To change all of one color in Procreate, put the color on its own layer, turn on Recolor from the Quick Menu, drag the crosshair onto that color, and pick a new one. For flat shapes with no texture, Alpha Lock plus Fill Layer is faster and cleaner. If you need to shift an entire layer's palette rather than a single color, use Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness.

Which method to use

Procreate has no single "replace color A with color B everywhere" command. Each method below approximates it differently, and the right choice depends on how your art is built.

Method 1: Use the Recolor tool

Recolor is the closest thing to a true "change all of one color" function, but it isn't in the Adjustments menu, which is why many people never find it. It lives in the Quick Menu.

Set up the Quick Menu

1. Open the Actions menu (wrench icon) and go to Preferences > Gesture Controls.
2. Select Quick Menu and choose the gesture that will trigger it. Some artists reassign the square on the sidebar; others pick a touch or Apple Pencil gesture.
3. Confirm with the blue check mark.
4. Open the Quick Menu, then tap and hold one of its buttons. A list of actions appears in alphabetical order. Scroll to Recolor and select it.

You only do this once.

Recolor a color

1. Select the correct layer. Recolor works on the active layer only, so check this first.
2. Choose your new color in the color panel.
3. Open the Quick Menu and tap Recolor. A crosshair appears on the canvas.
4. Drag the crosshair onto the color you want to change. The area under it previews in your new color. Whatever the crosshair sits on defines the target.
5. Tap to commit. To change other shapes of the same color on the layer, move to each and tap.

While the crosshair is active, you can click through swatches in your palette to preview alternatives. The preview updates live, which makes it a quick way to audition color options before committing.

Control how far the change spreads

If the crosshair lands on empty canvas, the transparent background gets filled and your whole layer is flooded with color. Move the crosshair back onto the shape you wanted.

For textured or painterly artwork, the color under the crosshair varies from point to point, so results shift as you move it. The flood threshold control at the bottom of the screen sets how similar neighboring pixels must be to get swept into the change. If Recolor leaves speckles or halos, raise the threshold. If it grabs too much, lower it.

Method 2: Alpha Lock and Fill Layer

This is the most reliable method when everything on a layer should become one color, such as turning black line art white or tinting a silhouette.

1. Select the layer.
2. Swipe right with two fingers on the layer in the Layers panel. A checkerboard pattern on the thumbnail confirms Alpha Lock is on.
3. Pick your new color.
4. Either paint over the layer with a large brush or tap the layer and choose Fill Layer.

Alpha Lock restricts changes to pixels that already contain paint, so transparent areas stay transparent. Edges and anti-aliasing are preserved, which avoids the ragged fringes that often come from selection-based recoloring.

The limitation is that this changes every pixel on the layer, not one specific color. That makes layer organization important, and it's the main reason to keep separate colors on separate layers from the start.

Method 3: ColorDrop

ColorDrop fills an enclosed area by dragging color from the color dot at the top right of the canvas onto the shape. Sweep from the dot straight to the target without pausing, or the dot reverts to your previously used color.

It's fine for single closed shapes. It's not a good fit for "all of one color," because it changes one contiguous region at a time, and loose or painterly edges can leave gaps and fringes. If you find yourself dropping color into the fifth shape, switch to Recolor or Alpha Lock.

Method 4: Adjustments for whole-layer shifts

When you want to move an entire layer's color rather than replace one specific color, use the Adjustments menu. Select the layer first, since adjustments apply to the active layer.

• Hue, Saturation, Brightness: The simplest option. Hue shifts the overall color tone across the spectrum, Saturation moves toward gray or toward full vibrancy, and Brightness sets overall lightness.
• Color Balance: Pushes the layer toward red, green, or blue (or their opposites: cyan, magenta, yellow). You can limit the shift to shadows, midtones, or highlights. Midtones is the default and gives the most even adjustment.
• Curves: The most advanced option, with tonal and per-channel control over a histogram.

To commit an adjustment, tap the Adjustments icon again or tap any other tool. A two-finger tap undoes it.

