To combine two layers in Procreate, place them directly next to each other, tap the top layer's thumbnail, and choose Merge Down. You can also pinch the two layers together with two fingers. The merged layer takes the blend mode of the bottom layer, so check blend modes first if the result looks different. Merging can only be reversed with Undo, so duplicate the layers first if you want to keep the originals.

Method 1: Merge Down

Merge Down is the most reliable way to combine two layers, and it works the same whether you're merging line art onto color or folding a shading layer into a base.

1. Open the Layers panel with the two-squares icon in the upper right of the canvas.
2. Drag the layers so they sit directly next to each other. Procreate merges adjacent layers only. To move a layer, press and hold until it lifts slightly, then drag it.
3. Tap the thumbnail of the top layer to open its menu.
4. Choose Merge Down.

The two layers become one. The merged layer keeps the blend mode of the lower layer, which matters for how the result looks (covered below).

Method 2: Pinch to merge

The gesture is faster once you're used to it, and it scales to any number of layers.

1. Make sure the layers you want to combine are stacked next to each other.
2. Place one fingertip on the top layer and another on the bottom layer of the set.
3. Pinch your fingers together, then release.

The layers collapse into one. With exactly two layers, the result is the same as Merge Down. The gesture is better when you're combining a handful of layers at once, such as several sketch passes.

Pinching is also the easier way to make a mistake. An imprecise pinch can pull in a layer you didn't intend to merge, so check the stack before you lift your fingers. If something goes wrong, Undo is your only way back.

Combining layers that aren't adjacent

If the two layers you want to merge have other layers between them, you have a few options:

• Reorder first. Press and hold a layer, then drag it next to its partner. This is the simplest option, but only if the stacking order doesn't matter to the artwork.
• Select multiple layers. Swipe each layer you want to include to the right so it turns blue. Selected layers can be moved together or put into a group.
• Group, then merge the group. Putting layers into a group keeps the stack organized, and you can merge the group's contents later once you're sure the artwork is final.

If reordering would change the visual result, because a layer in the middle overlaps or interacts with both of them, you may need to merge the full range, or duplicate the layers and merge the copies.

Why merged layers sometimes look different

The most common complaint about merging in Procreate isn't how to do it. It's that the artwork changes afterward. This almost always comes down to blend modes.

Blend modes affect everything underneath them. When you merge, the result is a single layer with one blend mode, which is the mode of the bottom layer. Consider an Overlay layer sitting on a Multiply layer. Separately, each interacts with the layers below it. A single layer can't be both Overlay and Multiply, so the merged version will not match the stack.

A related issue is the background. Procreate's background color layer is not merged into your artwork. If your layers looked right only because of the white background beneath them, hiding that background will show you how the merged layer will look, because that is what you'll get.

How to merge without changing the look

Before merging layers with non-Normal blend modes:

1. Hide the background layer and look at the artwork. If it looks different from before, the merged layer will look that way too.
2. Put a solid base under the stack. For a character, for instance, create a solid shape in the character's silhouette on the bottom layer. One way is to select the area outside the shape with an automatic selection, invert the selection, and fill it. The blend-mode layers then have something solid to react to.
3. Set the bottom layer to Normal. This is the mode the merged result inherits, so Normal with a solid base gives you the most predictable outcome.
4. Merge, then compare. Toggle the result against a duplicate of the original stack, if you made one.

This works well for cleanly defined subjects. It's less practical for loose, painterly work with no clear silhouette, where a solid base layer would be awkward. In that case, consider whether you really need to merge. Keeping the layers separate, or grouping them, preserves the look exactly.

Some artists with this problem export a PSD and merge in Photoshop instead. That's a valid workaround, though it adds a round trip, and behavior may not match what you'd get inside Procreate.

Merge onto a new layer while keeping the originals

Procreate's merge is destructive. The original layers are replaced by the merged result. If you want a combined copy plus the separate layers, you have two options.

Duplicate before merging

Duplicate the layers, then merge the duplicates. This is the safest approach for anything important. Duplicating the layers costs nothing but a little panel space, and you can hide or delete the copies later.

Merge, copy, undo, paste

There's a trick that gets the same result without duplicating first:

1. Pinch the layers together to merge them.
2. Swipe on the merged layer and choose Copy (Layer Options also has a Copy command).
3. Tap Undo to restore the separate layers.
4. Open the Actions (wrench) menu and choose Insert Image from Clipboard.

You end up with the originals and a new merged layer on top. Two cautions apply. Hidden layers are not included in the merged copy, so make them visible first if you need them in it. And because the process relies on Undo, an interruption mid-operation, like an app crash or a call, could leave you unable to undo. If the file matters, duplicate the whole artwork in the gallery and merge in the copy. You can always insert the merged result into the original multilayer file later.

