To check DPI in Procreate, tap the wrench icon (Actions), then Canvas, then Canvas information, then Dimensions. That screen lists the canvas DPI, its physical width and height, and its pixel width and height. For anything that ends up on a screen, including After Effects comps and Premiere timelines, pixel dimensions matter and DPI is just metadata. DPI only becomes important when the artwork will be printed.

How to check DPI in Procreate, step by step

1. Open the artwork from the Gallery.
2. Tap the Actions icon (the wrench) in the top toolbar.
3. Choose the Canvas tab.
4. Tap Canvas information.
5. Open the Dimensions section.

You'll see the DPI value alongside the canvas size in pixels and in physical units (such as inches or millimeters, depending on how the canvas was created).

If you're auditing a folder of old illustrations, you'll need to repeat this per file.

What the Dimensions screen actually tells you

The three numbers on that screen are linked by one relationship:

canvas size in inches × DPI = canvas size in pixels

Set any two and the third follows. A canvas that is 10 inches wide at 300 DPI is 3000 pixels wide. The same 3000 pixels at 132 DPI come out to roughly 22.7 inches wide.

This is why a Procreate canvas created from a preset can show a surprising DPI. Presets land anywhere from 132 to 400 DPI, and 132 is a common default. That number isn't a quality rating. It's just the density at which Procreate maps the pixels to a physical size.

DPI vs. pixel dimensions: the part people mix up

A 2000 × 2000 px canvas holds exactly the same pixels whether it's labeled 132 DPI or 300 DPI. Nothing is sharper or softer. DPI only tells a printer how many of those pixels to squeeze into each inch:

• Lower DPI: the same pixels spread over a larger printed area, so individual pixels are bigger and more visible.
• Higher DPI: the same pixels cover a smaller printed area, so the print looks denser and finer.

The exception is when you create a canvas using physical units. If you start with "A4 at 300 DPI," DPI directly determines how many pixels the canvas has. In that case the DPI you pick sets the canvas's pixel resolution from the start.

For this reason, the practical question is rarely "is my DPI high enough?" It's "do I have enough pixels for the size I need to output?"

Does DPI matter for motion design and video?

Mostly, no. Video and screen delivery are defined in pixels: 1920 × 1080, 3840 × 2160, a vertical 1080 × 1920, and so on. A 72, 132, or 300 DPI tag on a PNG exported from Procreate won't change how many pixels appear in your timeline. What you should check instead is the pixel width and height on the same Dimensions screen.

A few practical rules for artists bringing Procreate work into After Effects, Premiere Pro, Blender, Cinema 4D, or Nuke:

• Start from the delivery resolution. If the final comp is 3840 × 2160, build the canvas at that size or an even multiple of it so you can punch in and scale without softness.
• Leave room for camera moves. If you plan to push in, pan, or parallax a layered illustration, make the canvas larger than the frame. Work out the pixel size you need first, then see what DPI that produces.
• Don't trust the DPI tag for scaling. Some apps use DPI metadata when importing stills, which can make a layer land at an unexpected size in a comp. Check the layer scale after import rather than assuming it will arrive at 100%.
• Mind the layer limit. In Procreate, bigger pixel dimensions mean fewer available layers. A large canvas for a parallax scene may cap how finely you can separate elements, so plan your layer breakdown before you commit to a size.

If the same illustration will also be printed (a poster, a title card, a promo), you're back in print territory and DPI deserves attention again.

How to change DPI on an existing canvas

You can edit DPI after the fact. Go to Actions → Canvas → Crop & Resize → Settings. Older advice that says canvas DPI can't be changed after creation is outdated; this was added in Procreate 4.2.

Keep the following in mind when you do:

• Raising DPI while keeping the pixels the same shrinks the physical size. The same pixel grid now covers fewer inches.
• Lowering DPI makes the physical size larger, for the opposite reason.
• Changing pixel dimensions resamples the image. If you also change the pixel width and height, Procreate has to invent or discard pixels. Upscaling this way can't add real detail. It only interpolates from what exists, so some loss of crispness is likely.

If you only need a different DPI tag, leave the pixel dimensions alone and change the density. If the artwork was made at a smaller pixel size than your print needs, no DPI setting will create detail that isn't there. You'd need to redraw at a larger size or upscale with a method suited to the artwork.

