Robert Rios

Austin, Texas

Freelance illustrator and letterer. Drawing in Procreate since 2013, BFA in Studio Art from UT Austin. Practical guides on brushes, layers, color and export.

More about Robert Rios

A brushset file joins an organized set of digital brush strokes beside the words Import Brushes.

Install and Organize Procreate Brushes Without Losing Them

Import and locate brush files in Procreate 5.4, understand when dragging moves or copies them, and protect the live Files library before deleting anything.

A rocket artwork sheet and the corresponding front placement on a shirt beside the words Printful Ready.

Prepare Procreate Art for Printful

Build the canvas from the exact Printful template, export in the requested sRGB workflow, and check transparency, placement and a physical sample before selling.

Separate layers of a paper-crane drawing pass through a PSD file beside the words Procreate to Photoshop.

Procreate to Photoshop: Export and Open a Layered PSD

Move your drawing with Actions → Share → PSD, then File → Open in Photoshop. Keep the native source and check layers, appearance and color before editing.

A night-garden artwork and a separate layered copy beside the words Back Up Your Art.

Back Up Procreate Artwork and Verify the Copy

Export native Procreate copies to secure locations, keep dated checkpoints, and check that a restored copy opens before deleting or migrating artwork.

A chameleon uses RGB bands and CMYK ink dots beside the words RGB or CMYK?

RGB or CMYK in Procreate? Choose for the Destination

Choose RGB or CMYK from the destination's actual specification. Procreate cannot switch an existing canvas between them, so keep the native master for each handoff.

Separate sky, mountain and foreground sheets form one drawing beside the words Layer Limit.

Procreate Layer Limit: Make Room Without Losing Your Source

Check this canvas's capacity, keep a native master, and consolidate only finished layers. Changing DPI alone does not create extra room.

Coral fish enclosed by a dotted selection boundary beside the words Select & Edit.

Selections: Choose, Copy, Recolor, and Move

Choose and refine a selection, then copy, recolor, or move the region. Work on a duplicate to retain the original, and save useful selection boundaries.

Cobalt drawing edge enlarged into visible raster pixels beside an export arrow and the words Blurry Export?

Procreate Export Looks Blurry: Locate the Quality Loss

Record source and file pixel dimensions, inspect actual copies in a viewer with a documented native-pixel mode, and find where sharpness first changes.

Texture held within a filled pear-shaped base, with a separate paint sheet above and the words Fix Clipping Masks.

Clipping Mask Not Working: Check the Base Layer

Check the clipping base and layer order first. In a duplicate, disable Alpha Lock before a temporary full-layer fill, then undo that diagnostic change.

Portrait coastal print with trim marks and a dimension line beside the words Print Canvas Size.

Canvas Size for Print: Pixels, Inches and PPI

Calculate canvas pixels from the printer's trim size, bleed and requested PPI, then check the aspect ratio, layer capacity and delivery profile.

Coral moth cutout over a light checkerboard and mint field beside the words Transparent PNG.

Export a Transparent PNG and Verify It

Hide Background color and any painted backdrop, export PNG, then inspect the actual saved file over light and dark backgrounds before delivery.

Stylus tip beside a brush mark tapering from broad to fine, with the words Fix Pencil Pressure.

Apple Pencil Pressure Not Working in Procreate

Identify the Pencil model first: USB-C has no pressure sensitivity. For pressure-capable models, check pairing and the Classic Library diagnostic brushes.