To change the aspect ratio in Procreate, open Actions (wrench icon) → Canvas → Crop and Resize, turn off the Aspect Lock (the chainlink between the width and height readouts), then drag the grid handles or type new width and height values. Tap Done to apply the change permanently. You work out the target dimensions yourself, and it's safest to duplicate the artwork in the Gallery first.

Step-by-step: change the aspect ratio in Procreate

1. Duplicate your artwork. Duplicate the file in the Gallery first. Crop and Resize is destructive once you tap Done.
2. Open the tool. Tap the wrench icon → Canvas → Crop and Resize. A grid overlay appears, and its edges represent the new canvas edges.
3. Unlock the ratio. The chainlink icon between the width and height readouts locks the current shape. If it's active (blue), the canvas keeps its ratio however you resize it, so you can't change the ratio until you turn it off.
4. Set the new dimensions. Drag a side handle to stretch or squash one axis, or tap the width or height readout and type exact values on the keypad.
5. Check the layer readout. The notification bar shows how many layers the new canvas size allows. Larger canvases mean fewer available layers, and you can't drag past your device's maximum canvas size.
6. Tap Done. The crop is committed.

That is the whole mechanism. Most of the real work is deciding what dimensions to enter and whether to crop, extend, or resample.

Work out the target dimensions first

Procreate shows width and height, not a ratio, so do the math before you open the tool. For motion work, switch the unit to pixels by tapping a readout and changing the measurement unit. Then enter pixel values that match your composition.

To get a ratio from an existing dimension, multiply or divide. If your canvas is 4000 px tall and you need 16:9, the width is 4000 × 16 ÷ 9 ≈ 7111 px. Round to a whole pixel. For video you'll usually want even numbers, since some codecs reject odd dimensions.

If your hardware's maximum canvas size is lower than the number you calculated, pick a smaller size with the same ratio and upscale later in your pipeline.

Crop, extend, or resample: choose your intent

Changing aspect ratio always means either losing image area or gaining empty area. Procreate won't invent content for you.

Cropping to a narrower frame

Dragging the overlay inward cuts away pixels. Going from 4:3 to 16:9, for instance, removes the top and bottom. Position the grid so the important part of the composition survives. You can also use the Rotation slider in the bottom toolbar to angle the artwork relative to the crop area.

Extending to a wider frame

Dragging the overlay outward adds transparent or background-colored space. This is useful when you've drawn a vertical illustration and need a 16:9 plate for a parallax scene. The new space is empty, so you'll need to paint into it, which is also a good moment to consider layer organization for animation.

Resampling to change pixel count

The Resample switch is a different operation. When it's on, Procreate scales your content to the new pixel dimensions instead of just changing the frame boundaries. When it's off, the content stays at its original pixel size and only the canvas edges move.

A reliable order of operations:

1. Crop or extend to the ratio you need with Resample off.
2. Run Crop and Resize a second time with Resample on and the Aspect Lock active to hit the final pixel size.

This avoids unintended stretching. In Procreate Dreams, resampling always locks the aspect ratio for you, so cropping is the only route to a new shape there.

Centering the new canvas

Crop and Resize has no snap-to-center option when you type values. If you enlarge a 2100 × 2100 canvas to 2400 × 2400 and want equal margins, you have to position the grid yourself. Two approaches help:

• Check the snapping option in the Crop and Resize settings, which can help the grid find the middle and the artwork edges.
• Use a Drawing Guide as a visual crosshair. Go to Actions → Canvas → Drawing Guide → Edit Drawing Guide, choose Symmetry, and turn on the Quadrant option. Thicken and recolor the lines so they stay visible, tap Done, then open Crop and Resize and line the grid up on the intersection. Avoid tapping the color slider by accident when you commit the guide, because that resets the lines to white.

It's less precise than a numerical offset, so zoom in and check the edges after you apply.

Changing DPI without changing aspect ratio

In the same Crop and Resize screen you can set DPI. Changing DPI alters the physical size (inches, centimeters, millimeters) but not the pixel dimensions or the aspect ratio. For print, the standard is 300 DPI. For screens, 72 to 144 DPI is typical. For video delivery, DPI is mostly irrelevant, since pixel dimensions are what matter. Don't spend time on it unless the file is going to print.

Procreate Pocket and Procreate Dreams

The workflow is similar on other Procreate apps, with different menu paths.

