The simplest way to combine Procreate files is to copy layers from one canvas and paste them into another. Open the source file, tap a layer twice and choose Copy (or use Copy All for the whole canvas), then open your base file and paste. For a flattened result, merge first, then insert the merged image into the other project. If the combined art is headed for After Effects or another compositor, export the finished file with its layers intact rather than flattening it.

Before You Combine: Pick a Base Canvas

Procreate has no "merge projects" command, so every method below is a form of copy and paste. Spending a minute on setup prevents most of the problems later.

• Choose one file as the base. Pick the one with more layers. Layers have to be moved one at a time if you want them kept separate, so the base should be the file you'd otherwise have to rebuild.
• Or start from a blank canvas. This is the better choice if the final size differs from both sources, such as a 16:9 frame for a video comp.
• Keep canvas sizes close. Pasting into a canvas with very different dimensions or DPI means constant scaling, and scaling raster layers up softens them.
• Duplicate before you merge. Duplicate the project in the Gallery and work on the copy. Merges and clipboard operations are the riskiest steps, and a crash or interruption mid-operation can leave you without a clean undo.

Method 1: Copy and Paste Individual Layers

Use this when you want to keep layers separate so you can rearrange or edit them in the combined file.

1. Open the source project.
2. In the Layers panel, tap the layer once to select it, then tap it again to open Layer Options.
3. Tap Copy.
4. Return to the Gallery and open the base project.
5. Three-finger swipe down to open the Copy & Paste menu and tap Paste.

Each paste arrives as a new layer, which you can reposition, scale, and rename with the Transform tool. Naming matters here. Default names such as "Layer 14" become meaningless once two files share one stack, so rename as you paste.

This method is tedious for files with many layers. If you only need a few elements from the source, it's still the cleanest option, because you take exactly what you need and nothing else.

Method 2: Copy the Whole Canvas

If you don't care about preserving the source file's layer structure, copy everything at once.

1. Open the source project.
2. Three-finger swipe down and choose Copy All (or Copy Canvas).
3. Open the destination project.
4. Paste.

This places the source artwork into the destination as a single new layer. It's quick and well suited to reference sheets, backgrounds, and any asset you'll never need to take apart.

The tradeoff is permanence. Once it's one flattened layer, you can't adjust the elements inside it.

Method 3: Merge, Copy, Undo, Insert

Sometimes you want a single combined layer and still want your originals intact. A well-known workaround handles this inside one file:

1. Pinch the layers you want together to merge them.
2. Swipe on the merged layer and tap Copy.
3. Tap Undo to restore the separate layers.
4. Tap the Wrench icon and choose Insert Image from Clipboard (or paste).

You now have the original layers plus a merged version on its own layer. Layers that were hidden at merge time aren't included in the merged copy, though they return when you undo.

This is "high stakes" in the sense that you're relying on undo. Duplicate the layers first, or duplicate the whole project in the Gallery and merge in the duplicate, then insert the merged result into your real file later.

Method 4: The Gallery Drag-and-Drop Workaround

Procreate has no official feature to drop one project onto another and create a new layer. Users have found a workaround using Gallery stacks and drag gestures:

1. Hold the target project with your Apple Pencil until it lifts.
2. With a finger, tap the second project so both gather under the Pencil tip.
3. With a finger, tap the target project to open it.
4. Open Layers and drop the image in.

It works, but it isn't polished. You may end up with an extra copy of the original canvas in the layer stack, and it doesn't feel like intended behavior, so treat it as a shortcut for quick jobs. Don't rely on it for production files, and check the layer stack afterward.

Combining Procreate Art for After Effects and Other Compositors

For motion work, you usually aren't finishing in Procreate. Combining files is a prep step, so think about what the downstream tool needs.

Export layered when you'll animate. If you've combined art from several projects, keeping every element on its own layer preserves your options for parallax, rigging, or per-layer effects.

Clean up before export:

• Rename every layer. Duplicated names across merged files cause confusion in the AE timeline.
• Group related elements, and flatten only what you'll never animate separately.
• Keep a consistent canvas size, ideally matching your comp resolution.
• Check blend modes. Procreate's blend modes and clipping masks can look different after import, so verify the comp against a flattened PNG export of the same artwork.
• Hide or delete stray reference layers so they don't end up in the timeline.

