- How to Create a Linear Gradient Using Gaussian Blur
- How to Create a Repeating Linear Gradient Using Gaussian Blur
- How to Create Radial Gradient Using the Selections Feather Tool
- How to Create a Repeating Radial Gradient in Procreate Using Gaussian Blur
- How to Create Ombre in Procreate Using Motion Blur
- How to Create a Gradient Using Perspective Blur
- How to Use Procreate Gradient Map
- You Learned How to Do Gradients in Procreate!
- Where You Can Apply a Gradient
- More Procreate Tutorials for Your Creative Skills
What is the gradient tool in Procreate? Does Procreate have a special tool, or do you need to know a particular trick to create beautiful gradients?
In this tutorial, you'll learn everything about how to do gradients in Procreate. There are a few possibilities, and we will look closely into each of them. I'll show you different ways to create beautiful gradient transitions in Procreate. Take your Procreate knowledge to the next level, and invest in yourself!
Do you need professional Procreate assets for your projects? If you're a graphic designer or just love to create new digital art every day, Envato Elements is the best place for your creative mind! This subscription-based marketplace offers unlimited downloads of premium digital assets for a flat monthly fee. You can download as many Procreate add-ons, brushes and more, just like the one above.
What You'll Learn in This Procreate Gradient Tutorial
- How to create a linear gradient
- How to create a repeating linear gradient
- How to create a radial gradient
- How to create a repeating radial gradient
- How to create ombre in Procreate using motion blur
- How to create gradients using Perspective Blur
- How to use Procreate Gradient Map
Assets Used in the Tutorial
1. How to Create a Linear Gradient Using the Gaussian Blur
Step 1
Let's dive into the first method for how to do a gradient in Procreate. Create a new canvas that is 850 x 850 pixels.
Choose a blue shade on your Color tool. Then take the Selections tool and make sure it has the Rectangle option. Using the Selections tool, select the upper part of your canvas.
Step 2
Drag and drop your chosen color to this selection. The ColorDrop Threshold should be almost 100%.
Step 3
Take off the selection by clicking the Selections tool one more time. Change your color to pink, and drag and drop it to the bottom part of the canvas.
Step 4
Now you want to go to Editing Tools > Adjustments (magic wand icon) > Gaussian Blur.
Step 5
You just entered the Gaussian Blur interface, which is where you will create your beautiful ombre in Procreate. Here you can adjust your Gaussian Blur (the smoothness of the transition from coral to blue). To adjust it, move your finger horizontally to increase or decrease the percentage of the blue bar at the top of the screen, and it shows how much blur is applied. I made mine 40%. Don’t close this interface just yet.
Step 6
Did you notice a small white triangle near the Gaussian Blur percentage? Click on this triangle. A new pop-up menu will appear with the options Layer and Pencil. These two options allow you to apply Gaussian Blur over the whole layer, or just where you draw with your brush.
Select Pencil. You already tried the Layer option, which is the default, so now let’s try the Pencil option.
The Pencil option allows you to make a transition exactly where you want by drawing with your brush. Draw over where the pink and blue colors meet using any brush you like. With this Pencil option, you can blur just where you draw, saving the untouched space. You can still adjust the Gaussian Blur percentage.
Decide on what option you like the most and what percentage of Gaussian Blur, and then press the Adjustments tool (the wrench icon) one more time to close this interface. That’s how to add a gradient in Procreate.
Look how cute this gradient is when applied to a stamp brush!
2. How to Create a Repeating Linear Gradient Using Gaussian Blur
Step 1
Now we'll see how to make a gradient in Procreate using a different method. Create a new layer and switch off the previous one by taking off the checkmark in the white box in the Layers tool. You’ll need a new layer to create a repeating linear gradient, or you could create a new canvas for it.
To create a repeating gradient in Procreate, we create one and then repeat it a few times. So take the Selections tool, make sure it has the Rectangle option, and select one part of the canvas.
Step 2
Choose red in the Color tool. Drag and drop this color to the selection. The ColorDrop Threshold should be almost 100%.
Step 3
Take off the selection by clicking the Selections tool one more time. Change the red color to yellow and drag and drop it to the other part of the canvas.
Step 4
Go to Adjustments > Gaussian Blur.
In the Gaussian Blur interface, adjust the Gaussian Blur intensity to your liking. I made mine 50%.
Step 5
Now you want to make your gradient narrower. You’ll need the Transform tool (arrow icon) for this. At the bottom of your screen, in the small pop-up menu, choose Freeform. This allows you to transform any shape freely. Make the gradient narrow by squeezing it to the left.
Step 6
Next, go to the Layers tool. On the Layers panel, swipe the layer you are on to the left to see three options of what you can do with that layer: Lock, Duplicate, or Delete. Choose Duplicate. You just duplicated your narrow gradient.
Step 7
Now you want to move the duplicated gradient to the right.
On a new duplicated layer, take the Transform tool, and in the new pop-up menu at the bottom of your screen, choose Uniform.
