To change a brush shape in Procreate, open the Brush Studio by tapping a brush once to select it and again to open its settings. Choose Shape in the left-hand attribute list, tap Edit, and import a shape from the Source Library or from your own image. Tap Done, then adjust Spacing and Jitter until the stroke behaves the way you want. Duplicate the brush first if you want to keep the original.

Shape vs. grain: what you're actually changing

Procreate brushes combine two ingredients. The shape works like a rubber stamp: a silhouette that Procreate repeatedly presses along your stroke path. The grain is a texture applied inside that stamp, like paper tooth or canvas weave.

Changing the shape changes the silhouette of every mark. Changing the grain changes the surface texture inside it. If your brush looks wrong but the outline is fine, you probably want to edit the grain instead.

Brush size is a separate matter. The size slider in the sidebar scales the stamp but doesn't change what it looks like.

Step-by-step: change the shape of an existing brush

1. Duplicate the brush first

Swipe left on the brush in the Brushes panel and tap Duplicate. This gives you a safe copy to experiment on, so you won't overwrite a stock brush you rely on in client work. Rename it once you're happy with the result.

2. Open the Brush Studio

Tap the duplicate once to select it, then tap it again. The Brush Studio opens with three areas: the attribute list on the left, the settings for the selected attribute, and a Drawing Pad for live testing.

Tap Done in the top right to save changes or Cancel to discard them.

3. Select the Shape attribute

Tap Shape in the attribute list. You'll see the current shape, with an Edit button.

4. Open the Shape Editor

Tap Edit to open the shape editor, then choose Import to bring in a shape from the Source Library (Procreate's built-in stamps) or from your own images, such as ones saved to Photos.

For a quick rough-edged brush, import a stock shape from the Source Library, such as a blotchy or irregular stamp, and tap Done. The Drawing Pad updates immediately, so you can see the result before committing.

5. Test in the Drawing Pad

Scribble a few strokes at different speeds and pressures. A shape that looks good as a single stamp often reads differently once hundreds of copies overlap, so test long, fast strokes as well as short ones.

Create a custom shape from your own artwork

Custom shapes are where the Shape attribute earns its keep. The process is simple but unforgiving about preparation:

1. Make a square, high-contrast image. Use white for the area that should paint and black for the area that should stay empty. A square canvas prevents distortion and clipped edges.
2. Use enough resolution. Large stamps look soft if the source is small, so start with a high-resolution image for brushes you'll use at large sizes.
3. Get it onto the iPad. Save it to Photos or another location you can import from.
4. Import via Shape → Edit → Import. Choose the matching source.

Shape files can be anything: a scanned ink splatter, a photographed leaf, a vector star exported from Illustrator, a halftone dot. This approach also works for simple geometric tools. A stamp that drops a clean circle, triangle, or hexagon at the tap point gives you a lightweight shape tool, which is how many shared shape-brush sets have worked for years. Create the stamp on its own layer so you can scale or distort it with the Transform tool afterward.

Fine-tune how the shape behaves

Once the silhouette is right, the Stroke Path settings decide how it's repeated along the stroke.

Stroke Path settings matter just as much

Two settings in the Stroke Path attribute change how a shape reads:

• Spacing sets how often the shape is stamped. Low spacing merges the stamps into a continuous line. Higher spacing reveals the individual shapes with gaps between them.
• Jitter (Lateral and Linear) offsets stamps perpendicular to or along the stroke direction. Both can be linked to Apple Pencil pressure or tilt by tapping the numeric readout beside the slider.

A pattern brush, such as dotted lines, stars, or chain links, is mostly a matter of choosing the right shape and then raising Spacing until the repetition becomes visible.

Use Properties to set sensible limits

Under Properties, you can set limits on brush size so the brush doesn't become unusably large or small. This is especially helpful for stamp-style brushes, where a huge size can reveal pixelation in the source shape.

Troubleshooting common shape problems

• The stroke looks like a row of squares. Your source image probably has visible edges or a non-black background. Re-export it with a pure black background and soft or clean edges.
• The brush looks pixelated at large sizes. The source image is too small. Re-import a higher-resolution version.
• The stroke is too solid to see the shape. Increase Spacing, and check that Jitter isn't set so low that stamps overlap completely.
• Edges look harsh or grainy. Check the Rendering attribute, which adjusts how Procreate renders the end result.
• You overwrote a stock brush. Duplicating first avoids the problem altogether.

