To color the background in Procreate, open the Layers panel, tap the Background color layer at the bottom, and pick a new color. For a background that sits behind existing linework, add a new layer beneath your art and fill it with ColorDrop or Fill Layer. If the lines have gaps or the color leaks, set the linework layer as Reference first so the fill respects its edges.

Three ways to color a background in Procreate

Which method to use depends on what you need afterward. A flat color for a quick sketch needs very little. A background that has to survive editing, export with transparency, or travel into After Effects needs a bit more structure.

Method 1: Change the Background color layer

This is the fastest route and the one most people want.

1. Tap the Layers icon (two overlapping squares) in the top right.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap the Background color layer.
3. Choose a color from the picker that opens, using the disc, classic, harmony, value, or palettes tab.
4. Close the picker.

The Background color layer is not a regular layer. It can't be painted on, erased, or given blend modes. It exists only as a canvas backdrop, which is why it's useful for previewing and awkward for anything more complex.

Its biggest advantage is the visibility checkbox. Untick it and the canvas becomes transparent, which is what you need when exporting a PNG with alpha for use in a video project.

Method 2: Fill a separate background layer

For anything you'll revisit, use a real layer. You can recolor it later, add texture, apply adjustments, or swap it out entirely without touching the art.

Using Fill Layer

1. Tap + in the Layers panel to create a new layer.
2. Drag it below your artwork layers.
3. Pick your color in the top-right color disc.
4. Tap the new layer to open its menu and choose Fill Layer.

The entire layer fills with the active color. If you change your mind, repeat with another color, or turn on Alpha Lock and fill again.

Using ColorDrop

1. Select the background layer.
2. Drag the color from the top-right circle and drop it onto the canvas.
3. Hold your finger in place after dropping. A ColorFill Threshold bar appears at the top.
4. Slide left or right to control how far the fill spreads into similar-colored areas.

On an empty layer, ColorDrop will fill the whole layer. It becomes more selective when the layer under the cursor contains art, which brings us to the problem most artists actually run into.

Method 3: Color behind linework with Reference

A common complaint is that dropping color behind line drawings fills the line interiors too, or that the fill ignores your outlines because they sit on a different layer from the empty one you're filling. ColorDrop only sees the layer you're working on unless you tell it otherwise. That's where Reference comes in.

1. Tap the linework layer and choose Reference from its menu.
2. Create a new empty layer beneath the linework.
3. Drag your color onto the area you want filled. ColorDrop now reads the edges from the reference layer while painting onto the empty layer.
4. Adjust the threshold by holding after the drop.
5. Turn Reference off on the linework layer when finished.

Fixing common problems

• The fill leaks everywhere. Your outlines likely have gaps. Zoom in and close them with a hard round brush, or raise the threshold only slightly. A small gap anywhere in a shape is enough to let color escape.
• Light halos around the lines. Anti-aliased edges don't fully fill. Increase the threshold a touch, or use a slightly larger fill and let the linework layer sit on top.
• Some shapes should stay uncolored. Use separate layers per shape. Fill the shapes you want colored, and leave the others empty so the base background shows through, or fill them white.
• The brush won't go opaque. Not every brush builds to full opacity. For hand-filling gaps, use a brush with solid coverage, such as Monoline in the Calligraphy set, so the background doesn't show through.

Constraining color to a shape with Select

If you need color to stay inside a specific silhouette:

1. Select the silhouette layer and tap it again to open the menu, then choose Select.
2. Create a new layer between the silhouette and the background.
3. Paint freely. Your strokes stay inside the selection.

Because the color lives on its own layer, mistakes are easy to erase without damaging the line art. Clipping Mask achieves a similar result. Tap the new layer, choose Clipping Mask, and it will only show where the layer beneath has pixels.

Making a gradient or textured background

A flat color is rarely the final answer in motion work. A few quick options:

• Gradient Map. On a background layer, open Adjustments (the magic wand) and choose Gradient Map. It remaps the layer's tones to a gradient you define. Fill the layer with a grayscale ramp or noise, then map it to your palette.
• Hand-painted gradient. Fill the layer, then use a soft airbrush on a clipped layer above it to push light and shadow.
• Texture overlays. Place a paper or grain texture above the color fill and set its blend mode to Multiply or Overlay.
• Color adjustments. Use Hue, Saturation, Brightness, or Color Balance on the background layer alone, so the artwork doesn't shift with it.

