To color an imported picture in Procreate, bring it in with Actions (wrench) > Add > Insert a photo, then paint on a new layer placed beneath the line art so the lines stay visible. If the image has a white background, change its layer blend mode (for example, to Darker Color) so the color layer underneath shows through. For photos you want to recolor rather than paint over, use Adjustments (Hue/Saturation/Brightness, Color Balance, Curves).

The right method depends on what you imported: line art, a scanned sketch, or a photograph. The sections below cover each case, then how to get the colored result into a motion pipeline.

Step 1: Import the Picture Into Your Canvas

Open or create a canvas, then tap the wrench icon to open Actions. Go to Add and choose one of three options:

• Insert a file for images saved in Files, iCloud, or a synced folder.
• Insert a photo for images in your Photos library.
• Take a photo to capture a physical sketch with the iPad camera.

The image arrives as its own layer with the Transform tool active. Set the transform mode to Uniform so you don't distort the proportions, then drag to position it. Tapping Fit to Canvas scales it to match the canvas.

Two preparation tips save time later:

• Match the canvas to your delivery size. If the colored image is heading into After Effects, create the canvas at your comp's resolution, or a clean multiple of it, before importing. Resizing afterward softens line work.
• Convert PDFs first. Make sure the page is in an image format rather than a PDF, so export it as PNG or JPG. A transparent PNG is ideal for line art.

Step 2: Identify What You Imported

Open the Layers panel and look at your imported layer to see whether the background is transparent or a solid white fill. A photo or scan has full-frame color or tonal information. Each case has a different workflow.

Coloring Line Art With a Transparent Background

This is the simplest case.

1. In the Layers panel, tap + to add a new layer.
2. Drag the new layer below the line art layer.
3. Pick a brush and a color, then paint on the new layer.

Because the line art sits above your paint, your strokes can't cover the lines. Painting directly on the line art layer is the most common beginner mistake: every stroke covers part of the line.

For cleaner results, split the work across several layers: one for flat base colors, one for shadows, one for highlights. Keep each element on its own layer so you can adjust it independently later.

Coloring Line Art With a White Background

If you paint on a layer below white-background line art, you won't see anything, because the white pixels are opaque and cover your paint.

The fix is a blend mode:

1. Tap the N next to the line art layer.
2. Change the blend mode to Darker Color.

This lets your color layer beneath show through the white background.

Coloring a Scanned or Photographed Sketch

Pencil sketches photographed on paper carry gray paper tone and uneven lighting. Clean them up before coloring:

1. Select the sketch layer and open Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness. Drag Saturation to zero to remove color casts.
2. Open Adjustments > Curves. Drag the point at the top right of the graph leftward until the paper turns white.
3. Change the layer's blend mode so the paper drops out, and paint on layers underneath.
4. Erase any remaining smudges at the edges with a soft eraser.

Good lighting when you take the photo makes this far easier. Even, diffuse light with no shadow across the page reduces how much cleanup you need.

Recoloring a Photo or Painted Image

When the imported picture already has color, select the layer and open the Adjustments menu:

• Hue, Saturation, Brightness for quick global changes.
• Color Balance to push shadows, midtones, or highlights toward specific hues. Midtones give the most even result.
• Curves for tone and color control, with a histogram to guide you.
• Recolor to change the color of parts of your image.

For anything you might revise, duplicate the layer first so you keep the original.

Practical Tips for Better Results

• Block in color first. Establish big shapes and a rough palette before refining. It's easier to correct a base than to fix details painted on a weak foundation.
• Use a fill for the background. Add a layer under everything and fill it with a color other than white. White backgrounds make colors look different than they will against a real scene.
• Name and group layers. If the file is going to a compositor, grouping by element (character, props, background) pays off later.
• Check values in grayscale. A quick Hue/Saturation desaturation on a flattened copy shows whether your colors separate properly.
• Work at full resolution. Zoomed-in painting on a low-resolution canvas leaves visible pixels once the image is scaled in a video comp.

Exporting Your Colored Image for Motion Work

When the color pass is done, export your file in a format your compositing software accepts. A layered format is the best option if you plan to animate elements separately, while a flattened format is simpler for a single element or flat reference.

Hide the paper-colored background layer before exporting if you want transparency, and confirm that blend-mode layers still look correct after flattening, since some blend modes don't translate perfectly between apps.

Where Styleframe Fits After the Procreate Color Pass

A colored Procreate image is often a starting point rather than a final. If you want to take it further into motion work, Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool you can explore for that stage.

Quick Troubleshooting

• Paint doesn't show under the line art: the line art has a white background. Change its blend mode.
• Fills leak outside shapes: close gaps in the lines.
• Colors look different after export: check the canvas color profile and match it to your target comp's color space.
• The imported image looks soft: the source resolution is too low for the canvas. Re-import a larger file, or scale down to fit rather than up.
• Lines look jagged: import at a higher resolution than your final delivery size so downscaling smooths the edges.

Coloring an imported image in Procreate comes down to separating the picture from the paint: keep the source on its own layer, control it with a blend mode, and do the coloring on layers you can edit freely. Once you work that way, the same file adapts cleanly whether it ends as a print, a still, or the first frame of a motion sequence.