Some artists fix the tag in another app, such as Photoshop or Affinity Photo, by turning resampling off and changing only the resolution value. That works for relabeling, but check that resampling is genuinely off; otherwise the app will resize the image to match the new DPI.

Choosing DPI before you start a print project

If there's any chance of printing, set DPI and physical size when you create the canvas. Reworking a large piece to a very different output later can be difficult. Rough guidance:

• 300 DPI is the usual standard for A4 pages and magazine-sized work.
• 300–600 DPI suits small pieces such as postcards, which get viewed up close.
• Much lower values are fine for large formats seen from a distance. A billboard can look cohesive at a small fraction of 300 DPI.
• Fabric generally tolerates lower DPI than paper because of the material's texture. Around 100 DPI can be enough.

When in doubt, higher is safer than lower, and a professional printer is the best source for exact requirements. Some artists also suggest converting to PDF rather than sending loose PNGs, since PNG is a stripped-down format that may not carry print-size information consistently.

If a publisher asks for 300 DPI and your canvas is tagged 132, first calculate the print size from your pixels. A 2048 × 2048 px canvas gives you about 6.8 inches square at 300 DPI. If that's large enough for the intended use, you may only need to update the tag, not redo anything.

Quick reference: reading your canvas numbers

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating 132 DPI as low quality. It's only a label until you print. Look at the pixels.
• Resampling by accident. Changing resolution in another app with resampling on will resize your image.
• Upscaling for print as a fix. Interpolation can't restore detail that was never drawn.
• Building a video canvas by physical size. For motion work, start from pixel dimensions and the final comp.
• Ignoring the layer limit. A large canvas reduces your available layers, so decide early how many you need.

Summary

Checking DPI in Procreate takes five taps: Actions → Canvas → Canvas information → Dimensions. Read it alongside the pixel dimensions, because pixels define the real resolution of your work. For print, set DPI and physical size at the start and confirm requirements with your printer. For video, comps, and animation, plan the canvas around your delivery resolution and leave headroom for camera moves, and treat DPI as a label that matters only if the piece is ever printed.

To check DPI in Procreate, tap the wrench icon (Actions), then Canvas, then Canvas information, then Dimensions. That screen lists the canvas DPI, its physical width and height, and its pixel width and height. For anything that ends up on a screen, including After Effects comps and Premiere timelines, pixel dimensions matter and DPI is just metadata. DPI only becomes important when the artwork will be printed.

How to check DPI in Procreate, step by step

1. Open the artwork from the Gallery.
2. Tap the Actions icon (the wrench) in the top toolbar.
3. Choose the Canvas tab.
4. Tap Canvas information.
5. Open the Dimensions section.

You'll see the DPI value alongside the canvas size in pixels and in physical units (such as inches or millimeters, depending on how the canvas was created).

If you're auditing a folder of old illustrations, you'll need to repeat this per file.

What the Dimensions screen actually tells you

The three numbers on that screen are linked by one relationship:

canvas size in inches × DPI = canvas size in pixels

Set any two and the third follows. A canvas that is 10 inches wide at 300 DPI is 3000 pixels wide. The same 3000 pixels at 132 DPI come out to roughly 22.7 inches wide.

This is why a Procreate canvas created from a preset can show a surprising DPI. Presets land anywhere from 132 to 400 DPI, and 132 is a common default. That number isn't a quality rating. It's just the density at which Procreate maps the pixels to a physical size.

DPI vs. pixel dimensions: the part people mix up

A 2000 × 2000 px canvas holds exactly the same pixels whether it's labeled 132 DPI or 300 DPI. Nothing is sharper or softer. DPI only tells a printer how many of those pixels to squeeze into each inch:

• Lower DPI: the same pixels spread over a larger printed area, so individual pixels are bigger and more visible.
• Higher DPI: the same pixels cover a smaller printed area, so the print looks denser and finer.

The exception is when you create a canvas using physical units. If you start with "A4 at 300 DPI," DPI directly determines how many pixels the canvas has. In that case the DPI you pick sets the canvas's pixel resolution from the start.

For this reason, the practical question is rarely "is my DPI high enough?" It's "do I have enough pixels for the size I need to output?"