Organize and back up your custom brushes

Once you've built a few custom shapes, keep them in your own brush set rather than scattering them through Procreate's default packs. Scroll to the top of the Brushes panel and tap + to create a new set. Then drag your brushes in by pressing and holding them.

Brushes can be shared as files, which makes it easy to move a studio's custom tools between iPads or hand them to a collaborator.

Where Procreate brush shapes fit in a motion pipeline

Many motion designers don't deliver from Procreate. They use it to build textures, hand-drawn elements, and style frames that end up in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Blender, Cinema 4D, or Nuke. Custom shape brushes are useful for that role:

• Texture libraries. Build a dry-brush, splatter, or halftone brush once, paint plates on a transparent layer, and export PNGs for use as mattes, overlays, or displacement sources.
• Hand-drawn animation elements. Frame-by-frame or boiling-line work benefits from a brush with a distinctive, repeatable edge. Keep Jitter in mind, since random variation will differ from frame to frame, which can be a feature or a bug.
• Style frames. A handful of Procreate paintings with a consistent brush vocabulary make an excellent visual reference for a whole project.

Quick reference: changing brush shape

1. Swipe left on a brush and tap Duplicate.
2. Tap the duplicate twice to open the Brush Studio.
3. Select Shape in the attribute list.
4. Tap Edit and then Import.
5. Tap Done to confirm the shape.
6. Adjust Stroke Path (Spacing, Jitter) to control repetition.
7. Test in the Drawing Pad, then tap Done to save.

Final thoughts

Changing a brush shape in Procreate takes about a minute once you know where it lives: Brush Studio, then Shape, then Edit. The real work is in the preparation and tuning. Use clean, high-contrast, high-resolution source images, and pair the shape with sensible Spacing and Jitter values. Duplicate before you edit, test with realistic strokes, and keep your custom shapes in a dedicated set. That way, your brushes stay reliable from the first style frame through to delivery.

To change a brush shape in Procreate, open the Brush Studio by tapping a brush once to select it and again to open its settings. Choose Shape in the left-hand attribute list, tap Edit, and import a shape from the Source Library or from your own image. Tap Done, then adjust Spacing and Jitter until the stroke behaves the way you want. Duplicate the brush first if you want to keep the original.

Shape vs. grain: what you're actually changing

Procreate brushes combine two ingredients. The shape works like a rubber stamp: a silhouette that Procreate repeatedly presses along your stroke path. The grain is a texture applied inside that stamp, like paper tooth or canvas weave.

Changing the shape changes the silhouette of every mark. Changing the grain changes the surface texture inside it. If your brush looks wrong but the outline is fine, you probably want to edit the grain instead.

Brush size is a separate matter. The size slider in the sidebar scales the stamp but doesn't change what it looks like.

Step-by-step: change the shape of an existing brush

1. Duplicate the brush first

Swipe left on the brush in the Brushes panel and tap Duplicate. This gives you a safe copy to experiment on, so you won't overwrite a stock brush you rely on in client work. Rename it once you're happy with the result.

2. Open the Brush Studio

Tap the duplicate once to select it, then tap it again. The Brush Studio opens with three areas: the attribute list on the left, the settings for the selected attribute, and a Drawing Pad for live testing.

Tap Done in the top right to save changes or Cancel to discard them.

3. Select the Shape attribute

Tap Shape in the attribute list. You'll see the current shape, with an Edit button.

4. Open the Shape Editor

Tap Edit to open the shape editor, then choose Import to bring in a shape from the Source Library (Procreate's built-in stamps) or from your own images, such as ones saved to Photos.

For a quick rough-edged brush, import a stock shape from the Source Library, such as a blotchy or irregular stamp, and tap Done. The Drawing Pad updates immediately, so you can see the result before committing.

5. Test in the Drawing Pad

Scribble a few strokes at different speeds and pressures. A shape that looks good as a single stamp often reads differently once hundreds of copies overlap, so test long, fast strokes as well as short ones.