To color an imported picture in Procreate, bring it in with Actions (wrench) > Add > Insert a photo, then paint on a new layer placed beneath the line art so the lines stay visible. If the image has a white background, change its layer blend mode (for example, to Darker Color) so the color layer underneath shows through. For photos you want to recolor rather than paint over, use Adjustments (Hue/Saturation/Brightness, Color Balance, Curves).

The right method depends on what you imported: line art, a scanned sketch, or a photograph. The sections below cover each case, then how to get the colored result into a motion pipeline.

Step 1: Import the Picture Into Your Canvas

Open or create a canvas, then tap the wrench icon to open Actions. Go to Add and choose one of three options:

• Insert a file for images saved in Files, iCloud, or a synced folder.
• Insert a photo for images in your Photos library.
• Take a photo to capture a physical sketch with the iPad camera.

The image arrives as its own layer with the Transform tool active. Set the transform mode to Uniform so you don't distort the proportions, then drag to position it. Tapping Fit to Canvas scales it to match the canvas.

Two preparation tips save time later:

• Match the canvas to your delivery size. If the colored image is heading into After Effects, create the canvas at your comp's resolution, or a clean multiple of it, before importing. Resizing afterward softens line work.
• Convert PDFs first. Make sure the page is in an image format rather than a PDF, so export it as PNG or JPG. A transparent PNG is ideal for line art.

Step 2: Identify What You Imported

Open the Layers panel and look at your imported layer to see whether the background is transparent or a solid white fill. A photo or scan has full-frame color or tonal information. Each case has a different workflow.

Coloring Line Art With a Transparent Background

This is the simplest case.

1. In the Layers panel, tap + to add a new layer.
2. Drag the new layer below the line art layer.
3. Pick a brush and a color, then paint on the new layer.

Because the line art sits above your paint, your strokes can't cover the lines. Painting directly on the line art layer is the most common beginner mistake: every stroke covers part of the line.

For cleaner results, split the work across several layers: one for flat base colors, one for shadows, one for highlights. Keep each element on its own layer so you can adjust it independently later.

Coloring Line Art With a White Background

If you paint on a layer below white-background line art, you won't see anything, because the white pixels are opaque and cover your paint.

The fix is a blend mode:

1. Tap the N next to the line art layer.
2. Change the blend mode to Darker Color.

This lets your color layer beneath show through the white background.

Coloring a Scanned or Photographed Sketch

Pencil sketches photographed on paper carry gray paper tone and uneven lighting. Clean them up before coloring:

1. Select the sketch layer and open Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness. Drag Saturation to zero to remove color casts.
2. Open Adjustments > Curves. Drag the point at the top right of the graph leftward until the paper turns white.
3. Change the layer's blend mode so the paper drops out, and paint on layers underneath.
4. Erase any remaining smudges at the edges with a soft eraser.

Good lighting when you take the photo makes this far easier. Even, diffuse light with no shadow across the page reduces how much cleanup you need.

Recoloring a Photo or Painted Image

When the imported picture already has color, select the layer and open the Adjustments menu:

• Hue, Saturation, Brightness for quick global changes.
• Color Balance to push shadows, midtones, or highlights toward specific hues. Midtones give the most even result.
• Curves for tone and color control, with a histogram to guide you.
• Recolor to change the color of parts of your image.

For anything you might revise, duplicate the layer first so you keep the original.

Practical Tips for Better Results

• Block in color first. Establish big shapes and a rough palette before refining. It's easier to correct a base than to fix details painted on a weak foundation.
• Use a fill for the background. Add a layer under everything and fill it with a color other than white. White backgrounds make colors look different than they will against a real scene.
• Name and group layers. If the file is going to a compositor, grouping by element (character, props, background) pays off later.
• Check values in grayscale. A quick Hue/Saturation desaturation on a flattened copy shows whether your colors separate properly.
• Work at full resolution. Zoomed-in painting on a low-resolution canvas leaves visible pixels once the image is scaled in a video comp.

Exporting Your Colored Image for Motion Work

When the color pass is done, export your file in a format your compositing software accepts. A layered format is the best option if you plan to animate elements separately, while a flattened format is simpler for a single element or flat reference.

Hide the paper-colored background layer before exporting if you want transparency, and confirm that blend-mode layers still look correct after flattening, since some blend modes don't translate perfectly between apps.

Where Styleframe Fits After the Procreate Color Pass

A colored Procreate image is often a starting point rather than a final. If you want to take it further into motion work, Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool you can explore for that stage.

Quick Troubleshooting

• Paint doesn't show under the line art: the line art has a white background. Change its blend mode.
• Fills leak outside shapes: close gaps in the lines.
• Colors look different after export: check the canvas color profile and match it to your target comp's color space.
• The imported image looks soft: the source resolution is too low for the canvas. Re-import a larger file, or scale down to fit rather than up.
• Lines look jagged: import at a higher resolution than your final delivery size so downscaling smooths the edges.

Coloring an imported image in Procreate comes down to separating the picture from the paint: keep the source on its own layer, control it with a blend mode, and do the coloring on layers you can edit freely. Once you work that way, the same file adapts cleanly whether it ends as a print, a still, or the first frame of a motion sequence.