To save a Procreate drawing to Photos, open the Gallery, swipe left on the artwork, tap Share, choose a format such as PNG, JPEG, TIFF, or PSD, wait for the export, then tap Save Image. If Save Image doesn't appear, the format is probably PDF or .procreate, the canvas is too large, or Procreate lacks permission to add to Photos (Settings → Apps → Procreate → Photos).

Save a single drawing to Photos (step by step)

The Gallery method is the most reliable, and it's the one Procreate's own help documentation leads with.

1. Open the Procreate Gallery.
2. Swipe left on the thumbnail of the artwork you want.
3. Tap Share.
4. Pick a format: PNG, JPEG, TIFF, or PSD for stills.
5. Wait for the export to finish.
6. Tap Save Image.

The first time you do this, iPadOS asks whether Procreate can access your photo library. Approve it. The image then lands in the Photos app alongside your other pictures.

If you're working in a canvas and don't want to go back to the Gallery, open Actions (the wrench icon), go to the Share tab, choose a format, and tap Save Image. The result is the same, but some users who hit problems in the canvas view found the Gallery route worked when the in-canvas route didn't. If one fails, try the other.

Choose the right format before you save

Photos accepts a limited set of formats from Procreate, and the format you pick decides what you can do with the file later. For motion and compositing work, that matters more than it does for sharing on social media.

• PNG: Lossless and keeps transparency. This is the safest default for anything headed to After Effects, Premiere Pro, Nuke, or a 3D package as a texture or plate.
• JPEG: Flattened and compressed. It's fine for quick previews, client approvals, or mobile sharing, but it has no alpha channel and adds compression artifacts, so don't use it as a source asset.
• TIFF: Large and a good option when you want maximum fidelity for print or archival work.
• PSD: Keeps your layers, which is useful if you plan to separate elements in Photoshop or bring layers into After Effects for parallax or animation.

PDF and native .procreate files can't be saved to Photos. For those, you'll need to use Save to Files. The same is true if the canvas's pixel resolution is too high for Photos to accept. In both cases, use Save to Files instead and pick a destination such as iCloud Drive, a local folder, or a connected drive.

Save multiple drawings or a Stack at once

You don't need to export artworks one by one.

To save a Stack: Swipe left on the Stack, tap Share, choose an image format, and once the export finishes tap Save (x) Images. Each canvas in the Stack is saved as its own image.

To save several canvases: Tap Select at the top of the Gallery, tap each canvas or Stack you want, tap Share, and choose a format. The same restrictions apply. PDF, .procreate, and over-resolution files can't go to Photos.

You can build a Stack by selecting canvases and tapping Stack, or by dragging one canvas onto another. For a project with a lot of boards, such as storyboard frames, style frames, or texture variations, grouping them first makes the batch export quick.

One quirk: if you share multiple artworks as a single PDF, each artwork becomes a separate page in one file. That's handy for client review but not for Photos.

Save a time-lapse or animation

Procreate also records time-lapse video of your drawing process, and you can save it to Photos too. In that case the button reads Save Video instead of Save Image. There's one exception: a 4K recording of a canvas larger than 3840 × 2160 pixels can't be saved to Photos.

If you're building an animation in Procreate, the in-canvas Share route is useful. Open Actions → Share and export so that each frame becomes its own file in a sequence. That's the starting point for bringing hand-drawn frames into After Effects or Nuke as an image sequence. Image sequences are generally easier to manage in a compositing pipeline than a flattened video, because you keep full per-frame quality and can re-time or re-render without recompressing.

Photos isn't ideal for large sequences, though. For frame sequences, Save to Files into a dedicated project folder keeps your numbering and file structure intact and makes it easier to move into a pipeline.

Drag and drop as an alternative

On iPad, you can also drag an artwork directly from the Gallery into another app, including Photos. This works for a single image and is handy when you're moving a drawing into a reference board, a notes app, or a file manager without opening the Share sheet. Treat it as a convenience for one-off transfers rather than a replacement for a controlled export.

Troubleshooting: Save Image isn't showing up

This is a common complaint, and the cause is usually one of a handful of things.

Check Photos permissions

Go to Settings → Apps → Procreate and look at the Photos setting at the top. If it's denied, Procreate can't write to your library. Setting it to Add Photos Only is enough for exporting. If you tapped the wrong option on the first prompt, this is where you correct it.

Check the format

If you picked PDF or Procreate, Save Image won't appear. Switch to PNG, JPEG, TIFF, or PSD. If you picked one of those and Save Image is still missing, the canvas resolution may be too high for Photos. Use Save to Files, or duplicate the canvas and export a resized version.

Check storage

Some users trace a missing Save Image option to low device storage. If your iPad is nearly full, clear space and try again.