• Procreate Pocket: Tap the ellipsis to expand the toolbar, then Actions → Canvas → Crop and Resize. Swipe up on the grey handle to open the settings panel, which holds the numerical width and height fields, the Aspect Lock, and DPI. You can switch measurement units there too, and the values convert using the current size and DPI.
• Procreate Dreams: Open the Drawing or Flipbook you want to change, tap Settings → Canvas, then Crop and resize. The interface has two modes, Crop and Resample. In Crop mode, the chainlink toggles the aspect lock and you can drag handles or enter pixel values. Holding the eye icon shows the canvas as it was before your changes. For a Flipbook, a time bar lets you scrub through the animation to check the crop at different points. Resample mode has a Quality readout and a choice of interpolation: Bilinear (the default, softer edges) or Nearest (crisper edges, better for pixel art).

If you're animating frame by frame in Dreams, set the ratio before you draw most of the sequence. Cropping a long Flipbook later can take time depending on canvas size, device, and project complexity.

Troubleshooting common problems

The other dimension keeps changing. The Aspect Lock is on. Tap the chainlink to disable it.

I can't make the canvas any bigger. You've hit your device's maximum canvas size, which is a hardware limitation. Reduce the target size or lower the layer count you need.

My artwork looks soft after resizing. Resampling up interpolates pixels and can't add real detail. Resample once, and avoid repeated scale-ups and scale-downs. Where you can, redraw at the target resolution from the start.

The art is shifted off-center. Reopen Crop and Resize and reposition the grid, or use the Drawing Guide method above. You can also move the layer contents with the Transform tool after the crop.

I applied the wrong crop. Use Undo immediately if it's still available. Otherwise return to your duplicate.

Preparing Procreate art for a video pipeline

For motion designers, the point of fixing aspect ratio is usually to get a plate or character into After Effects, Nuke, or Blender at the right frame size. A few practical habits help:

• Match the Procreate canvas to your comp's pixel dimensions, or to an exact multiple of them, so you don't end up with non-uniform scaling in the comp.
• Leave extra bleed beyond the frame when the shot involves camera moves or parallax. Extend the canvas past the delivery ratio, then crop in your compositor.
• Export layers or flattened PNGs with transparency where you need them, and keep a duplicate of the original-ratio file.

Quick recap

• Duplicate the file, then go to Actions → Canvas → Crop and Resize.
• Turn off the chainlink to change the ratio, or leave it on to scale uniformly.
• Enter pixel values for exact ratios such as 1920 × 1080 or 1080 × 1920.
• Crop or extend first with Resample off, then resample to the final size.
• Center the grid with snapping or a quadrant Drawing Guide.
• Set your DPI only if the artwork is going to print.

To change the aspect ratio in Procreate, open Actions (wrench icon) → Canvas → Crop and Resize, turn off the Aspect Lock (the chainlink between the width and height readouts), then drag the grid handles or type new width and height values. Tap Done to apply the change permanently. You work out the target dimensions yourself, and it's safest to duplicate the artwork in the Gallery first.

Step-by-step: change the aspect ratio in Procreate

1. Duplicate your artwork. Duplicate the file in the Gallery first. Crop and Resize is destructive once you tap Done.
2. Open the tool. Tap the wrench icon → Canvas → Crop and Resize. A grid overlay appears, and its edges represent the new canvas edges.
3. Unlock the ratio. The chainlink icon between the width and height readouts locks the current shape. If it's active (blue), the canvas keeps its ratio however you resize it, so you can't change the ratio until you turn it off.
4. Set the new dimensions. Drag a side handle to stretch or squash one axis, or tap the width or height readout and type exact values on the keypad.
5. Check the layer readout. The notification bar shows how many layers the new canvas size allows. Larger canvases mean fewer available layers, and you can't drag past your device's maximum canvas size.
6. Tap Done. The crop is committed.

That is the whole mechanism. Most of the real work is deciding what dimensions to enter and whether to crop, extend, or resample.

Work out the target dimensions first

Procreate shows width and height, not a ratio, so do the math before you open the tool. For motion work, switch the unit to pixels by tapping a readout and changing the measurement unit. Then enter pixel values that match your composition.

To get a ratio from an existing dimension, multiply or divide. If your canvas is 4000 px tall and you need 16:9, the width is 4000 × 16 ÷ 9 ≈ 7111 px. Round to a whole pixel. For video you'll usually want even numbers, since some codecs reject odd dimensions.

If your hardware's maximum canvas size is lower than the number you calculated, pick a smaller size with the same ratio and upscale later in your pipeline.

Crop, extend, or resample: choose your intent

Changing aspect ratio always means either losing image area or gaining empty area. Procreate won't invent content for you.

Cropping to a narrower frame

Dragging the overlay inward cuts away pixels. Going from 4:3 to 16:9, for instance, removes the top and bottom. Position the grid so the important part of the composition survives. You can also use the Rotation slider in the bottom toolbar to angle the artwork relative to the crop area.

