How to Lock Layers in Procreate to Protect Your Art

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When  I started using procreate App four years back, I had this issue of locking and protecting my artwork. 

I searched on the internet and did a bit of research and spoke to Procreate team ( they live in our neighbouring state Tasmania( I Live in Victoria)  and found out how to lock layers.

So, Have you Ever wondered how to lock layers in Procreate. ?

The procedure is really rather straightforward. At first sight, it may seem difficult, but once you discover the location of the concealed lock function, you’re ready to go. 

Step-by-step instructions on how to lock layers in Procreate

1. Get to THE Panel of Layers
This is accessible by pressing the symbol that looks like two squares piled on top of each other in the upper left corner of your Procreate toolbar.

2. Select and Apply to a layer
Select the layer you want to erase using your pointer finger or apple pencil. Once chosen, it will become blue.

3. SWIPE UP TO LOCK LAYERS; SWIPE DOWN TO UNLOCK LAYERS
Swipe left with your pointer finger on the blue chosen layer. As you do this, three buttons will appear: Lock, Duplicate, and Delete.

4. SELECT ‘LOCK’
To lock the layer, click the ‘Lock’ button. By locking the layer, you prevent the layer’s contents from being modified.

5. All done: Your Artwork is protected.

I mostly use the locking of the foundation layer of a design to prevent me from accidentally messing it up.

Quick Guide

• 1. Access the Layer panel
• 2. Swipe left on the layer you want to lock.
• 3. Click the lock button.
• 4. Your layer will now have a lock icon to show that it is locked.
• 5. Click on a separate layer to deselect the current layer.
  

Resources:

Check out Comprehensive List  of  Digital Resources needed to Start your Digital Art & Digital Sculpt Journey:

• How to get started with Digital art- A Beginners Guide
• Top 10 best Tablets for Digital Artists
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Is there a way to lock Canvas in procreate?

The rotate with pinch zoom option may be disabled if you are concerned about your canvas moving around excessively when working on a Procreate canvas. When you work on your canvas, it will be more difficult to accidentally rotate it while you are working on it.

Here’s how to accomplish it step by step.

• 1. Get access to the actions tab.
• 2. Go to the Preferences tab.
• 3. Select Gesture controls from the drop-down menu.

Is there a way to disable pinch to rotate on iPad?

Yes, that is absolutely possible!

Go to settings “🔧”( the wrench) then to “prefs” then “gesture controls” then you go to the last option “general” then you disable “rotate with pinch zoom”

4. At the bottom, select the General tab.

5. Turn off the option Rotate with pinch zoom.

Voila!! You will no longer be able to spin your canvas when you press it after this procedure. Isn’t it awesome!!

What is Alpha Locking

Alpha Lock is a kind of lock that is used to secure a piece of equipment.
This directive is communicated by the use of a grey checkerboard grid, which can be seen above in the highlighted layer. 

Drawing inside the geometry of a layer is made possible by using Alpha Lock on that layer. 

This command is particularly useful for sketching inside the edges of a form.

Even though many people use the Alpha Lock command to add textures, shadows, and highlights to their images, Alpha Lock is also highly handy for fast changing the fill colours of layers.

To rapidly access Alpha Lock, grab two fingers and swipe right on the layer that you want to lock in the position. 

The main downside of using Alpha Lock is that it may significantly increase your layer count, which can make the editing process more complex should you need to make some more adjustments to an Alpha Lock layer later on.

Procreate’s Alpha Lock: How It Works and Why It’s a Good Idea

Procreate’s Alpha Lock

It is possible to restrict the editing and changes you may do on a layer in Procreate using the Alpha Lock masking tool.

The alpha channel of a layer is locked with Alpha Lock, as the name implies.

Instructions on how to use an Alpha lock.

• Using the Layers menu in Procreate, you may activate the Alpha Lock function.
• Once you’ve selected a layer, touch on it once more to bring up the flyout menu, where you’ll find the option to apply an alpha lock.
• The Alpha Lock option may be found in the menu.
• To activate an alpha lock, just press it.
• You will notice a check mark next to its label in the menu after it has been applied.
• If you look closely, you’ll see a checkerboard pattern in the alpha portions of the layer’s thumbnail:
• Now that you’ve applied an alpha lock, you may do transformations that will only affect the layer’s content and not affect the neighbouring regions around it.

What are Procreate
clipping mask

Clipping Mask is a kind of mask that allows you to cut off certain areas of your image.

Clipping Masks, which are similar to the Alpha Lock command, give a powerful tool to edit several layers without causing them to be destroyed. 

It’s similar to using clipping masks in Adobe Illustrator in that it provides an extra layer that may be used for further editing.

Make minor adjustments to the bottom neighbouring layer by simply adding a new layer with the plus sign icon. Then, choose Clipping Mask to make further adjustments.

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• How to Make a Transparent Background in Procreate
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