Adjustments move all colors on the layer together. If you want only the reds to change, first isolate them on their own layer, either by building artwork that way or by selecting the area and copying it to a new layer, then adjust that layer.

Troubleshooting common problems

Recolor changed the whole canvas. The crosshair was over transparent or background pixels, or you were on the wrong layer. Reposition the crosshair on the target and confirm the active layer.

Jagged or colored fringes at the edges. This usually comes from selection-based fills or low flood thresholds. Try Alpha Lock with Fill Layer, which preserves edge pixels.

Only part of the color changed. In textured work, small value variations fall outside the threshold. Increase the flood threshold, or recolor in two passes.

Colors drift after Hue adjustment. Hue shifts every color on the layer. If skin tones moved along with the sky, isolate elements on separate layers and adjust them individually.

You need a one-time palette swap on a flattened image. Duplicate the layer first so you can compare against the original and revert without losing work.

Structure files for downstream recoloring

If your Procreate art will be animated or composited later, build it so recoloring is cheap:

• Keep distinct color zones on separate layers: line art, flats, shadows, highlights, background.
• Name layers before export so they're identifiable in After Effects or Photoshop.
• Export as layered PSD when you expect to change colors in post, or as PNGs with transparency when you only need elements. Layers that are already isolated let you recolor in your compositing software without going back to the iPad.
• Keep a copy of the original palette as a reference swatch so changes stay consistent across scenes.

FAQ

Where is Recolor in Procreate? It isn't in the Adjustments menu. Assign it to the Quick Menu through Preferences > Gesture Controls, then trigger it from there.

Can Recolor change a color across multiple layers? No. It acts on the active layer only. Repeat the process on each layer, or merge the relevant layers first if you don't need them separate.

What's the fastest way to turn all black line art white? Alpha Lock the layer, choose white, and use Fill Layer.

Does Hue, Saturation, Brightness change only one color? No. It shifts every color on the active layer. Isolate the color on its own layer first if you want to change it alone.

Can I undo an adjustment? Yes. A two-finger tap undoes your changes.

To change all of one color in Procreate, put the color on its own layer, turn on Recolor from the Quick Menu, drag the crosshair onto that color, and pick a new one. For flat shapes with no texture, Alpha Lock plus Fill Layer is faster and cleaner. If you need to shift an entire layer's palette rather than a single color, use Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness.

Which method to use

Procreate has no single "replace color A with color B everywhere" command. Each method below approximates it differently, and the right choice depends on how your art is built.

Method 1: Use the Recolor tool

Recolor is the closest thing to a true "change all of one color" function, but it isn't in the Adjustments menu, which is why many people never find it. It lives in the Quick Menu.

Set up the Quick Menu

1. Open the Actions menu (wrench icon) and go to Preferences > Gesture Controls.
2. Select Quick Menu and choose the gesture that will trigger it. Some artists reassign the square on the sidebar; others pick a touch or Apple Pencil gesture.
3. Confirm with the blue check mark.
4. Open the Quick Menu, then tap and hold one of its buttons. A list of actions appears in alphabetical order. Scroll to Recolor and select it.

You only do this once.

Recolor a color

1. Select the correct layer. Recolor works on the active layer only, so check this first.
2. Choose your new color in the color panel.
3. Open the Quick Menu and tap Recolor. A crosshair appears on the canvas.
4. Drag the crosshair onto the color you want to change. The area under it previews in your new color. Whatever the crosshair sits on defines the target.
5. Tap to commit. To change other shapes of the same color on the layer, move to each and tap.

While the crosshair is active, you can click through swatches in your palette to preview alternatives. The preview updates live, which makes it a quick way to audition color options before committing.

Control how far the change spreads

If the crosshair lands on empty canvas, the transparent background gets filled and your whole layer is flooded with color. Move the crosshair back onto the shape you wanted.

For textured or painterly artwork, the color under the crosshair varies from point to point, so results shift as you move it. The flood threshold control at the bottom of the screen sets how similar neighboring pixels must be to get swept into the change. If Recolor leaves speckles or halos, raise the threshold. If it grabs too much, lower it.