Does DPI matter for motion design and video?

Mostly, no. Video and screen delivery are defined in pixels: 1920 × 1080, 3840 × 2160, a vertical 1080 × 1920, and so on. A 72, 132, or 300 DPI tag on a PNG exported from Procreate won't change how many pixels appear in your timeline. What you should check instead is the pixel width and height on the same Dimensions screen.

A few practical rules for artists bringing Procreate work into After Effects, Premiere Pro, Blender, Cinema 4D, or Nuke:

• Start from the delivery resolution. If the final comp is 3840 × 2160, build the canvas at that size or an even multiple of it so you can punch in and scale without softness.
• Leave room for camera moves. If you plan to push in, pan, or parallax a layered illustration, make the canvas larger than the frame. Work out the pixel size you need first, then see what DPI that produces.
• Don't trust the DPI tag for scaling. Some apps use DPI metadata when importing stills, which can make a layer land at an unexpected size in a comp. Check the layer scale after import rather than assuming it will arrive at 100%.
• Mind the layer limit. In Procreate, bigger pixel dimensions mean fewer available layers. A large canvas for a parallax scene may cap how finely you can separate elements, so plan your layer breakdown before you commit to a size.

If the same illustration will also be printed (a poster, a title card, a promo), you're back in print territory and DPI deserves attention again.

How to change DPI on an existing canvas

You can edit DPI after the fact. Go to Actions → Canvas → Crop & Resize → Settings. Older advice that says canvas DPI can't be changed after creation is outdated; this was added in Procreate 4.2.

Keep the following in mind when you do:

• Raising DPI while keeping the pixels the same shrinks the physical size. The same pixel grid now covers fewer inches.
• Lowering DPI makes the physical size larger, for the opposite reason.
• Changing pixel dimensions resamples the image. If you also change the pixel width and height, Procreate has to invent or discard pixels. Upscaling this way can't add real detail. It only interpolates from what exists, so some loss of crispness is likely.

If you only need a different DPI tag, leave the pixel dimensions alone and change the density. If the artwork was made at a smaller pixel size than your print needs, no DPI setting will create detail that isn't there. You'd need to redraw at a larger size or upscale with a method suited to the artwork.

Some artists fix the tag in another app, such as Photoshop or Affinity Photo, by turning resampling off and changing only the resolution value. That works for relabeling, but check that resampling is genuinely off; otherwise the app will resize the image to match the new DPI.

Choosing DPI before you start a print project

If there's any chance of printing, set DPI and physical size when you create the canvas. Reworking a large piece to a very different output later can be difficult. Rough guidance:

• 300 DPI is the usual standard for A4 pages and magazine-sized work.
• 300–600 DPI suits small pieces such as postcards, which get viewed up close.
• Much lower values are fine for large formats seen from a distance. A billboard can look cohesive at a small fraction of 300 DPI.
• Fabric generally tolerates lower DPI than paper because of the material's texture. Around 100 DPI can be enough.

When in doubt, higher is safer than lower, and a professional printer is the best source for exact requirements. Some artists also suggest converting to PDF rather than sending loose PNGs, since PNG is a stripped-down format that may not carry print-size information consistently.

If a publisher asks for 300 DPI and your canvas is tagged 132, first calculate the print size from your pixels. A 2048 × 2048 px canvas gives you about 6.8 inches square at 300 DPI. If that's large enough for the intended use, you may only need to update the tag, not redo anything.

Quick reference: reading your canvas numbers

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating 132 DPI as low quality. It's only a label until you print. Look at the pixels.
• Resampling by accident. Changing resolution in another app with resampling on will resize your image.
• Upscaling for print as a fix. Interpolation can't restore detail that was never drawn.
• Building a video canvas by physical size. For motion work, start from pixel dimensions and the final comp.
• Ignoring the layer limit. A large canvas reduces your available layers, so decide early how many you need.

Summary

Checking DPI in Procreate takes five taps: Actions → Canvas → Canvas information → Dimensions. Read it alongside the pixel dimensions, because pixels define the real resolution of your work. For print, set DPI and physical size at the start and confirm requirements with your printer. For video, comps, and animation, plan the canvas around your delivery resolution and leave headroom for camera moves, and treat DPI as a label that matters only if the piece is ever printed.