Procreate’s time-lapse feature offers a high-quality recording of the process and work that goes into a user’s final painting. You can post these recordings to show off your process or use them to gain a more objective view of your work.
This article will give you a run-down of how to effectively use this in-built canvas recording tool, including tips on how to ensure your video exports at the highest quality.
How to Turn On Procreate’s Time-Lapse Feature
Procreate’s time-lapse feature works by recording the process of a painting or project. This tool compresses hours of work into both a 30-second and full-length video. If you are new to the app, it’s worth looking intohow to get started with Procreatebefore using this feature.
To turn on the time-lapse feature in Procreate, open up a canvas within the app. This can be a new canvas or a previous project. Select thewrenchicon in theActionsmenu at the top left of the screen, selectVideo, and then tap the button to the right of theTime-lapse recordingoption.
Activating this feature in one canvas should automatically apply it to any other project that you then work on in Procreate. Double-check that the time-lapse tool is on before starting your painting to ensure that the app will record all your hard work.
The Best Settings for High-Quality Time-Lapse Videos in Procreate
Nothing is more frustrating than finishing a digital painting in Procreate, only to be faced with a blurry or pixilated recording at the end. To avoid this, you need to edit the canvas settings of your project.
For a new custom canvas, tap the+(plus) icon at the top right of theNew canvasoption menu. To edit an existing canvas, half-swipe left on the canvas name to reveal theEditandDeletebuttons, and selectEdit. You will be directed to the sameCustom canvassettings menu either way.
Next, selectTime-lapse settings. For the absolute highest quality, you’re able to choose the dual setting of4Krecording combined withLosslessquality. If a standard high-quality video will suffice, which often is the case for simple paintings, then1080pwithGoodorStudioquality is ideal.
TheHEVCsetting is off by default. It is a type of video compression for advanced motion graphics creation in Procreate. For simple paintings or designs, you’re able to leave this off as that level of extreme compression isn’t necessary.
Keep in mind that the higher the quality of your time-lapse video, the larger the file will be, which is something to consider and plan for if you are going to share or edit the recording at a later stage.
For social media and other online platforms, you might need tocompress and reduce the file size of your video, as most sites can’t support enormous files.
How to Pause Your Procreate Time-Lapse
If you don’t want certain parts of your creative process saved in your final time-lapse recording, such as lots of scribbling or sketches mid-painting, then you may use the pause option.
To pause your recording once you have started the painting, select thewrenchicon again to open theActionsmenu. Tapping on theTime-lapse recordingbutton underVideoagain will deactivate the feature, and you will be prompted to choose whether to purge the existing video.
If you selectPurge, the recording of your process so far will be deleted which can not be undone. If you selectDon’t Purge, then your recording will only be paused with no deletion. Pausing your video is ideal if you want your process to be edited in the final time-lapse.
To resume the recording, go to theVideosettings to turn theTime-lapse recordingback on. you may do this as many times as you like, but remember that too many jump cuts from pauses may be disorientating for viewers and therefore isn’t ideal for persistent use.
How to Hide Reference Imagery in Your Time-Lapse Videos
Every great artist draws inspiration from already existing imagery. However, this may be something that you want edited out of your time-lapse recording.
To add in any imagery that won’t be shown in the time-lapse recording, open your canvas and selectAddin theActionsmenu. Next, swipe left on either theInsert a file,Insert a photo, orTake a photobutton. This will reveal aPrivateinsert/take option, which you can select to add any images or files or take a photo that won’t be shown in the time-lapse.
This inserted photo or file will be displayed as a normal layer which you can edit and draw on. No changes you make to this layer will be shown in your time-lapse. For extra help, look intotips for using layers in Procreate.
How to Export Your Time-Lapse in Procreate
In order to export your time-lapse, select thewrenchicon to open theVideosettings in your current project. SelectExport Time-lapse videoand choose between either aFull lengthvideo or a30 Secondscompressed recording.
Procreate supports a huge variety of apps when it comes to sharing time-lapse videos. SelectingSave Videowill save the time-lapse to your device, which can then be shared or edited. Alternatively, you can choose any other icon to send your video elsewhere for further use.
Tips for Sleek Time-Lapse Videos
For a sleek and professional time-lapse video, it’s best to try and limit the number of times you insert high-contrast images into your project, as this can cause a flashing light effect. Likewise, using Procreate’s Fill tool to recolor the entire canvas will have the same effect, which can potentially stun your viewer.
Pausing the time-lapse is a great way to avoid this if you are referencing an inserted image, so long as you remember to toggle the feature on again! For any promotional work or shares on social media, it’s best to only feature your own work, especially if your content is monetized.
Hours of Painting in Under a Minute
Making a time-lapse video in Procreate is a fantastic way of creating a visually captivating recording that shows off your personal creative process. You can use them for online content or as a way of revealing patterns in your work that you might not have realized beforehand.
