Think of Procreate’s Gallery as your main project folder. When you open the app, this is the first thing you'll see. It's a clean, visual grid of all your creations. From here, you can organize, delete, or open a project to continue working.

To start a new project, tap the + icon in the top right of the Gallery. This opens the New Canvas menu. You can choose from presets or create a custom canvas. This step is like setting up a new file in CAD software—defining the project's parameters from the start is crucial.

Here are the key settings:

• Dimensions (Width and Height): This sets the size of your canvas in pixels, inches, or other units. For digital work intended for screens, pixels are the standard. A common starting point is 1920x1080 pixels for a standard HD screen.
• DPI (Dots Per Inch): This is the resolution. It determines how many pixels are in each inch of the canvas. For work that will only be viewed on screens, 72 or 144 DPI is fine. If you plan to print your art, you'll need a higher resolution, typically 300 DPI, to ensure the image is sharp and not pixelated.

The size and DPI of your canvas directly affect the maximum number of layers you can have. A larger, high-resolution canvas requires more processing power, so Procreate limits the layer count to ensure smooth performance. You can see the 'Maximum layers' count update in real-time as you adjust your canvas settings.

Once you create a canvas, you’ll enter the main workspace. The interface is intentionally minimal to maximize your drawing area. The tools are organized into logical groups, much like a well-designed software development environment. You have modification and setting tools on the left, and your primary creation tools on the right.

Let's break down the toolbars.

Top Left: Modify & Adjust This is your command center for canvas-wide changes and settings.

• Actions (wrench icon): Contains all the administrative functions. Here you can add files, share your artwork, adjust canvas properties, and access preferences. This is where you'll find settings like the Left-Handed interface and Dark Mode.
• Adjustments (magic wand icon): This is for image effects and color correction, similar to filters or adjustment layers in photo editing software. It includes tools like Hue/Saturation, Curves, and Blur.
• Selection (S-shape icon): Allows you to select a specific area of your layer to edit, move, or transform.
• Transform (arrow icon): Lets you move, resize, and distort whatever is on your current layer (or your active selection).

Top Right: Drawing Tools These are the tools you'll use constantly for creating your art.

• Brush: Opens your Brush Library. Procreate comes with a huge variety of default brushes, from pencils and inks to paints and textures.
• Smudge: This tool blends colors on the canvas, simulating the effect of smudging charcoal or wet paint. It uses the same brushes as the Brush tool.
• Erase: This also uses the Brush Library, allowing you to erase with different textures and shapes.
• Layers: Opens the Layers panel. Layers are like transparent sheets stacked on top of each other. Working on separate layers allows you to edit different elements of your artwork independently, a fundamental concept in digital art.
• Color: Opens the Color Panel, where you can choose colors using a disc, sliders, or saved palettes.

Procreate was built for a touch interface, and gestures are a huge part of its efficient workflow. Learning a few key shortcuts will dramatically speed up your process. There's no need to hunt for buttons for the most common actions.

With a basic understanding of the workspace and key tools, you're now ready to start making marks on the canvas.