Color is one of the most expressive parts of any artwork — and Procreate gives you powerful, intuitive tools to help you control it. From picking colors to blending and managing palettes, here’s everything a beginner needs to know about working with color in Procreate.
The Color Panel
Tap the Color Wheel in the top right corner of your canvas to open the Color Panel. You can choose from several viewing modes:
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Disc: A circular color wheel for intuitive picking.
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Classic: Sliders for hue, saturation, and brightness.
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Harmony: Helps you find complementary or analogous color schemes.
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Value: Lets you enter exact color codes (hex, RGB, or HSB).
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Palettes: Save and organize custom color sets.
Choosing and Saving Colors
When you find a color you like:
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Tap and hold one of the color swatches (at the top of the panel) to save it.
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Or, tap the Palettes tab and add it to a custom palette.
You can also drag a color from the swatch and drop it onto the canvas to fill a shape (make sure it’s closed, or the fill will spill out).
Using the Eyedropper Tool
To grab a color directly from your canvas:
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Touch and hold anywhere on the screen to activate the Eyedropper.
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The color under your finger will show up in the active swatch.
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Lift your finger to select it.
You can also tap the square between the sliders on the left sidebar and select “Eyedropper” from the menu.
ColorDrop Threshold
When using drag-and-drop color fills, you can adjust the fill sensitivity (called the threshold):
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After dragging the color onto a shape, keep your finger down.
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Slide left or right to adjust how far the fill spreads — this helps with gaps or thin outlines.
Color Palettes
To manage palettes:
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Go to the Palettes tab in the Color Panel.
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Tap + to create a new one.
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Tap and hold any color in a palette to rearrange or delete it.
You can also import palettes from files or photos — great for using references or keeping a consistent aesthetic.
Getting a handle on Procreate’s color tools can really elevate your digital art. Whether you're exploring color theory with the Harmony tab or just dragging swatches onto your canvas, it all becomes second nature quickly. In the next post, we’ll dive into the Layer Blend Modes and Effects to help you add lighting, shadows, and mood to your work.
