Fix Pixelated Drawing in Procreatein 5 Steps

Creating an artistic piece in Procreate, especially with the assistance of our Procreate brushes, is an extraordinary journey. Yet, sometimes, we encounter hurdles that challenge the quality of our work. A common issue is pixelation—those gritty, granular details that detract from the smoothness and precision of our line work, rendering our creations less polished and professional-looking than we’d like.

To combat this problem effectively and elevate the quality of your digital art, we’ve outlined a five-step strategy to fix pixelated drawings in Procreate.

_{^{Step 1: Reassess Your Canvas Size}}

Choosing the right canvas size is the cornerstone of preventing pixelation. If your artwork has become pixelated, it might be time to reconsider the dimensions and resolution of your canvas.

Start by creating a new canvas with higher dimensions and DPI (dots per inch). Procreate supports canvases up to 16k by 4k on certain iPad models, with DPI settings that can go up to 300 or more for print-quality work.

Remember, larger canvases allow more detail but consume more of your iPad’s memory resources. Find a balance that suits your project’s needs and your device’s capabilities.

_{^{Step 2: Upgrade Your Brushes}}

The choice of brush can dramatically affect the appearance of your art. If you’re facing pixelation, it’s possible that your brush settings are not optimized for your current project.

Explore Procreate’s vast library of brushes or consider downloading custom brushes that are specifically designed to minimize pixelation. Brushes with higher smoothness settings or those tailored for high-resolution canvases can make a significant difference.

Adjusting the settings of your current brushes can also help. Increase the streamline setting for smoother strokes and play with the opacity and flow settings for a more refined finish.

_{^{Step 3: Implement Advanced Techniques}}

Sometimes, overcoming pixelation requires delving deeper into Procreate’s toolkit. Using layers and blend modes strategically can enhance the quality of your artwork.

Experiment with different layering techniques, such as using separate layers for different elements of your drawing. This not only keeps your work organized but also allows for non-destructive editing, which can help maintain the quality of your work.

Blend modes can be particularly useful for smoothing out transitions and reducing the appearance of harsh, pixelated edges. Try various blend modes to see which one best suits
the effect you’re aiming for.

_{^{Step 4: Fine-Tune with Gaussian Blur}}

A touch of Gaussian Blur can work wonders on pixelated areas without sacrificing the integrity of your artwork. This tool softly blurs the edges, blending pixels together for a smoother appearance.

Apply Gaussian Blur sparingly, focusing on areas where pixelation is most noticeable. Adjust the blur radius carefully; a little goes a long way.

This technique is especially effective for backgrounds or areas that don’t require sharp detail, allowing the main subjects of your artwork to stand out with clearer, crisper lines.

_{^{Step 5: Optimize Export Settings}}

When you’re ready to share your masterpiece with the world, the final step is to ensure your export settings are optimized to preserve the quality of your work. Pixelation can sometimes occur during the export process if the settings are not correctly chosen.

Export your artwork in a high-resolution format, such as PNG or TIFF, to maintain the highest quality. Adjust the export options to match the intended use of your image, whether for digital viewing or high-quality printing.

Ensure that the DPI setting upon export matches your canvas’s DPI setting, to keep the clarity and detail of your artwork intact outside of Procreate.

Following these 5 steps, We are confident that the fix of pixelation in your drawings will disappear! Once again, adjusting the resolution of our canvas, as well as configuring our brush settings, is likely essential for addressing this issue. It’s very important that we adjust these options before starting our work, so it won’t be too late once we’ve made significant progress.

We hope for a successful resolution of this not-so-small problem, as well as your enjoyment in the creation process! Take a look at our large assortment of brushes to make creating your artistic piece even easier!

Your Brush Galaxy team!