Some actions behave differently with a multi-layer selection: Adjustments aren't available, and Cut and Copy only apply to the Primary layer. Moving layers is safe, but check which layer is Primary before you start painting again.

Group layers, then move the group

When you select multiple layers, a Group option appears at the top right of the Layers panel. Tap it, and the layers collect into one group that you can expand or collapse with the arrow. Dragging the group to the top brings everything inside it forward at once.

Grouping is also the cleanest way to manage depth in larger files. Make a group for foreground, midground, and background, then reorder the groups instead of dozens of individual layers.

Select a layer by touching the artwork

If you can't tell which layer holds the element you want to move, enable Layer Select under Actions > Prefs > Gesture Controls > Layer Select. You assign a touch or Pencil gesture, and Procreate shows the layers under that point on the canvas. This saves hunting through a long panel.

When a Layer Won't Come to the Front

Most "it won't move" problems come down to a few causes.

• The layer is inside a group. If the layer is part of a group, try moving the whole group instead.
• The wrong layer is highlighted. If your edits show up on a different layer than expected, the Primary layer isn't the one you think it is.
• A blend mode or opacity setting is hiding the effect. A layer can be at the top and still look like it's behind if it has a blend mode applied or low opacity. Check the layer's blend mode and opacity before assuming the stack order is wrong.

A common workflow: color under line art

If you want line art to stay visible while you paint, you have two options. Move the color layer below the line layer, which is the simplest approach. Or keep the color above and set its blend mode to Multiply, so the lines show through the color. Multiply is useful for shadows and flat color fills, but it changes how the color looks, so it isn't a pure reordering fix.

Procreate Stacking vs. Your Motion Tools

For artists who spend most of their time in other layer-based or compositing software, Procreate's stack logic will likely feel familiar. The vocabulary changes, but the concept of a top-is-front stack doesn't.

Preparing Procreate Layers for Animation and Compositing

Layer order matters more when the artwork leaves Procreate. Some habits will save time downstream.

• Name your layers. Default names like "Layer 14" become hard to manage in a big file. Rename layers to match what they are, such as "hand_L", "line_art", or "bg_sky".
• Separate elements that need to move. If you plan to animate the character's arm, keep it on its own layer rather than merging it with the body. Each independent element should be a separate layer.
• Finalize stack order before export. Decide what is in front and behind, and reorder before exporting. It's quicker in Procreate than rebuilding the order later.

Quick Answers

How do I bring a layer to the front? Drag the layer to the top of the Layers panel.

How do I send a layer to the back? Drag it to the bottom of the list.

Can I move multiple layers at once? Yes. Swipe right on layers to select them, then press and hold one and drag. Or group them and move the group.

Why does my color layer cover my line art? It sits above the line layer. Drag it below, or switch it to Multiply.

Reordering in Procreate comes down to one habit: the top of the list is the front. Once you internalize that, you can restack a complicated illustration in seconds.

In Procreate, you bring a layer to the front by opening the Layers panel (the square icon at the top right), pressing and holding the layer, and dragging it to the top of the list. Stack order alone decides depth: the top of the list sits in front, and the bottom sits behind everything else. To move several layers at once, swipe right on each one to select it, then drag the selection together.

How to Bring a Layer to the Front in Procreate

1. Open the Layers panel. Tap the square icon in the top right of the canvas.
2. Press and hold the layer. After a moment it lifts out of the list, which means it can be moved.
3. Drag it to the top of the list. Drop it above every other layer you want it to cover.
4. Release. The layer's contents now draw over everything below.

If you want the layer in front of some content but still behind other items, don't go all the way to the top. Drop it directly above the highest layer it should cover and below the layers that should stay in front.

Sending a layer to the back works the same way in reverse. Drag it to the bottom of the list.

Why Procreate Works This Way

Procreate treats the Layers panel as a vertical stack, like sheets of paper laid on top of each other. A layer high in the list covers whatever lies beneath it wherever it has opaque pixels. Transparent areas let lower layers show through.

If you're coming from Photoshop, the idea is the same: you arrange layers by dragging them around, and the layer at the top of the list is the front layer. The drag gesture is how you reorder here. The model is the same as in other layer-based tools, so your instincts still apply.

Layer order also explains a common beginner problem. If you paint color on a new layer and it hides your line art, that layer sits above the line art. Move the color layer below the line layer, and the line work reads on top again.

Moving Multiple Layers or Groups to the Front

Reordering one layer at a time gets slow on a complex illustration. Procreate offers two ways to speed it up.

Select several layers at once

Tap a layer to make it the Primary layer, which shows in bright blue. Then swipe right on other layers to add them as Secondary layers, shown in a darker blue. With several layers selected, press and hold one of them and drag. The selection moves together.

Keep in mind that drawing only affects the Primary layer. Some actions behave differently with a multi-layer selection: Adjustments aren't available, and Cut and Copy only apply to the Primary layer. Moving layers is safe, but check which layer is Primary before you start painting again.

Group layers, then move the group

When you select multiple layers, a Group option appears at the top right of the Layers panel. Tap it, and the layers collect into one group that you can expand or collapse with the arrow. Dragging the group to the top brings everything inside it forward at once.

Grouping is also the cleanest way to manage depth in larger files. Make a group for foreground, midground, and background, then reorder the groups instead of dozens of individual layers.

Select a layer by touching the artwork

If you can't tell which layer holds the element you want to move, enable Layer Select under Actions > Prefs > Gesture Controls > Layer Select. You assign a touch or Pencil gesture, and Procreate shows the layers under that point on the canvas. This saves hunting through a long panel.

When a Layer Won't Come to the Front

Most "it won't move" problems come down to a few causes.

• The layer is inside a group. If the layer is part of a group, try moving the whole group instead.
• The wrong layer is highlighted. If your edits show up on a different layer than expected, the Primary layer isn't the one you think it is.
• A blend mode or opacity setting is hiding the effect. A layer can be at the top and still look like it's behind if it has a blend mode applied or low opacity. Check the layer's blend mode and opacity before assuming the stack order is wrong.

A common workflow: color under line art

If you want line art to stay visible while you paint, you have two options. Move the color layer below the line layer, which is the simplest approach. Or keep the color above and set its blend mode to Multiply, so the lines show through the color. Multiply is useful for shadows and flat color fills, but it changes how the color looks, so it isn't a pure reordering fix.

Procreate Stacking vs. Your Motion Tools

For artists who spend most of their time in other layer-based or compositing software, Procreate's stack logic will likely feel familiar. The vocabulary changes, but the concept of a top-is-front stack doesn't.

Preparing Procreate Layers for Animation and Compositing

Layer order matters more when the artwork leaves Procreate. Some habits will save time downstream.

• Name your layers. Default names like "Layer 14" become hard to manage in a big file. Rename layers to match what they are, such as "hand_L", "line_art", or "bg_sky".
• Separate elements that need to move. If you plan to animate the character's arm, keep it on its own layer rather than merging it with the body. Each independent element should be a separate layer.
• Finalize stack order before export. Decide what is in front and behind, and reorder before exporting. It's quicker in Procreate than rebuilding the order later.

Quick Answers

How do I bring a layer to the front? Drag the layer to the top of the Layers panel.

How do I send a layer to the back? Drag it to the bottom of the list.

Can I move multiple layers at once? Yes. Swipe right on layers to select them, then press and hold one and drag. Or group them and move the group.

Why does my color layer cover my line art? It sits above the line layer. Drag it below, or switch it to Multiply.

Reordering in Procreate comes down to one habit: the top of the list is the front. Once you internalize that, you can restack a complicated illustration in seconds.