Restart the app and the iPad

A plain restart (power off, power on) fixes a surprising number of cases. Close Procreate fully first. This is not a factory reset, and you shouldn't do one without verifying your backups. Procreate files live inside the app, so back them up before any drastic troubleshooting.

Check device restrictions

On managed or restricted devices, such as school or work iPads or those with parental controls, privacy settings can block apps from writing to Photos. Review the privacy and restriction settings for Photos and make sure changes are allowed.

Try the Gallery route

If the in-canvas Share panel doesn't work, swipe left on the Gallery thumbnail and use Share there.

Use a workaround

If nothing works, AirDrop the file to another device (a Mac, for example) and use it from there. It's a workaround rather than a fix, but it keeps you moving on a deadline.

Before you export: settings that matter for production

Saving to Photos is simple, but a few decisions before you export will save you headaches later.

• Canvas resolution: Set it for the final use. A drawing meant to be animated or composited at 4K should be created at a size that supports that, not enlarged afterward. Remember that very high resolutions may not be saveable to Photos at all.
• DPI: 300 DPI is the usual guidance for print. For video and motion work, pixel dimensions matter more than DPI.
• Transparency: If you need an alpha channel, export PNG (or PSD) and hide the background layer first. JPEG will flatten it.
• Color profile: Check the canvas color profile if color accuracy matters, and compare your export in your compositing app against the iPad. Color-managed pipelines may display it differently than Photos does.
• Naming and organization: For multi-frame or multi-asset projects, export to Files with deliberate names and folder structure.

Moving the drawing into your motion pipeline

Once the image is in Photos, getting it onto your workstation is straightforward. Depending on your setup, iCloud Photos can sync it to your other Apple devices. AirDrop is the quickest option for a few files, and a cable transfer or cloud drive works too. From there, import the PNG or PSD into your compositing or 3D app as you would any other asset.

A practical tip: export your Procreate artwork as PNG (or PSD, with a clean separated layer) at the highest resolution Procreate allows, and keep the original .procreate file backed up via Save to Files. The cleaner your source, the more reliably it works as a reference or keyframe.

Quick reference

Final notes

Saving a Procreate drawing to Photos takes only a few taps once you know where the option lives. Most failures come down to permissions, the wrong format, or an oversized canvas. Pick a format based on where the file is going next, keep a native backup of the original, and use Files rather than Photos for anything that needs careful organization, like frame sequences headed into After Effects or Nuke.

To save a Procreate drawing to Photos, open the Gallery, swipe left on the artwork, tap Share, choose a format such as PNG, JPEG, TIFF, or PSD, wait for the export, then tap Save Image. If Save Image doesn't appear, the format is probably PDF or .procreate, the canvas is too large, or Procreate lacks permission to add to Photos (Settings → Apps → Procreate → Photos).

Save a single drawing to Photos (step by step)

The Gallery method is the most reliable, and it's the one Procreate's own help documentation leads with.

1. Open the Procreate Gallery.
2. Swipe left on the thumbnail of the artwork you want.
3. Tap Share.
4. Pick a format: PNG, JPEG, TIFF, or PSD for stills.
5. Wait for the export to finish.
6. Tap Save Image.

The first time you do this, iPadOS asks whether Procreate can access your photo library. Approve it. The image then lands in the Photos app alongside your other pictures.

If you're working in a canvas and don't want to go back to the Gallery, open Actions (the wrench icon), go to the Share tab, choose a format, and tap Save Image. The result is the same, but some users who hit problems in the canvas view found the Gallery route worked when the in-canvas route didn't. If one fails, try the other.

Choose the right format before you save

Photos accepts a limited set of formats from Procreate, and the format you pick decides what you can do with the file later. For motion and compositing work, that matters more than it does for sharing on social media.

• PNG: Lossless and keeps transparency. This is the safest default for anything headed to After Effects, Premiere Pro, Nuke, or a 3D package as a texture or plate.
• JPEG: Flattened and compressed. It's fine for quick previews, client approvals, or mobile sharing, but it has no alpha channel and adds compression artifacts, so don't use it as a source asset.
• TIFF: Large and a good option when you want maximum fidelity for print or archival work.
• PSD: Keeps your layers, which is useful if you plan to separate elements in Photoshop or bring layers into After Effects for parallax or animation.

PDF and native .procreate files can't be saved to Photos. For those, you'll need to use Save to Files. The same is true if the canvas's pixel resolution is too high for Photos to accept. In both cases, use Save to Files instead and pick a destination such as iCloud Drive, a local folder, or a connected drive.

Save multiple drawings or a Stack at once

You don't need to export artworks one by one.

To save a Stack: Swipe left on the Stack, tap Share, choose an image format, and once the export finishes tap Save (x) Images. Each canvas in the Stack is saved as its own image.

