Introducing Non-Destructive Editing in Procreate

Introducing Non-Destructive Editing in Procreate

What started as a tweet…

…became a project.

This project began as a simple question: why doesn’t Procreate support adjustment layers? What started as a tweet evolved into a deeper exploration of how creators manage non-destructive editing in professional workflows.

Project Overview

Procreate is widely used for sketching, inking, and painting—but breaks down during final image refinement. Professional artists often leave the app to perform color grading and tonal adjustments in tools like Photoshop or Affinity Photo.

This happens because adjustments in Procreate are destructive and tied to individual layers, forcing users into workarounds like duplicating layers or flattening work mid-process.

The result: disrupted creative flow, increased risk, and unnecessary friction in workflows that are often time-sensitive.

Solution Strategy

To support non-destructive editing while preserving Procreate’s performance and simplicity, the solution introduces adjustment layers as a lightweight, flexible system within the existing layer stack.

Adjustments live alongside standard layers and affect all layers beneath them, enabling global edits without permanently altering original artwork. Controls are designed to remain contextual and “fly open,” allowing quick iteration without interrupting the canvas experience.

Performance considerations were also addressed—users can temporarily reduce frame rate during previews, ensuring responsiveness while maintaining Procreate’s high-performance standards.

Results

This solution extends Procreate’s capabilities without compromising its core experience. By introducing non-destructive adjustment layers, artists can complete more of their workflow within a single tool reducing reliance on external software and minimizing disruptive workarounds.

More importantly, it preserves creative momentum. Artists can experiment freely, make iterative changes, and refine their work without risking permanent edits. Thus bringing Procreate closer to a complete, professional-grade workflow tool.

Research & Insights

To understand how professional artists manage non-destructive editing, I conducted interviews, comparative analysis, and task-based usability testing with illustrators who regularly move between Procreate and desktop tools.

The core issue wasn’t the absence of a specific feature it was workflow disruption.

  • Artists rely on adjustment layers as a global control system, expecting them to affect all layers beneath which is consistent with tools like Photoshop.

  • Performance is critical, but users are willing to accept temporary, intentional tradeoffs as long as they remain visible and controlled.

  • Hidden or gesture-based performance changes reduce confidence, especially during high-stakes moments like export.

Key Insights

Artists frequently leave Procreate to perform adjustments in tools like Photoshop breaking creative flow and introducing risk mid-process. When adjustments are made, users expect them to behave as global controls rather than being tied to individual layers.

This highlights a gap in Procreate’s workflow: users need a way to apply non-destructive changes without interrupting their process, while maintaining visibility and control over performance.

These insights directly informed the design of a lightweight, non-destructive adjustment system within Procreate.

How might Procreate enable non-destructive, global adjustments without compromising its signature 120fps performance or overwhelming its broad user base?

Personas

After conducting interviews and based on the key demographics summary we were able to create our User Personas to find our ideal candidate.

Ryan Hoover

Ryan is a children’s book illustrator who creates work for publishers

Kid’s Lit Illustrator

Age: 42

Occupation: Illustrator

Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Background:

Ryan is a children’s book illustrator who creates work for publishers like Scholastic and Penguin Random House. He has one published children’s book and is currently developing his next title. Ryan relies heavily on Procreate for sketching, inking, and coloring, but his workflow is often interrupted when he has to move his artwork into Photoshop to finalize adjustments.

Switching between tools breaks his creative momentum, adds unnecessary steps to his process, and slows down production, especially when working under tight publishing deadlines. Ryan values efficiency, consistency, and tools that allow him to stay focused on storytelling rather than technical workarounds.

Needs & Goals

Make final color, lighting, and tonal adjustments directly within Procreate

Maintain creative flow without switching between multiple programs

Streamline his illustration process to meet publishing deadlines efficiently

Frustrations & Pain Points

Having to export files to Photoshop for basic adjustments
Losing momentum when switching between different software
Extra steps that slow down production and complicate revisions

Ryan Hoover

Kid’s Lit Illustrator

Age: 42

Occupation: Illustrator

Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Background:

Ryan is a children’s book illustrator who creates work for publishers like Scholastic and Penguin Random House. He has one published children’s book and is currently developing his next title. Ryan relies heavily on Procreate for sketching, inking, and coloring, but his workflow is often interrupted when he has to move his artwork into Photoshop to finalize adjustments.