Export flattened when you need a reference. A PNG or JPEG of the combined art is useful as a comparison frame inside After Effects, Nuke, or Premiere Pro, so you can see whether the imported layers match what you designed.

Think in frames, not files. If your Procreate work is part of an animation, keep one consistent naming scheme and export in sequence order. A clear convention such as shot010_bg_v003 saves time during import in After Effects, Blender, or Nuke.

Where Styleframe Fits After You've Combined Your Art

Once your combined Procreate art is a clean set of stills, the next job is often turning them into moving, polished footage. Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool you can use at that stage.

A practical workflow looks like this: combine and clean the art in Procreate, export the layers you need, generate motion variants in Styleframe from those stills, then bring the results into your compositor for final grading and integration.

Common Problems and Fixes

Pasted art lands off-center or at the wrong scale. Use Transform to reposition and scale it. If you'll repeat this often, match canvas sizes between projects from the start.

Quality drops after pasting. Scaling up raster layers softens them. Keep canvases at similar resolutions, and avoid enlarging pasted layers beyond their native size.

Layers are missing after paste. Hidden layers aren't included in merged results. Make them visible first.

Blending looks different in the new file. Blend modes and opacity are layer settings, so re-check them after pasting, especially for clipped or masked layers.

Too many layers to copy one by one. Use Copy All if you don't need separate layers.

Quick FAQ

Can you merge two Procreate projects directly? Not through a dedicated command. You copy layers or the whole canvas from one project and paste into another.

Can you combine files and keep layers? Yes. Copy each layer individually and paste it into the base file. Copy All gives you a single flattened layer.

What's the safest way to merge? Duplicate the project in the Gallery, merge in the duplicate, and insert the result into your main file.

What's the best format for taking combined art into After Effects? A layered export if you plan to animate elements separately, plus a flattened PNG as a visual reference.

Combining Procreate files comes down to a clean base canvas, deliberate copy and paste, and a tidy export. Get those right and the rest of your pipeline, whether Premiere Pro, Blender, After Effects, or Nuke, can pick up the work without cleanup.

The simplest way to combine Procreate files is to copy layers from one canvas and paste them into another. Open the source file, tap a layer twice and choose Copy (or use Copy All for the whole canvas), then open your base file and paste. For a flattened result, merge first, then insert the merged image into the other project. If the combined art is headed for After Effects or another compositor, export the finished file with its layers intact rather than flattening it.

Before You Combine: Pick a Base Canvas

Procreate has no "merge projects" command, so every method below is a form of copy and paste. Spending a minute on setup prevents most of the problems later.

• Choose one file as the base. Pick the one with more layers. Layers have to be moved one at a time if you want them kept separate, so the base should be the file you'd otherwise have to rebuild.
• Or start from a blank canvas. This is the better choice if the final size differs from both sources, such as a 16:9 frame for a video comp.
• Keep canvas sizes close. Pasting into a canvas with very different dimensions or DPI means constant scaling, and scaling raster layers up softens them.
• Duplicate before you merge. Duplicate the project in the Gallery and work on the copy. Merges and clipboard operations are the riskiest steps, and a crash or interruption mid-operation can leave you without a clean undo.

Method 1: Copy and Paste Individual Layers

Use this when you want to keep layers separate so you can rearrange or edit them in the combined file.

1. Open the source project.
2. In the Layers panel, tap the layer once to select it, then tap it again to open Layer Options.
3. Tap Copy.
4. Return to the Gallery and open the base project.
5. Three-finger swipe down to open the Copy & Paste menu and tap Paste.

Each paste arrives as a new layer, which you can reposition, scale, and rename with the Transform tool. Naming matters here. Default names such as "Layer 14" become meaningless once two files share one stack, so rename as you paste.

This method is tedious for files with many layers. If you only need a few elements from the source, it's still the cleanest option, because you take exactly what you need and nothing else.

Method 2: Copy the Whole Canvas

If you don't care about preserving the source file's layer structure, copy everything at once.

1. Open the source project.
2. Three-finger swipe down and choose Copy All (or Copy Canvas).
3. Open the destination project.
4. Paste.

