How to Use the Stack Feature in Procreate
What is the Stack Feature in Procreate?
The Stack feature in the Procreate app allows you to group multiple artwork together into a “stack” or a folder. This a useful tool if you would like to put a collection of artwork together.
Benefits of Stacking Artwork in Procreate
A core benefit of stacking is that this will help you organize your artwork, especially when you have artwork within the same collection. I also understand that it is nice to have a full artwork gallery without any artwork stacked so you can see and scroll through the past artwork you have created. However, the more art you create, the more artwork you will have and this will start to become unruly. Your artwork files can start to get messy, so it is better to either create separate stacks for different projects or collections.
I personally have created a stack of the same artwork and a stack for a children’s book project I am working on. You can also move and re-organize artwork in the main Procreate gallery, so in a way, you can clump groups of artwork together without stacking them and keeping them in the main gallery.
Limitations of Stacking Artwork in Procreate
The one limitation of the Stack feature in Procreate is that you can only create ONE stack and you cannot create additional stacks within an already created stack. This means that you are limited to creating single folders of grouped artwork and cannot embed stacks within one another.
How to Stack in Procreate
To group multiple artwork into a single stack, click Select in the upper right hand corner and select the desired artworks to be combined. Click Stack and the artwork files will be stacked together. If you want to add another artwork to an already created stack, you cannot simply drag and drop the art into the stack - Procreate does not allow you to stack or group files this way. You will need to repeat the above process over to combine additional artwork to the same stack.
How to Unstack in Procreate
To unstack in Procreate, I have a quick YouTube short showing this process below or head over to the written instructions underneath.
To unstack a group of artwork from the same stack or folder, follow the below steps:
Select and hold on to the artwork you want to unstack and drag the artwork to where the < Stack is, located on the upper left hand corner.
Once you see a blue highlight around the this text, Procreate will automatically bring the selected artwork back to your main gallery. You can drop the artwork in between other artwork in the main gallery or you can drop the artwork in another stack.
This artwork is available to purchase as a Displate poster.
All in all, the Stack feature in Procreate is still a very useful feature to help with filing and organizing your artwork, especially when you start to make more and more artwork. Creating an organized filing system of your artwork within Procreate, along with having a good file management system of your art and content, will allow you to focus your efforts on drawing art and not cleaning up messy files every time.
In general, having a good organization system of your digital files and content in place, including file backups, naming conventions, and folder management are key to helping you become a more professional and prepared digital artist. This will ensure you know where your files will be at all times in case you need to access them, instead of wasting time digging through folders for them. Remember, the more efficient you are with your time, the more you can focus on drawing and making art.
Share your thoughts on the stack feature or any other Procreate tools you use in the Comments section, I would love to hear them!
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