Hi guys, I’m back today to talk about something that helps speed up my workflow on iPad: gestures! Here’s a partial list of my go-to gestures in Procreate that I find helpful, plus a bonus iPad OS gesture.
- 2-finger tap on the canvas to Undo. This is a default gesture in the app and indispensable. Definitely my most frequently used gesture.
- 3-finger tap on canvas to Redo.
- Pinch to merge layers
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/pinch.jpg)
Don’t forget to look at your preferences and set up custom gestures. Here are a few custom shortcuts I’ve chosen. Go to Actions (wrench icon) > Prefs > Gesture Controls. Find what works for you!
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/gestures.jpg)
- Draw and Hold under QuickShape can be very useful to me when I want to create a perfect geometric shape. You can set the delay on this gesture to your liking. I discussed a little more about making QuickShapes here .
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/quickshape.jpg)
- Clear Layer with Four-finger tap. This is handy when something goes awry on my layer. Which is frequent!
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/four-finger.jpg)
- Three-finger swipe down for the Copy and Paste Menu
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/3-finger.jpg)
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/3-fingerswipe.jpg)
- Touch and hold on the canvas to open QuickMenu. I can quickly touch and swipe one direction for a specific task.
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/quickmenu0.jpg)
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/quickmenu1.jpg)
- Make your QuickMenu action buttons match frequently-used tasks. I have one set to Previous Color, so when I’m masking, I can quickly switch between black and white. To change any QuickMenu item, long-tap on one of the buttons, and select from a wide variety of actions on all six buttons.
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/edit-quickmenu.jpg)
Adding a shortcut to a brush has been useful to me on QuickMenu. If you frequently use one brush during portions of your workflow (like a good masking brush), this is handy. When a brush is set as a menu item, tap and hold, and you can navigate to your other brushes.
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/quickmenu2.jpg)
- Finally, an iPad OS gesture that I use: swipe up for Floating Apps / Slideover. I find it a little easier to browse images in Files this way when I don’t know exactly what element I want. To invoke, swipe up a tad from the bottom of the iPad. Look for the little gray tab with a wide arrow. Swipe that up to reveal the menu bar (where I have the Files app docked). Drag the Files icon to the right of the Procreate screen. From there, browse and drag-and-drop. When you’re done, swipe to move it off the screen (in this screenshot below, where the floating app is on the right, swipe right).
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/drag-files.jpg)
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/drag-dismiss.jpg)
![](https://blog.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sunfresh-1000-b.jpg)
I created this layout with Lara’s Digi World Happier bundle.
![](https://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/images/detailed/433/ldw-happier-bundle.jpg)
Do you have favorite gestures or custom gestures you’ve set up? Let me know in the comments. I’m always curious about other workflows.
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