Method 2: Alpha Lock and Fill Layer

This is the most reliable method when everything on a layer should become one color, such as turning black line art white or tinting a silhouette.

1. Select the layer.
2. Swipe right with two fingers on the layer in the Layers panel. A checkerboard pattern on the thumbnail confirms Alpha Lock is on.
3. Pick your new color.
4. Either paint over the layer with a large brush or tap the layer and choose Fill Layer.

Alpha Lock restricts changes to pixels that already contain paint, so transparent areas stay transparent. Edges and anti-aliasing are preserved, which avoids the ragged fringes that often come from selection-based recoloring.

The limitation is that this changes every pixel on the layer, not one specific color. That makes layer organization important, and it's the main reason to keep separate colors on separate layers from the start.

Method 3: ColorDrop

ColorDrop fills an enclosed area by dragging color from the color dot at the top right of the canvas onto the shape. Sweep from the dot straight to the target without pausing, or the dot reverts to your previously used color.

It's fine for single closed shapes. It's not a good fit for "all of one color," because it changes one contiguous region at a time, and loose or painterly edges can leave gaps and fringes. If you find yourself dropping color into the fifth shape, switch to Recolor or Alpha Lock.

Method 4: Adjustments for whole-layer shifts

When you want to move an entire layer's color rather than replace one specific color, use the Adjustments menu. Select the layer first, since adjustments apply to the active layer.

• Hue, Saturation, Brightness: The simplest option. Hue shifts the overall color tone across the spectrum, Saturation moves toward gray or toward full vibrancy, and Brightness sets overall lightness.
• Color Balance: Pushes the layer toward red, green, or blue (or their opposites: cyan, magenta, yellow). You can limit the shift to shadows, midtones, or highlights. Midtones is the default and gives the most even adjustment.
• Curves: The most advanced option, with tonal and per-channel control over a histogram.

To commit an adjustment, tap the Adjustments icon again or tap any other tool. A two-finger tap undoes it.

Adjustments move all colors on the layer together. If you want only the reds to change, first isolate them on their own layer, either by building artwork that way or by selecting the area and copying it to a new layer, then adjust that layer.

Troubleshooting common problems

Recolor changed the whole canvas. The crosshair was over transparent or background pixels, or you were on the wrong layer. Reposition the crosshair on the target and confirm the active layer.

Jagged or colored fringes at the edges. This usually comes from selection-based fills or low flood thresholds. Try Alpha Lock with Fill Layer, which preserves edge pixels.

Only part of the color changed. In textured work, small value variations fall outside the threshold. Increase the flood threshold, or recolor in two passes.

Colors drift after Hue adjustment. Hue shifts every color on the layer. If skin tones moved along with the sky, isolate elements on separate layers and adjust them individually.

You need a one-time palette swap on a flattened image. Duplicate the layer first so you can compare against the original and revert without losing work.

Structure files for downstream recoloring

If your Procreate art will be animated or composited later, build it so recoloring is cheap:

• Keep distinct color zones on separate layers: line art, flats, shadows, highlights, background.
• Name layers before export so they're identifiable in After Effects or Photoshop.
• Export as layered PSD when you expect to change colors in post, or as PNGs with transparency when you only need elements. Layers that are already isolated let you recolor in your compositing software without going back to the iPad.
• Keep a copy of the original palette as a reference swatch so changes stay consistent across scenes.

FAQ

Where is Recolor in Procreate? It isn't in the Adjustments menu. Assign it to the Quick Menu through Preferences > Gesture Controls, then trigger it from there.

Can Recolor change a color across multiple layers? No. It acts on the active layer only. Repeat the process on each layer, or merge the relevant layers first if you don't need them separate.

What's the fastest way to turn all black line art white? Alpha Lock the layer, choose white, and use Fill Layer.

Does Hue, Saturation, Brightness change only one color? No. It shifts every color on the active layer. Isolate the color on its own layer first if you want to change it alone.

Can I undo an adjustment? Yes. A two-finger tap undoes your changes.