Keeping these on separate layers pays off later when a client asks for a different palette.

Exporting a colored background for video work

Most of the confusion for motion designers comes at export, not at fill time.

Choose the right canvas settings before you start

• Color profile. Colors can look different between apps. Check your canvas color profile and make sure it suits your video project's working color space, or your imported blues and reds may look different in After Effects.
• Dimensions and DPI. Make the canvas match your composition, for example 3840×2160 for UHD.

Export for After Effects

• PNG with transparency. Hide the Background color layer and export PNG. Everything you've painted stays, and the empty areas remain transparent.
• PSD. Export a layered PSD to keep your background fill, linework, and color layers separate.
• Flattened JPEG or PNG. Best for reference, quick previews, or a locked-in plate.

If you want the background color as an editable layer, use a real filled layer instead (Method 2). Alternatively, skip the fill and add a Solid in After Effects behind your transparent PNG. Often the cleanest choice, because you can change it without going back to Procreate.

Quick troubleshooting checklist

• Can't paint on the Background color? It isn't a normal layer. Create a new layer and fill it instead.
• Export has an unexpected solid color? Untick the Background color visibility before exporting PNG.
• Color looks different in After Effects? Check the canvas color profile and your project's working color space.
• ColorDrop fills the wrong area? Check which layer is selected, whether Reference is set on the right layer, and whether there are gaps in your lines.
• Background layer is stuck behind everything? That's intended. Use a regular layer if you need to reorder or blend it.
• Edges look jagged after filling? Fill slightly beyond the line, then let the line layer cover the seam.

Summary

For a fast result, tap the Background color layer and choose a color. For anything you'll edit, build the background on its own layer with Fill Layer or ColorDrop, use Reference to respect linework, and keep it separate so you can restyle later. When the art heads to After Effects, export with a transparent background or a layered PSD, mind your color profile, and keep the background flexible so it can change in the comp without a round trip.

To color the background in Procreate, open the Layers panel, tap the Background color layer at the bottom, and pick a new color. For a background that sits behind existing linework, add a new layer beneath your art and fill it with ColorDrop or Fill Layer. If the lines have gaps or the color leaks, set the linework layer as Reference first so the fill respects its edges.

Three ways to color a background in Procreate

Which method to use depends on what you need afterward. A flat color for a quick sketch needs very little. A background that has to survive editing, export with transparency, or travel into After Effects needs a bit more structure.

Method 1: Change the Background color layer

This is the fastest route and the one most people want.

1. Tap the Layers icon (two overlapping squares) in the top right.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap the Background color layer.
3. Choose a color from the picker that opens, using the disc, classic, harmony, value, or palettes tab.
4. Close the picker.

The Background color layer is not a regular layer. It can't be painted on, erased, or given blend modes. It exists only as a canvas backdrop, which is why it's useful for previewing and awkward for anything more complex.

Its biggest advantage is the visibility checkbox. Untick it and the canvas becomes transparent, which is what you need when exporting a PNG with alpha for use in a video project.

Method 2: Fill a separate background layer

For anything you'll revisit, use a real layer. You can recolor it later, add texture, apply adjustments, or swap it out entirely without touching the art.

Using Fill Layer

1. Tap + in the Layers panel to create a new layer.
2. Drag it below your artwork layers.
3. Pick your color in the top-right color disc.
4. Tap the new layer to open its menu and choose Fill Layer.

The entire layer fills with the active color. If you change your mind, repeat with another color, or turn on Alpha Lock and fill again.

Using ColorDrop

1. Select the background layer.
2. Drag the color from the top-right circle and drop it onto the canvas.
3. Hold your finger in place after dropping. A ColorFill Threshold bar appears at the top.
4. Slide left or right to control how far the fill spreads into similar-colored areas.

On an empty layer, ColorDrop will fill the whole layer. It becomes more selective when the layer under the cursor contains art, which brings us to the problem most artists actually run into.