A little bit lower, you will see the Snapping option. Click on it to open its settings. Choose Magnetics. This will allow you to move the object in a straight line.
Move your new gradient to the right, and make sure you don’t have any white space between the two gradients.
Step 8
On the Layers tool, pinch the two layers together using your fingers. Now you can duplicate those two gradients at once.
Step 9
Using the same method, duplicate and move the gradients a few more times. You just got a repeating linear gradient in Procreate.
3. How to Create a Radial Gradient Using the Selections Feather Tool
Step 1
Create a new layer and switch off the previous one. Color in your canvas with orange.
Step 2
Take the Selections tool and make sure your selection has the Ellipse option, which you can find at the bottom of the screen. Start to create an ellipse selection, and while you are creating it, press on the screen with a finger of your opposite hand, so that you will be able to create an even circle.
Don’t take off the selection.
Step 3
At the bottom of your screen, under the Ellipse selection, there is the Feather tool. Click on it and move the slider to around 15%. This tool blurs your selection.
Step 4
Still don’t take off your selection, and go to Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness.
Step 5
Now you are in the Hue, Saturation, Brightness interface. At the bottom of the screen, you will see three options you can change here: Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. We need Brightness. Move the slider to the left, to about 40%. Your blurred selection should become darker.
That’s how to make a radial gradient in Procreate.
4. How to Create a Repeating Radial Gradient in Procreate Using Gaussian Blur
Step 1
Let's learn a different way to add a gradient in Procreate. Create a new layer and switch off the previous one.
Pick a violet shade on the Color tool. Take the Selections tool and make sure your selection has the Ellipse and Color Fill options active. The Color Fill option allows you to color your selection immediately. Create an even circle selection.
Step 2
Next, go to the Layers tool. On the Layers panel, swipe the layer you are on to the left to see three options of what you can do with that layer: Lock, Duplicate, or Delete. Choose Duplicate.
Step 3
After that, color in the new circle with black: pick black on your Color tool and then drag and drop it onto your new circle. Make sure the Threshold at the top of the screen is 100% or almost 100%.
Step 4
Click on the Transform tool, select the Uniform option, and in the Snapping settings, choose Snapping. Now you can evenly shrink your black circle to make it a little bit smaller than the previous one.
Step 5
On the Layers tool, duplicate the black circle. Change its color to violet: choose violet on the Color tool, and then drag this color over the black.
After that, make the new violet circle smaller than the previous black one.
Step 6
Now create as many circles as you want following this system: violet > smaller black > smaller violet > smaller black, and so on.
Step 7
Now, to create a gradient in Procreate, we want to use Gaussian Blur.
On the Layers panel, select the first layer with a black circle. Go to Adjustments > Gaussian Blur, and make it about 10%. You can make the percentage smaller or bigger as it depends on how you like it, but just make sure to remember your percentage number.
Step 8
Select the next layer with a black circle. Go to Adjustments > Gaussian Blur, and make it the same percentage as before. You need to blur all the layers with black circles and leave the violet ones untouched. Continue using the same method until your result looks similar to the image below.
5. How to Create Ombre in Procreate Using Motion Blur
Step 1
Create a new layer for a new art piece, and switch off the previous one.
First, let’s color in the canvas. Change your color to light purple or any color you like. Make sure the ColorDrop Threshold is almost 100%.
Step 2
Now, you want to create a few selections using the Selections tool, which you will color in later on. Make sure the Ellipse option is active, as well as the Add option.
Don't take off your selections.
Step 3
Decide on three colors that you will use for the next gradient in Procreate. Choose your first color and drag it to a few of the selections. Change the color and drag it to the next few, and so on.
I created violet, blue, and pink blobs.
Step 4
Go to Adjustments > Motion Blur.
Step 5
Once you are in the Motion Blur interface, you can create not just a blur, but also a motion. If you want to increase or decrease a blur, you move your finger horizontally, and if you want to create a motion, you can move your finger up, down, diagonally, or in any direction! Try it and see how beautiful it is!
Stay in the Motion Blur interface to try one more thing.
Step 6
Motion Blur also has two options: Layer and Pencil, just like all the Blur tools in Procreate. The Layer option is the default, so now let’s try the Pencil option.
Click on the white triangle close to the percentage, and choose the Pencil option. Using any brush, draw over your blobs. Notice how the blur is applied just where you draw.
Now you know one more method for how to add a gradient in Procreate.
After you have the result you want, click on the Adjustments tool one more time to exit.
6. How to Create a Gradient Using Perspective Blur
Step 1
Create a new layer for a new art piece and switch off the previous one.
Choose light purple on the Color tool. Drag and drop that color to fill your canvas with this color.
Step 2
Choose blue on the Color tool.
Take the Selections tool and make sure the Rectangle option is active, as well as two more: Add and Color Fill.
Step 3
Make a few rectangle selections. They will become blue immediately because you chose the Color Fill option.
