In Procreate, selecting the appropriate canvas size is crucial for achieving the desired results in your digital art. It greatly impacts the quality of your artwork and its potential uses. This article offers guidance on choosing the ideal canvas size for your digital creations in Procreate.
Understanding DPI
DPI stands for Dots Per Inch. It refers to the number of dots or pixels that will appear within one inch on a printed medium. In essence, DPI determines the resolution of your printed artwork. The standard DPI for most digital art pieces is 300. This means that when you print your artwork, there will be 300 pixels per inch. This is enough to get a high-quality print without any pixelation.
What Size Should Your Canvas Be?
The size of your canvas in Procreate largely depends on how you plan to use your artwork. If you intend to only display your artwork on digital screens, a smaller canvas size is sufficient. However, if you plan to print your artwork, then a larger canvas size with higher DPI is necessary.
- For Digital Displays: A canvas size of 2048 x 2048 pixels with a DPI of 72 is sufficient for digital displays. This is because most digital screens have a DPI of 72.
- For Printing: If you are creating art to be printed, you will need a larger canvas. A typical canvas size for a full page print on an A4 paper is 2480 x 3508 pixels with a DPI of 300.
How to Set Canvas Size in Procreate
Setting your canvas size in Procreate is easy. Follow the steps outlined below.
- Open the Procreate app.
- Click on the + sign located at the top right of the screen.
- Click on ‘Create custom size’.
- Enter your desired width and height in pixels.
- Set the DPI to either 72 (for digital displays) or 300 (for printing).
- Click ‘Create’ to start working on your new canvas.
Remember, you can always change your canvas size and DPI later if you need to. However, it’s always best to start with the right canvas size from the beginning to avoid any loss in quality.
Conclusion
Creating digital art in Procreate is a fun and exciting process. Choosing the right canvas size is an important first step in this process. Remember, if you plan to display your artwork digitally, a canvas size of 2048 x 2048 pixels and a DPI of 72 should be sufficient. However, if you intend to print your artwork, consider using a larger canvas size of 2480 x 3508 pixels and a DPI of 300. Happy creating!