To save several canvases: Tap Select at the top of the Gallery, tap each canvas or Stack you want, tap Share, and choose a format. The same restrictions apply. PDF, .procreate, and over-resolution files can't go to Photos.

You can build a Stack by selecting canvases and tapping Stack, or by dragging one canvas onto another. For a project with a lot of boards, such as storyboard frames, style frames, or texture variations, grouping them first makes the batch export quick.

One quirk: if you share multiple artworks as a single PDF, each artwork becomes a separate page in one file. That's handy for client review but not for Photos.

Save a time-lapse or animation

Procreate also records time-lapse video of your drawing process, and you can save it to Photos too. In that case the button reads Save Video instead of Save Image. There's one exception: a 4K recording of a canvas larger than 3840 × 2160 pixels can't be saved to Photos.

If you're building an animation in Procreate, the in-canvas Share route is useful. Open Actions → Share and export so that each frame becomes its own file in a sequence. That's the starting point for bringing hand-drawn frames into After Effects or Nuke as an image sequence. Image sequences are generally easier to manage in a compositing pipeline than a flattened video, because you keep full per-frame quality and can re-time or re-render without recompressing.

Photos isn't ideal for large sequences, though. For frame sequences, Save to Files into a dedicated project folder keeps your numbering and file structure intact and makes it easier to move into a pipeline.

Drag and drop as an alternative

On iPad, you can also drag an artwork directly from the Gallery into another app, including Photos. This works for a single image and is handy when you're moving a drawing into a reference board, a notes app, or a file manager without opening the Share sheet. Treat it as a convenience for one-off transfers rather than a replacement for a controlled export.

Troubleshooting: Save Image isn't showing up

This is a common complaint, and the cause is usually one of a handful of things.

Check Photos permissions

Go to Settings → Apps → Procreate and look at the Photos setting at the top. If it's denied, Procreate can't write to your library. Setting it to Add Photos Only is enough for exporting. If you tapped the wrong option on the first prompt, this is where you correct it.

Check the format

If you picked PDF or Procreate, Save Image won't appear. Switch to PNG, JPEG, TIFF, or PSD. If you picked one of those and Save Image is still missing, the canvas resolution may be too high for Photos. Use Save to Files, or duplicate the canvas and export a resized version.

Check storage

Some users trace a missing Save Image option to low device storage. If your iPad is nearly full, clear space and try again.

Restart the app and the iPad

A plain restart (power off, power on) fixes a surprising number of cases. Close Procreate fully first. This is not a factory reset, and you shouldn't do one without verifying your backups. Procreate files live inside the app, so back them up before any drastic troubleshooting.

Check device restrictions

On managed or restricted devices, such as school or work iPads or those with parental controls, privacy settings can block apps from writing to Photos. Review the privacy and restriction settings for Photos and make sure changes are allowed.

Try the Gallery route

If the in-canvas Share panel doesn't work, swipe left on the Gallery thumbnail and use Share there.

Use a workaround

If nothing works, AirDrop the file to another device (a Mac, for example) and use it from there. It's a workaround rather than a fix, but it keeps you moving on a deadline.

Before you export: settings that matter for production

Saving to Photos is simple, but a few decisions before you export will save you headaches later.

• Canvas resolution: Set it for the final use. A drawing meant to be animated or composited at 4K should be created at a size that supports that, not enlarged afterward. Remember that very high resolutions may not be saveable to Photos at all.
• DPI: 300 DPI is the usual guidance for print. For video and motion work, pixel dimensions matter more than DPI.
• Transparency: If you need an alpha channel, export PNG (or PSD) and hide the background layer first. JPEG will flatten it.
• Color profile: Check the canvas color profile if color accuracy matters, and compare your export in your compositing app against the iPad. Color-managed pipelines may display it differently than Photos does.
• Naming and organization: For multi-frame or multi-asset projects, export to Files with deliberate names and folder structure.

Moving the drawing into your motion pipeline

Once the image is in Photos, getting it onto your workstation is straightforward. Depending on your setup, iCloud Photos can sync it to your other Apple devices. AirDrop is the quickest option for a few files, and a cable transfer or cloud drive works too. From there, import the PNG or PSD into your compositing or 3D app as you would any other asset.

A practical tip: export your Procreate artwork as PNG (or PSD, with a clean separated layer) at the highest resolution Procreate allows, and keep the original .procreate file backed up via Save to Files. The cleaner your source, the more reliably it works as a reference or keyframe.

Quick reference

Final notes

Saving a Procreate drawing to Photos takes only a few taps once you know where the option lives. Most failures come down to permissions, the wrong format, or an oversized canvas. Pick a format based on where the file is going next, keep a native backup of the original, and use Files rather than Photos for anything that needs careful organization, like frame sequences headed into After Effects or Nuke.