To mix color in Procreate, you blend pixels on the canvas using the Smudge tool rather than simulating wet paint. This is the primary method for how to mix color in Procreate directly on your artwork.
How to mix color in Procreate: what actually works
Procreate blends pixels when you use the Smudge tool, not wet paint. The Smudge tool pushes and pulls color across the canvas, creating smooth transitions between two or more colors. This pixel-based blending is the core technique for mixing color directly on the canvas, rather than picking pre-made swatches from a palette.
Understanding the color wheel in Procreate
The Color Panel’s Disc view shows a color wheel with a reticle you can drag around to select a color. Primary colors (red, blue, yellow) sit evenly spaced on the wheel, with secondary colors (orange, green, purple) between them. Tertiary colors fill the remaining gaps. Understanding these relationships helps you choose which colors to blend: complementary colors (opposite each other) create neutral tones when mixed, while analogous colors (next to each other) blend smoothly. Drag the reticle to the hue you want, then adjust saturation and brightness with the slider below the wheel.
Using the Smudge tool to blend colors
The Smudge tool is the pointing finger icon in the toolbar.
- Select the Smudge tool from the toolbar (the pointing finger icon).
- Pick a soft brush, such as a soft airbrush or charcoal brush, for smooth blending.
- Paint over the boundary between two colors on the canvas. The Smudge tool will push one color into the other.
- Adjust the Smudge tool’s flow and opacity to control blending intensity. Lower opacity creates subtle blends; higher opacity pushes color more aggressively.
Repeat the stroke until you achieve the desired transition. The Smudge tool works on any layer and respects the layer’s opacity and blending mode.
Choosing the right blending brushes
Brush texture and softness directly affect blending results. Soft airbrushes and charcoal brushes create smooth, gradual transitions because their edges are diffuse. Hard-edged brushes produce sharp, defined smears that work better for texture than for smooth color mixing. For the softest blends, use a brush with low hardness and high flow. Color mixing brushes in Procreate mimic traditional media like oil paints and pastels.
Generating harmonious colors with the Harmony tab
The Harmony tab on the Color Panel generates color schemes based on your selected color. Tap Complementary to see the color opposite yours on the wheel. Split Complementary shows two colors adjacent to the complement. Analogous displays colors next to yours. Triadic shows three evenly spaced colors. Tap any reticle to select that color, then paint with it or add the selected colors to a palette one by one. This lets you build a set of colors that mix well together before you start blending.
Creating and saving custom color palettes
Use the Palettes tab to create a new palette. Tap the plus icon to start a blank palette, then add colors by selecting them from the Color Panel and tapping the palette. You can also import ASE and ACO swatch files into Procreate. Procreate supports importing color swatches in ASE, ACO, and Procreate Swatch formats. You can create swatch sets to save and organize favorite color combinations. To apply a color from a palette, use Touch Hold and Drag from the swatch onto the canvas to flood-fill with that color. The active palette appears at the bottom of the Color Panel on the Disc, Classic, Harmony, and Value tabs, and you can change the active palette on the Palettes tab.
Filling areas with ColorDrop
Drag the Active Color (the circle at the top of the Color Panel) onto the canvas and release it to flood-fill the area under your finger. To control how much the fill bleeds into and over edges, drag the Active Color over the fill area but do not release it. Hold your finger or stylus still, and a ColorDrop Threshold slider appears. Adjust the threshold to allow the fill to seep into edges or stay contained. Release to apply the fill at the chosen threshold.
Applying color blending techniques
Layer modes like Overlay, Multiply, and Screen can be used to blend colors. The Gradient Tool creates smooth color transitions by dragging across the canvas.
Sampling colors with the Eyedropper
Tap and hold on the canvas to activate the Eyedropper tool. It samples the color under your finger and sets it as the Active Color. You can sample colors from your artwork with the Eyedropper and use them for blending. You can then blend that sampled color with other colors using the Smudge tool. This is useful for matching an existing color in your artwork and mixing it into a new area.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you mix colors in Procreate?
Select colors on the Disc color wheel, use the Smudge tool with a soft brush to blend them on the canvas, and adjust opacity and pressure for control. Harmony can generate related colors to mix.
Can you use Procreate on Android?
No Android version is documented in official Procreate pages. Procreate is available on iPad and iPhone through Procreate Pocket. Procreate requires iPadOS 16.3 or later.
How do you make a custom palette?
Use the Palettes tab to create a new palette, then add colors from the Color Panel or from Harmony one by one. You can also import ASE and ACO swatch files.
How do you blend or fill color?
Use ColorDrop by dragging the Active Color onto the canvas, or drag a swatch from a palette onto the canvas with Touch Hold and Drag. The Smudge tool blends colors already on the canvas.
Is there a limit to how many colors I can mix?
You can mix as many colors as your canvas and layer count allow. You can undo color mixing with the undo button or two-finger tap gesture.
For the wider topic, see coloring, shading and rendering in Procreate.