Grouping as an alternative to merging

Often what artists need is tidiness rather than a single flattened layer. Groups give you that without losing editability:

1. Swipe right on each layer you want to include so they turn blue.
2. Tap Group.
3. To undo the grouping, drag the layers back out of the group.

Groups let you hide, move, and reorder a set of layers as one object while keeping each layer editable. For handoff to a motion pipeline, this is often better than a flatten, because the person doing the animation can still separate elements.

Merging does have good reasons. Procreate limits how many layers a canvas can hold, depending on canvas size and resolution, so merging frees capacity. If a drawing is finished, merging can also reduce file size. When you merge for capacity during a work in progress, merge layers whose content doesn't overlap, so you're less likely to want to edit them separately later.

Useful layer options to know

A few Layer Options commands pair well with merging. Tap a layer once to select it, then tap again to open the menu:

• Rename lets you label merged layers so you can find them later.
• Select loads the layer's contents as a selection, based on its alpha, which helps when you need to build a base shape.
• Fill Layer fills the layer with the current color. With Alpha Lock on, it colors only existing artwork and leaves transparent areas alone, which is useful for making a flat silhouette.
• Alpha Lock restricts painting to areas that already have content, so you can add shading to a merged layer without painting outside the lines.

Troubleshooting

• Merge Down isn't available. Check whether the layer is at the bottom of the stack, or whether it's a background layer, which can't be merged.
• The merged layer looks wrong. Check the bottom layer's blend mode and the interaction with the background, as described above. Undo and try the solid base approach.
• I merged by accident. Undo right away. Once you leave the project, you can't go back and undo earlier actions.
• A layer disappeared from the merge. Hidden layers aren't included in merges, so make sure everything you want combined is visible.

Taking merged Procreate art into a motion pipeline

If you're a motion designer or animator, Procreate is often where a frame, a character, or a texture begins, not where it ends. Deciding what to merge is partly a question of what the next tool needs. Keep elements that will be animated on separate layers or groups and export them that way. Merge the layers that will always move as one object, like a base painting with its shading.

Whatever happens downstream, a clean merge upstream helps. Settle your blend modes, flatten only what you've decided is final, and keep an unmerged copy of the source file for revisions.

Quick reference

Merging is simple mechanically. The care goes into the blend modes, the background, and making a safe copy before you commit.

To combine two layers in Procreate, place them directly next to each other, tap the top layer's thumbnail, and choose Merge Down. You can also pinch the two layers together with two fingers. The merged layer takes the blend mode of the bottom layer, so check blend modes first if the result looks different. Merging can only be reversed with Undo, so duplicate the layers first if you want to keep the originals.

Method 1: Merge Down

Merge Down is the most reliable way to combine two layers, and it works the same whether you're merging line art onto color or folding a shading layer into a base.

1. Open the Layers panel with the two-squares icon in the upper right of the canvas.
2. Drag the layers so they sit directly next to each other. Procreate merges adjacent layers only. To move a layer, press and hold until it lifts slightly, then drag it.
3. Tap the thumbnail of the top layer to open its menu.
4. Choose Merge Down.

The two layers become one. The merged layer keeps the blend mode of the lower layer, which matters for how the result looks (covered below).

Method 2: Pinch to merge

The gesture is faster once you're used to it, and it scales to any number of layers.

1. Make sure the layers you want to combine are stacked next to each other.
2. Place one fingertip on the top layer and another on the bottom layer of the set.
3. Pinch your fingers together, then release.

The layers collapse into one. With exactly two layers, the result is the same as Merge Down. The gesture is better when you're combining a handful of layers at once, such as several sketch passes.

Pinching is also the easier way to make a mistake. An imprecise pinch can pull in a layer you didn't intend to merge, so check the stack before you lift your fingers. If something goes wrong, Undo is your only way back.

Combining layers that aren't adjacent

If the two layers you want to merge have other layers between them, you have a few options:

• Reorder first. Press and hold a layer, then drag it next to its partner. This is the simplest option, but only if the stacking order doesn't matter to the artwork.
• Select multiple layers. Swipe each layer you want to include to the right so it turns blue. Selected layers can be moved together or put into a group.
• Group, then merge the group. Putting layers into a group keeps the stack organized, and you can merge the group's contents later once you're sure the artwork is final.

If reordering would change the visual result, because a layer in the middle overlaps or interacts with both of them, you may need to merge the full range, or duplicate the layers and merge the copies.

Why merged layers sometimes look different

The most common complaint about merging in Procreate isn't how to do it. It's that the artwork changes afterward. This almost always comes down to blend modes.