Extending to a wider frame

Dragging the overlay outward adds transparent or background-colored space. This is useful when you've drawn a vertical illustration and need a 16:9 plate for a parallax scene. The new space is empty, so you'll need to paint into it, which is also a good moment to consider layer organization for animation.

Resampling to change pixel count

The Resample switch is a different operation. When it's on, Procreate scales your content to the new pixel dimensions instead of just changing the frame boundaries. When it's off, the content stays at its original pixel size and only the canvas edges move.

A reliable order of operations:

1. Crop or extend to the ratio you need with Resample off.
2. Run Crop and Resize a second time with Resample on and the Aspect Lock active to hit the final pixel size.

This avoids unintended stretching. In Procreate Dreams, resampling always locks the aspect ratio for you, so cropping is the only route to a new shape there.

Centering the new canvas

Crop and Resize has no snap-to-center option when you type values. If you enlarge a 2100 × 2100 canvas to 2400 × 2400 and want equal margins, you have to position the grid yourself. Two approaches help:

• Check the snapping option in the Crop and Resize settings, which can help the grid find the middle and the artwork edges.
• Use a Drawing Guide as a visual crosshair. Go to Actions → Canvas → Drawing Guide → Edit Drawing Guide, choose Symmetry, and turn on the Quadrant option. Thicken and recolor the lines so they stay visible, tap Done, then open Crop and Resize and line the grid up on the intersection. Avoid tapping the color slider by accident when you commit the guide, because that resets the lines to white.

It's less precise than a numerical offset, so zoom in and check the edges after you apply.

Changing DPI without changing aspect ratio

In the same Crop and Resize screen you can set DPI. Changing DPI alters the physical size (inches, centimeters, millimeters) but not the pixel dimensions or the aspect ratio. For print, the standard is 300 DPI. For screens, 72 to 144 DPI is typical. For video delivery, DPI is mostly irrelevant, since pixel dimensions are what matter. Don't spend time on it unless the file is going to print.

Procreate Pocket and Procreate Dreams

The workflow is similar on other Procreate apps, with different menu paths.

• Procreate Pocket: Tap the ellipsis to expand the toolbar, then Actions → Canvas → Crop and Resize. Swipe up on the grey handle to open the settings panel, which holds the numerical width and height fields, the Aspect Lock, and DPI. You can switch measurement units there too, and the values convert using the current size and DPI.
• Procreate Dreams: Open the Drawing or Flipbook you want to change, tap Settings → Canvas, then Crop and resize. The interface has two modes, Crop and Resample. In Crop mode, the chainlink toggles the aspect lock and you can drag handles or enter pixel values. Holding the eye icon shows the canvas as it was before your changes. For a Flipbook, a time bar lets you scrub through the animation to check the crop at different points. Resample mode has a Quality readout and a choice of interpolation: Bilinear (the default, softer edges) or Nearest (crisper edges, better for pixel art).

If you're animating frame by frame in Dreams, set the ratio before you draw most of the sequence. Cropping a long Flipbook later can take time depending on canvas size, device, and project complexity.

Troubleshooting common problems

The other dimension keeps changing. The Aspect Lock is on. Tap the chainlink to disable it.

I can't make the canvas any bigger. You've hit your device's maximum canvas size, which is a hardware limitation. Reduce the target size or lower the layer count you need.

My artwork looks soft after resizing. Resampling up interpolates pixels and can't add real detail. Resample once, and avoid repeated scale-ups and scale-downs. Where you can, redraw at the target resolution from the start.

The art is shifted off-center. Reopen Crop and Resize and reposition the grid, or use the Drawing Guide method above. You can also move the layer contents with the Transform tool after the crop.

I applied the wrong crop. Use Undo immediately if it's still available. Otherwise return to your duplicate.

Preparing Procreate art for a video pipeline

For motion designers, the point of fixing aspect ratio is usually to get a plate or character into After Effects, Nuke, or Blender at the right frame size. A few practical habits help:

• Match the Procreate canvas to your comp's pixel dimensions, or to an exact multiple of them, so you don't end up with non-uniform scaling in the comp.
• Leave extra bleed beyond the frame when the shot involves camera moves or parallax. Extend the canvas past the delivery ratio, then crop in your compositor.
• Export layers or flattened PNGs with transparency where you need them, and keep a duplicate of the original-ratio file.

Quick recap

• Duplicate the file, then go to Actions → Canvas → Crop and Resize.
• Turn off the chainlink to change the ratio, or leave it on to scale uniformly.
• Enter pixel values for exact ratios such as 1920 × 1080 or 1080 × 1920.
• Crop or extend first with Resample off, then resample to the final size.
• Center the grid with snapping or a quadrant Drawing Guide.
• Set your DPI only if the artwork is going to print.