Method 3: Color behind linework with Reference

A common complaint is that dropping color behind line drawings fills the line interiors too, or that the fill ignores your outlines because they sit on a different layer from the empty one you're filling. ColorDrop only sees the layer you're working on unless you tell it otherwise. That's where Reference comes in.

1. Tap the linework layer and choose Reference from its menu.
2. Create a new empty layer beneath the linework.
3. Drag your color onto the area you want filled. ColorDrop now reads the edges from the reference layer while painting onto the empty layer.
4. Adjust the threshold by holding after the drop.
5. Turn Reference off on the linework layer when finished.

Fixing common problems

• The fill leaks everywhere. Your outlines likely have gaps. Zoom in and close them with a hard round brush, or raise the threshold only slightly. A small gap anywhere in a shape is enough to let color escape.
• Light halos around the lines. Anti-aliased edges don't fully fill. Increase the threshold a touch, or use a slightly larger fill and let the linework layer sit on top.
• Some shapes should stay uncolored. Use separate layers per shape. Fill the shapes you want colored, and leave the others empty so the base background shows through, or fill them white.
• The brush won't go opaque. Not every brush builds to full opacity. For hand-filling gaps, use a brush with solid coverage, such as Monoline in the Calligraphy set, so the background doesn't show through.

Constraining color to a shape with Select

If you need color to stay inside a specific silhouette:

1. Select the silhouette layer and tap it again to open the menu, then choose Select.
2. Create a new layer between the silhouette and the background.
3. Paint freely. Your strokes stay inside the selection.

Because the color lives on its own layer, mistakes are easy to erase without damaging the line art. Clipping Mask achieves a similar result. Tap the new layer, choose Clipping Mask, and it will only show where the layer beneath has pixels.

Making a gradient or textured background

A flat color is rarely the final answer in motion work. A few quick options:

• Gradient Map. On a background layer, open Adjustments (the magic wand) and choose Gradient Map. It remaps the layer's tones to a gradient you define. Fill the layer with a grayscale ramp or noise, then map it to your palette.
• Hand-painted gradient. Fill the layer, then use a soft airbrush on a clipped layer above it to push light and shadow.
• Texture overlays. Place a paper or grain texture above the color fill and set its blend mode to Multiply or Overlay.
• Color adjustments. Use Hue, Saturation, Brightness, or Color Balance on the background layer alone, so the artwork doesn't shift with it.

Keeping these on separate layers pays off later when a client asks for a different palette.

Exporting a colored background for video work

Most of the confusion for motion designers comes at export, not at fill time.

Choose the right canvas settings before you start

• Color profile. Colors can look different between apps. Check your canvas color profile and make sure it suits your video project's working color space, or your imported blues and reds may look different in After Effects.
• Dimensions and DPI. Make the canvas match your composition, for example 3840×2160 for UHD.

Export for After Effects

• PNG with transparency. Hide the Background color layer and export PNG. Everything you've painted stays, and the empty areas remain transparent.
• PSD. Export a layered PSD to keep your background fill, linework, and color layers separate.
• Flattened JPEG or PNG. Best for reference, quick previews, or a locked-in plate.

If you want the background color as an editable layer, use a real filled layer instead (Method 2). Alternatively, skip the fill and add a Solid in After Effects behind your transparent PNG. Often the cleanest choice, because you can change it without going back to Procreate.

Quick troubleshooting checklist

• Can't paint on the Background color? It isn't a normal layer. Create a new layer and fill it instead.
• Export has an unexpected solid color? Untick the Background color visibility before exporting PNG.
• Color looks different in After Effects? Check the canvas color profile and your project's working color space.
• ColorDrop fills the wrong area? Check which layer is selected, whether Reference is set on the right layer, and whether there are gaps in your lines.
• Background layer is stuck behind everything? That's intended. Use a regular layer if you need to reorder or blend it.
• Edges look jagged after filling? Fill slightly beyond the line, then let the line layer cover the seam.

Summary

For a fast result, tap the Background color layer and choose a color. For anything you'll edit, build the background on its own layer with Fill Layer or ColorDrop, use Reference to respect linework, and keep it separate so you can restyle later. When the art heads to After Effects, export with a transparent background or a layered PSD, mind your color profile, and keep the background flexible so it can change in the comp without a round trip.