Blend modes affect everything underneath them. When you merge, the result is a single layer with one blend mode, which is the mode of the bottom layer. Consider an Overlay layer sitting on a Multiply layer. Separately, each interacts with the layers below it. A single layer can't be both Overlay and Multiply, so the merged version will not match the stack.

A related issue is the background. Procreate's background color layer is not merged into your artwork. If your layers looked right only because of the white background beneath them, hiding that background will show you how the merged layer will look, because that is what you'll get.

How to merge without changing the look

Before merging layers with non-Normal blend modes:

1. Hide the background layer and look at the artwork. If it looks different from before, the merged layer will look that way too.
2. Put a solid base under the stack. For a character, for instance, create a solid shape in the character's silhouette on the bottom layer. One way is to select the area outside the shape with an automatic selection, invert the selection, and fill it. The blend-mode layers then have something solid to react to.
3. Set the bottom layer to Normal. This is the mode the merged result inherits, so Normal with a solid base gives you the most predictable outcome.
4. Merge, then compare. Toggle the result against a duplicate of the original stack, if you made one.

This works well for cleanly defined subjects. It's less practical for loose, painterly work with no clear silhouette, where a solid base layer would be awkward. In that case, consider whether you really need to merge. Keeping the layers separate, or grouping them, preserves the look exactly.

Some artists with this problem export a PSD and merge in Photoshop instead. That's a valid workaround, though it adds a round trip, and behavior may not match what you'd get inside Procreate.

Merge onto a new layer while keeping the originals

Procreate's merge is destructive. The original layers are replaced by the merged result. If you want a combined copy plus the separate layers, you have two options.

Duplicate before merging

Duplicate the layers, then merge the duplicates. This is the safest approach for anything important. Duplicating the layers costs nothing but a little panel space, and you can hide or delete the copies later.

Merge, copy, undo, paste

There's a trick that gets the same result without duplicating first:

1. Pinch the layers together to merge them.
2. Swipe on the merged layer and choose Copy (Layer Options also has a Copy command).
3. Tap Undo to restore the separate layers.
4. Open the Actions (wrench) menu and choose Insert Image from Clipboard.

You end up with the originals and a new merged layer on top. Two cautions apply. Hidden layers are not included in the merged copy, so make them visible first if you need them in it. And because the process relies on Undo, an interruption mid-operation, like an app crash or a call, could leave you unable to undo. If the file matters, duplicate the whole artwork in the gallery and merge in the copy. You can always insert the merged result into the original multilayer file later.

Grouping as an alternative to merging

Often what artists need is tidiness rather than a single flattened layer. Groups give you that without losing editability:

1. Swipe right on each layer you want to include so they turn blue.
2. Tap Group.
3. To undo the grouping, drag the layers back out of the group.

Groups let you hide, move, and reorder a set of layers as one object while keeping each layer editable. For handoff to a motion pipeline, this is often better than a flatten, because the person doing the animation can still separate elements.

Merging does have good reasons. Procreate limits how many layers a canvas can hold, depending on canvas size and resolution, so merging frees capacity. If a drawing is finished, merging can also reduce file size. When you merge for capacity during a work in progress, merge layers whose content doesn't overlap, so you're less likely to want to edit them separately later.

Useful layer options to know

A few Layer Options commands pair well with merging. Tap a layer once to select it, then tap again to open the menu:

• Rename lets you label merged layers so you can find them later.
• Select loads the layer's contents as a selection, based on its alpha, which helps when you need to build a base shape.
• Fill Layer fills the layer with the current color. With Alpha Lock on, it colors only existing artwork and leaves transparent areas alone, which is useful for making a flat silhouette.
• Alpha Lock restricts painting to areas that already have content, so you can add shading to a merged layer without painting outside the lines.

Troubleshooting

• Merge Down isn't available. Check whether the layer is at the bottom of the stack, or whether it's a background layer, which can't be merged.
• The merged layer looks wrong. Check the bottom layer's blend mode and the interaction with the background, as described above. Undo and try the solid base approach.
• I merged by accident. Undo right away. Once you leave the project, you can't go back and undo earlier actions.
• A layer disappeared from the merge. Hidden layers aren't included in merges, so make sure everything you want combined is visible.

Taking merged Procreate art into a motion pipeline

If you're a motion designer or animator, Procreate is often where a frame, a character, or a texture begins, not where it ends. Deciding what to merge is partly a question of what the next tool needs. Keep elements that will be animated on separate layers or groups and export them that way. Merge the layers that will always move as one object, like a base painting with its shading.

Whatever happens downstream, a clean merge upstream helps. Settle your blend modes, flatten only what you've decided is final, and keep an unmerged copy of the source file for revisions.

Quick reference

Merging is simple mechanically. The care goes into the blend modes, the background, and making a safe copy before you commit.