This places the source artwork into the destination as a single new layer. It's quick and well suited to reference sheets, backgrounds, and any asset you'll never need to take apart.

The tradeoff is permanence. Once it's one flattened layer, you can't adjust the elements inside it.

Method 3: Merge, Copy, Undo, Insert

Sometimes you want a single combined layer and still want your originals intact. A well-known workaround handles this inside one file:

1. Pinch the layers you want together to merge them.
2. Swipe on the merged layer and tap Copy.
3. Tap Undo to restore the separate layers.
4. Tap the Wrench icon and choose Insert Image from Clipboard (or paste).

You now have the original layers plus a merged version on its own layer. Layers that were hidden at merge time aren't included in the merged copy, though they return when you undo.

This is "high stakes" in the sense that you're relying on undo. Duplicate the layers first, or duplicate the whole project in the Gallery and merge in the duplicate, then insert the merged result into your real file later.

Method 4: The Gallery Drag-and-Drop Workaround

Procreate has no official feature to drop one project onto another and create a new layer. Users have found a workaround using Gallery stacks and drag gestures:

1. Hold the target project with your Apple Pencil until it lifts.
2. With a finger, tap the second project so both gather under the Pencil tip.
3. With a finger, tap the target project to open it.
4. Open Layers and drop the image in.

It works, but it isn't polished. You may end up with an extra copy of the original canvas in the layer stack, and it doesn't feel like intended behavior, so treat it as a shortcut for quick jobs. Don't rely on it for production files, and check the layer stack afterward.

Combining Procreate Art for After Effects and Other Compositors

For motion work, you usually aren't finishing in Procreate. Combining files is a prep step, so think about what the downstream tool needs.

Export layered when you'll animate. If you've combined art from several projects, keeping every element on its own layer preserves your options for parallax, rigging, or per-layer effects.

Clean up before export:

• Rename every layer. Duplicated names across merged files cause confusion in the AE timeline.
• Group related elements, and flatten only what you'll never animate separately.
• Keep a consistent canvas size, ideally matching your comp resolution.
• Check blend modes. Procreate's blend modes and clipping masks can look different after import, so verify the comp against a flattened PNG export of the same artwork.
• Hide or delete stray reference layers so they don't end up in the timeline.

Export flattened when you need a reference. A PNG or JPEG of the combined art is useful as a comparison frame inside After Effects, Nuke, or Premiere Pro, so you can see whether the imported layers match what you designed.

Think in frames, not files. If your Procreate work is part of an animation, keep one consistent naming scheme and export in sequence order. A clear convention such as shot010_bg_v003 saves time during import in After Effects, Blender, or Nuke.

Where Styleframe Fits After You've Combined Your Art

Once your combined Procreate art is a clean set of stills, the next job is often turning them into moving, polished footage. Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool you can use at that stage.

A practical workflow looks like this: combine and clean the art in Procreate, export the layers you need, generate motion variants in Styleframe from those stills, then bring the results into your compositor for final grading and integration.

Common Problems and Fixes

Pasted art lands off-center or at the wrong scale. Use Transform to reposition and scale it. If you'll repeat this often, match canvas sizes between projects from the start.

Quality drops after pasting. Scaling up raster layers softens them. Keep canvases at similar resolutions, and avoid enlarging pasted layers beyond their native size.

Layers are missing after paste. Hidden layers aren't included in merged results. Make them visible first.

Blending looks different in the new file. Blend modes and opacity are layer settings, so re-check them after pasting, especially for clipped or masked layers.

Too many layers to copy one by one. Use Copy All if you don't need separate layers.

Quick FAQ

Can you merge two Procreate projects directly? Not through a dedicated command. You copy layers or the whole canvas from one project and paste into another.

Can you combine files and keep layers? Yes. Copy each layer individually and paste it into the base file. Copy All gives you a single flattened layer.

What's the safest way to merge? Duplicate the project in the Gallery, merge in the duplicate, and insert the result into your main file.

What's the best format for taking combined art into After Effects? A layered export if you plan to animate elements separately, plus a flattened PNG as a visual reference.

Combining Procreate files comes down to a clean base canvas, deliberate copy and paste, and a tidy export. Get those right and the rest of your pipeline, whether Premiere Pro, Blender, After Effects, or Nuke, can pick up the work without cleanup.