Create a custom shape from your own artwork

Custom shapes are where the Shape attribute earns its keep. The process is simple but unforgiving about preparation:

1. Make a square, high-contrast image. Use white for the area that should paint and black for the area that should stay empty. A square canvas prevents distortion and clipped edges.
2. Use enough resolution. Large stamps look soft if the source is small, so start with a high-resolution image for brushes you'll use at large sizes.
3. Get it onto the iPad. Save it to Photos or another location you can import from.
4. Import via Shape → Edit → Import. Choose the matching source.

Shape files can be anything: a scanned ink splatter, a photographed leaf, a vector star exported from Illustrator, a halftone dot. This approach also works for simple geometric tools. A stamp that drops a clean circle, triangle, or hexagon at the tap point gives you a lightweight shape tool, which is how many shared shape-brush sets have worked for years. Create the stamp on its own layer so you can scale or distort it with the Transform tool afterward.

Fine-tune how the shape behaves

Once the silhouette is right, the Stroke Path settings decide how it's repeated along the stroke.

Stroke Path settings matter just as much

Two settings in the Stroke Path attribute change how a shape reads:

• Spacing sets how often the shape is stamped. Low spacing merges the stamps into a continuous line. Higher spacing reveals the individual shapes with gaps between them.
• Jitter (Lateral and Linear) offsets stamps perpendicular to or along the stroke direction. Both can be linked to Apple Pencil pressure or tilt by tapping the numeric readout beside the slider.

A pattern brush, such as dotted lines, stars, or chain links, is mostly a matter of choosing the right shape and then raising Spacing until the repetition becomes visible.

Use Properties to set sensible limits

Under Properties, you can set limits on brush size so the brush doesn't become unusably large or small. This is especially helpful for stamp-style brushes, where a huge size can reveal pixelation in the source shape.

Troubleshooting common shape problems

• The stroke looks like a row of squares. Your source image probably has visible edges or a non-black background. Re-export it with a pure black background and soft or clean edges.
• The brush looks pixelated at large sizes. The source image is too small. Re-import a higher-resolution version.
• The stroke is too solid to see the shape. Increase Spacing, and check that Jitter isn't set so low that stamps overlap completely.
• Edges look harsh or grainy. Check the Rendering attribute, which adjusts how Procreate renders the end result.
• You overwrote a stock brush. Duplicating first avoids the problem altogether.

Organize and back up your custom brushes

Once you've built a few custom shapes, keep them in your own brush set rather than scattering them through Procreate's default packs. Scroll to the top of the Brushes panel and tap + to create a new set. Then drag your brushes in by pressing and holding them.

Brushes can be shared as files, which makes it easy to move a studio's custom tools between iPads or hand them to a collaborator.

Where Procreate brush shapes fit in a motion pipeline

Many motion designers don't deliver from Procreate. They use it to build textures, hand-drawn elements, and style frames that end up in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Blender, Cinema 4D, or Nuke. Custom shape brushes are useful for that role:

• Texture libraries. Build a dry-brush, splatter, or halftone brush once, paint plates on a transparent layer, and export PNGs for use as mattes, overlays, or displacement sources.
• Hand-drawn animation elements. Frame-by-frame or boiling-line work benefits from a brush with a distinctive, repeatable edge. Keep Jitter in mind, since random variation will differ from frame to frame, which can be a feature or a bug.
• Style frames. A handful of Procreate paintings with a consistent brush vocabulary make an excellent visual reference for a whole project.

Quick reference: changing brush shape

1. Swipe left on a brush and tap Duplicate.
2. Tap the duplicate twice to open the Brush Studio.
3. Select Shape in the attribute list.
4. Tap Edit and then Import.
5. Tap Done to confirm the shape.
6. Adjust Stroke Path (Spacing, Jitter) to control repetition.
7. Test in the Drawing Pad, then tap Done to save.

Final thoughts

Changing a brush shape in Procreate takes about a minute once you know where it lives: Brush Studio, then Shape, then Edit. The real work is in the preparation and tuning. Use clean, high-contrast, high-resolution source images, and pair the shape with sensible Spacing and Jitter values. Duplicate before you edit, test with realistic strokes, and keep your custom shapes in a dedicated set. That way, your brushes stay reliable from the first style frame through to delivery.