Switching between tools breaks his creative momentum, adds unnecessary steps to his process, and slows down production, especially when working under tight publishing deadlines. Ryan values efficiency, consistency, and tools that allow him to stay focused on storytelling rather than technical workarounds.

Needs & Goals

Make final color, lighting, and tonal adjustments directly within Procreate

Maintain creative flow without switching between multiple programs

Streamline his illustration process to meet publishing deadlines efficiently

Frustrations & Pain Points

Having to export files to Photoshop for basic adjustments
Losing momentum when switching between different software
Extra steps that slow down production and complicate revisions

Mac Lewis

Mac is a concept artist working in the video game and board game industry.

The Concept Artist

Age: 37

Occupation: Concept Artist

Location: Boston, MA

Background:

Mac is a concept artist working in the video game and board game industry. She has created hundreds of character, environment, and prop illustrations throughout her career, supporting both early-worldbuilding and final production needs.

Mac relies heavily on Procreate for sketching, inking, and coloring, but her workflow is often disrupted when she has to move her artwork into Photoshop to finalize adjustments. Once her concepts reach the refinement stage, she also needs more control over performance, especially when working with complex layers and effects. While Procreate’s 120 fps is great for sketching, Mac would prefer the ability to toggle frame rates during adjustment-heavy work to maintain responsiveness and efficiency.

Needs & Goals

Make final visual adjustments directly within Procreate
Control performance by toggling frame rates when working with complex files
Maintain speed and momentum during rapid concept iterations

Frustrations & Pain Points

Having to export artwork to Photoshop for basic adjustments
Performance slowdowns during adjustment-heavy workflows
Lack of control over frame-rate behavior when refining complex illustrations

Mac Lewis

The Concept Artist

Age: 37

Occupation: Concept Artist

Location: Boston, MA

Background:

Mac is a concept artist working in the video game and board game industry. She has created hundreds of character, environment, and prop illustrations throughout her career, supporting both early-worldbuilding and final production needs.

Mac relies heavily on Procreate for sketching, inking, and coloring, but her workflow is often disrupted when she has to move her artwork into Photoshop to finalize adjustments. Once her concepts reach the refinement stage, she also needs more control over performance, especially when working with complex layers and effects. While Procreate’s 120 fps is great for sketching, Mac would prefer the ability to toggle frame rates during adjustment-heavy work to maintain responsiveness and efficiency.

Needs & Goals

Make final visual adjustments directly within Procreate
Control performance by toggling frame rates when working with complex files
Maintain speed and momentum during rapid concept iterations

Frustrations & Pain Points

Having to export artwork to Photoshop for basic adjustments
Performance slowdowns during adjustment-heavy workflows
Lack of control over frame-rate behavior when refining complex illustrations

Flow Design & Task Simplification

The flow defines how adjustment layers integrate into Procreate’s layer system, allowing artists to apply non-destructive edits without disrupting their workflow. By gating performance intensive actions behind explicit user intent, the experience maintains responsiveness while giving users clear control reducing friction during both creation and final refinement.

Wireframes

I iterated on the design from early wireframes to final UI, refining layout, interactions, and hierarchy to better support how artists work. Each iteration focused on reducing friction, improving clarity, and keeping adjustments fast and unobtrusive within the creative flow.

Results & Impact

Usability testing validated the effectiveness of the solution—users were able to successfully add and edit adjustment layers with 100% task completion, demonstrating clarity in both interaction and system behavior.

Participants showed strong confidence in the non-destructive model, and feedback indicated a clear reduction in perceived workflow disruption allowing artists to stay focused without relying on external tools.

Testing also revealed areas for refinement. When performance controls were hidden, users experienced confusion, leading to iterations that made these controls more visible and contextually integrated within the adjustment workflow.

Together, these results demonstrate how a lightweight, non-destructive system can extend Procreate’s capabilities without compromising its speed or simplicity. By reframing adjustment layers as a controlled, temporary state, the solution balances performance with flexibility allowing artists to experiment freely while maintaining confidence in their work.

Ultimately, it enables creators to stay where the work happens inside Procreate without sacrificing control, clarity, or creative momentum.

Shadrachs Coffee

Relay

Relay