Step 4
Go to Adjustments > Perspective Blur. This is the third blur option after Gaussian and Motion.
Step 5
In the Perspective Blur interface, increase the intensity of the blur. Then, you will find a dark disc in the middle of your canvas. The blur starts from that disc and vanishes further on. Move this disc across your canvas and see how the blur changes.
I made the Perspective Blur intensity 100% and placed the dark disc at the bottom left corner of my screen.
Step 6
Perspective Blur also has a Pencil option. You should try it too, now that you know how to use it.
Stay in this Perspective Blur interface—we have to try one more thing here.
Step 7
You have probably noticed that other than just the “traditional” Layer and Pencil options, the Perspective Blur has two new modes at the bottom of the screen: Positional and Directional. Let’s try the Directional mode, as Positional was the default and you have tried it already.
Here, you still can move the disc and direct the direction of the blur. The little arrow on the disc shows in which direction the blur will go. The gradient starts to work from the middle point of the disc and vanishes further on.
Tap the Adjustments tool again to exit.
7. How to Use Procreate Gradient Map
Step 1
The Gradient Map allows you to apply a gradient onto your image—it basically works like a filter. To better understand how it works, we want to insert a black and white photo. Alternatively, you can also use a greyscale drawing of yours.
To begin, create a new layer and switch off the previous one. Let’s insert a photo on the canvas. Go to Actions > Add > Insert a photo. A new window will pop up where you want to choose a black and white photo from your camera roll.
Step 2
Now, we want to apply a Procreate Gradient Map onto the photo. Go to Adjustments > Gradient Map.
Step 3
Now you are in the Gradient Map interface. The upper part of the Gradient Map interface is the same: a blue bar to adjust the intensity, and the Layer and Pencil options.
The bottom part, however, is different. The Gradient Library has a few ready-to-use gradients. If you click on one of them, the effect will be applied.
Step 4
If you click on the selected gradient from the Gradient Library one more time, it will open the Gradient Map gradient where you can move, add, delete, or edit its colors.
If you want to move any color box, move it with your finger or your stylus and see how the photo changes.
If you want to delete a certain color, tap and hold the color box, and a trash can will appear. Simply tap on it to delete the color.
If you want to edit, just click on the color box and it will bring up the Color tool where you can choose another color.
If you want to add a color, tap on the Gradient Map bar and it will bring a new color box.
Feel free to play with it, and after you are finished, press Done.
Step 5
Once you press Done, you will return to the Gradient Map interface and the Gradient Library. On the right side of the Gradient Library, you will see a small + sign. Here you can create your own gradient. Click on this sign.
Procreate will open a new interface for you with a default gradient in black and white. You can add, delete, move, and edit this. All the changes will be immediately shown in the photo.
While playing with your new gradient, you will notice that the color you put on the left side Gradient bar in the Gradient Map colors dark spots on the photo. All the colors you put on the right side of the Gradient bar color the light spots on the photo.
Create a new gradient if you want, and after this, press Done.
Below is an example of a gradient I created, and also you can see what the trash can button looks like if you want to delete a color.
Step 6
The last option we want to try in Procreate Gradient Map is the Pencil option. Probably, after all your playing around with the Gradient Map, you want to insert the black and white photo one more time to have it in pristine form. You can go ahead and create a new layer and insert the photo one more time, or just cancel all the changes you made to this photo and try the Pencil option.
After you select the Pencil option, nothing will happen to the photo until you draw with your brush over it. So select any gradient you like from the Gradient Library and draw over the photo using any brush in a big size. Press Done when you are finished.
Then click on the Adjustments tool to exit.
You Learned How to Do Gradients in Procreate!
Doing all this work sure is a lot, and I congratulate you on that! Now you know how to do gradients in Procreate, what the gradient tool is in Procreate, and how to use the Procreate Gradient Map. You now know that there are multiple gradient tools in Procreate, not just one.
Where You Can Apply a Gradient
Let me show you some products from Envato Elements where you can apply your cool gradients. If you're an avid Procreate user, this subscription-based marketplace is the best option for you!
Mandala Brushes for Procreate (BRUSHSET)
There are 12 beautiful stamp brushes for Procreate you can apply your gradient on.
Butterfly & Bugs Procreate Stamps (BRUSHSET)
Enjoy 12 Illustrations of butterflies, bugs, and moths turned into Procreate stamp brushes.
Blackletter Brush Procreate (BRUSHSET)
You should try those eight amazing blackletter brushes: create some text and then apply a gradient.
Smoke Procreate Brushes (BRUSHSET)
This is a set of 16 unique smoke and dust brushes. Can you imagine how amazing a gradient would look on such a brush?
Procreate Palette: Terracota (SWATCHES)
If you are struggling with colors, take a look at these amazing Harmonious Procreate color palettes.
More Procreate Tutorials for Your Creative Skills
If you want to learn more, here are some excellent tutorials to check out:
