Why Are Your Procreate Brushes So Pixelated?

In traditional art, you can get crisp lines with every stroke of your brush. However, with technology advancing and all things becoming digital, traditional art is a thing of the past. Digital art is now a go-to for artists. However, digital drawing platforms such as Procreate tend to have learning curves. One example would be your Procreate brushes creating pixelated lines.

There are a couple of reasons why your Procreate brushes may be pixelated:

Canvas size
Canvas DPI
Use of the zoom feature
Use of the move tool
Brush version
Brush type

To learn why these things may cause your Procreate brushes to be pixelated and how to prevent it from happening, keep reading.

» MORE: Do Professional Artists and Designers Use Procreate?

Why Your Procreate Brushes Are So Pixelated

Procreate brushes are a very useful tool for any digital artist. However, when you’re hard at work on a piece of art, it can be frustrating to find that your brushes are looking pixelated.

Your Procreate brushes may be looking pixelated due to the canvas size or DPI. Other reasons could include the size of your brush, the type of brush you’re using, or how far you’re zoomed in. However, other factors could be contributing as well.

1. Canvas Size

If your canvas size is too small, your Procreate brushes can appear pixelated. The reason for this is because, as the canvas size changes, the dimensions of the pixels that make up the canvas will also change.

For example, if your canvas is small and has large pixels, your lines will come out pixelated, as opposed to a large canvas with small pixels, in which your lines will look crisper.

Additionally, social media platforms like Instagram and graphic design template websites like Placeit have specific dimensions required for uploading or designing your art. If your art piece is not the right dimensions or size ratio, it can stretch it upon uploading, making it look pixelated.

To fix your Procreate brushes from looking pixelated due to the canvas size, you’ll need to change the size of the canvas. Let’s get into more detail on this below.

How to Create a New Canvas In a Larger Size

Here’s how to change your canvas size when creating a new canvas in Procreate:

Go to the Procreate app’s home page
Click the + in the top right corner
On the top right corner of the dropdown menu, click the file icon with a + on it
Enter the desired canvas width in the width box
Enter the desired canvas width in the height box
Click Create

But, what if you have a piece that you’re currently working on and want to change the canvas size to prevent it from being blurry once you’re finished? Keep reading to find out how to fix this.

How to Change the Size of an Already Created Canvas

Here’s how to change your canvas size when it has already been created in Procreate:

Click the canvas you want to change the size of from your Gallery
Click on the wrench tool in the top left corner
Click Crop & Resize
Click Settings
Select the first box and enter the desired width
Select the second box and enter the desired height
Click Done

Do be cautious when using the crop and resize feature on Procreate, as existing art will appear much larger or much smaller after you make changes to the canvas’ size. If you’re afraid that doing this will mess up your piece in any way, duplicate the file before changing the canvas size so you can go back to the original file in case things don’t work out.

2. Canvas DPI

The canvas DPI (dots per inch) of your canvas is how many pixels there are in your canvas. Many beginning digital artists or new users of Procreate may not know the importance of DPI in their art pieces.

According to the Procreate Handbook, more pixels means more capacity for detail in your art piece, and higher-quality printing. So, when your Procreate brush strokes appear pixelated, it might be because the canvas has too low of a DPI.

To fix your Procreate brushes from looking pixelated due to the canvas DPI, you’ll need to change the DPI size of the canvas. Let’s get into more detail on this below.

How to Create a New Canvas with a Larger DPI Size

Here’s how to change your DPI size when creating a canvas in Procreate:

Go to the Procreate app’s home page
Click the + in the top right corner
On the top right corner of the dropdown menu, click the file icon with a + on it
Enter the desired DPI size in the DPI box
Click Create

See below to find out how to change the DPI of your art piece if the canvas has already been created.

How to Change the DPI Size of an Already Created Canvas

Here’s how to change your canvas DPI size when it has already been created in Procreate:

Click the canvas you want to change the DPI size of from your Gallery
Click on the wrench tool in the top left corner
Click Crop & Resize
Click Settings
Select the third box and enter the desired DPI size
Click Done

Just like in changing the size of the canvas itself, you should proceed with caution when changing the DPI size of your canvas to prevent any existing art.

3. Use of the Zoom Feature

Your Procreate canvas is made up of hundreds of tiny pixels. Zooming into your canvas causes these pixels to blow up in size. If you’re drawing on a too-far zoomed in canvas, the lines you make with your Procreate brushes may be pixelated since these pixels are bigger and therefore more noticeable.

To fix the pixilation in your lines, just pinch the screen and drag your fingers inward to zoom out. When you see the canvas from farther away, the pixels are less noticeable, and your lines will appear crisper.

4. Use of the Move Tool

When you have a current project open in Procreate, you should see the toolbar at the top left of your screen. The icon that resembles a mouse cursor is the move tool. When selected, it highlights the entire selected layer and you are able to move it across the canvas, resize it, and rotate it.

Unfortunately, resizing and rotating your layers can cause them to look pixelated because, in doing this, you are changing the pixels that make up the lines.

One way to fix this would be to go over the area you moved in a separate layer using the exact process you used before editing it.

5. Brush Version

As of the Procreate 4.2 update, major changes to the brush functions were made. One of these changes was the way the taper feature behaves, according to ProcreateFolio.

A lot of Procreate users who utilized brushes before this update have noticed that the new taper behavior can sometimes make lines look more pixelated.

To fix this, you can download the Procreate 4.1 brushes. However, the other upgrades made to the brushes in the 4.2 update will not be included.

6. Brush Type

Procreate provides you with many default brushes upon downloading the app to your iPad. Each brush is unique in its own way. For example, some brushes are smooth, while others are grainy.

If you used a grainy or textured Procreate brush on your canvas, the lines may appear pixelated because it is integrated in the brush’s design to look this way.

To fix this, just avoid using brushes that have texture to them in the future and stick to smooth, fine-line brushes.

» MORE: Procreate Fill Tool Leaves Line? [How to Fix It]

What Canvas Size & DPI Should I Use In Procreate?

Here are the recommended canvas sizes, in pixels, and DPI you should use depending on where you’ll be uploading your art to:

Facebook (Cover image): 851 x 315 or 640 x 360 with 72 DPI
Facebook (Profile picture): 170 x 170 or 36 x 36 with 72 DPI
Facebook (Post image): 720, 960, or 2048 wide with 72 DPI
Instagram (Landscape): 1080 x 566 with 72 DPI
Instagram (Portrait): 1080 x 1350 with 72 DPI
Instagram (Profile picture): 360 x 360 with 72 DPI
Placeit (Poster): 3300 x 5100, 2400 x 7200, or 7200 × 10800 with 300 DPI
Placeit (Business cards): 1050 x 600 with 300 DPI

Now you know the best size and DPI sizes to use for wherever you’ll be uploading your Procreate art to prevent any pixilation.

Conclusion

There are a few reasons why your Procreate brushes might be appearing pixelated, but each reason has an easy solution. However, remember to proceed cautiously with certain solutions so as not to ruin your art.