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# Selections: Choose, Copy, Recolor, and Move
- URL: https://theprocreate.com/learn/procreate-selections/
- Published: 2026-10-12T09:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-16T13:00:12.000Z
- Description: 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.
- Author: Nathan Reed
- Tags: learn, #topic-layers, #section-layers-choose-and-move-a-shape

## A selection limits the area of the next edit

Use Selection in Procreate to copy, recolor, or move part of your artwork. Start with the correct layer, choose a selection mode, close and refine the boundary, then tap the tool you want to use. For a move, tap Transform again when you have finished. If Selection is still highlighted or outside shading remains, tap Selection again to remove the restriction.

The easiest mode depends on the boundary: Automatic for a distinct color region, Freehand for an irregular contour, and Rectangle or Ellipse for a geometric area. If you want to keep the original artwork available, work on a duplicate or use Copy & Paste to put the selected content on its own layer.

## Choose the active layer

Open Layers and tap the layer containing the pixels you intend to edit. The primary layer is bright blue; secondary selected layers are dark blue. Check this before drawing a careful boundary: [painting, Cut, and Copy affect the primary layer, while Selection and Transform affect every selected layer](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/layers/layers-organize?ref=theprocreate.com). For a move on one layer, leave only that layer selected. Adjustments are unavailable with multiple layers selected.

Before a major recolor or resize, swipe right-to-left on the layer and tap [Duplicate](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/layers/layers-organize?ref=theprocreate.com). Select the duplicate as your working layer. On the original layer, [tap the checked Visibility Checkbox to hide it](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/layers/layers-interface?ref=theprocreate.com) without deleting it. This keeps the original position or color from appearing alongside the edited version. A copy of the whole layer is useful when you want the edited area to remain part of the same composition; Copy & Paste, explained below, is useful when you want a separate piece.

## Pick a selection mode

Tap Selection, the ribbon symbol in the top menu, to open the toolbar.

Before creating the selection for the copy, move, or Brush steps below, check [Color Fill](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com). If the Paint Bucket is blue, tap Color Fill again to exit and leave it off. With Color Fill active, creating a selection automatically fills it with the current color, including any additional selections you make.

The [four selection modes](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com) define the area in different ways. Choose the one that gives you the simplest boundary to control.

| Mode      | Best use                                   | Common mistake                                    |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Automatic | Connected areas with a distinct boundary   | Threshold includes too much or leaves edge pixels |
| Freehand  | Irregular subjects and hand-drawn contours | Closing the loop imprecisely around fine detail   |
| Rectangle | Panels, crops, and box-shaped elements     | Assuming it follows a rotated object              |
| Ellipse   | Circular forms and soft spot adjustments   | Using feather when a crisp cut is required        |

![Freehand selected in the Selection toolbar with Color Fill inactive and a dotted boundary around a coral fish.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/87/95/8795a9f5-73f0-42fe-8d7c-6a02022d8b40/content/images/2026/10/procreate-selections-body1-redo-v2.webp)

Choose the selection mode, then check that Color Fill is off before copying, moving or painting.

### Automatic: select a color region

1. Tap Automatic, then tap the area you want to select.
2. Tap and hold to invoke Selection Threshold. [Drag left to reduce the selected area, or right to increase it](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-automatic?ref=theprocreate.com). Stop before the selection spreads into unwanted neighboring areas.
3. Tap other areas to add them to the selection. Automatic has this function built in, so its Add button is greyed out.

While you are defining an Automatic selection, the [selected area appears in inverted colors](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-automatic?ref=theprocreate.com). Judge its boundary rather than treating those colors as a recolored result. For fine corrections, switch to Freehand, Rectangle, or Ellipse and refine the area before editing.

### Freehand: draw and close a boundary

Tap Freehand and draw around the subject with your finger or Pencil. You can lift and continue the line; tapping places corner nodes joined by straight segments. The [Freehand controls also let you combine drawn curves and polygonal segments](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-freehand?ref=theprocreate.com), which is useful around a subject with both curved and straight edges.

To close the boundary deliberately, [tap the gray circle at the starting point](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-freehand?ref=theprocreate.com). You can then add another area or choose an editing tool. When adding more regions, [tap Add once to draw an additional selection; in Freehand, a second Add tap closes any unfinished loops](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com). That second-tap behavior applies to Freehand, rather than every selection mode.

For Rectangle or Ellipse, drag the shape around the required area. A rectangle defines a box; it will not trace an irregular silhouette for you. Use Freehand when the geometric boundary would include too much background.

## Refine the area before editing

If you included too much, use Freehand, Rectangle, or Ellipse to mark the unwanted part, then tap [Remove to subtract it from the selection](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com). This also works after starting in Automatic: switch to one of those modes for the subtraction. Add is useful for including a missed island of detail without redrawing the entire boundary.

Tap [Feather to adjust edge softness](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com). At 0%, the selection edge is crisp; raising the value softens it, with a live preview. Start at 0% for a sharply defined object. A softer boundary can suit a light or atmospheric adjustment, but inspect it before moving line art or a solid shape.

## Commit the selection and recognize its state

When the boundary is ready for painting or moving, [tap another tool to commit the selection](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com). For example, tap Brush to paint or Transform to move the selected content. The dotted selection boundary gives way to semi-transparent moving diagonal shading outside the selected area. Both Selection and the editing tool are highlighted.

The shading marks the area protected from the selected edit. If the unshaded area is wrong, tap Selection again to cancel it, then make the selection again before painting or moving content. A carefully drawn line is only useful if it encloses the pixels you meant to change.

## Copy, recolor, or move the selected content

### Copy the region to a separate layer

For a copy, stay in the Selection toolbar once the boundary is ready and tap [Copy & Paste](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com). Procreate duplicates the selected content onto a new layer named *From selection*. Open Layers, check that copy, and rename it for the subject. Moving the copy leaves the original piece on the source layer, along with the rest of that layer’s artwork.

![Copy & Paste in the Selection toolbar leads to a selected From selection layer above the unchanged Fish source layer.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/87/95/8795a9f5-73f0-42fe-8d7c-6a02022d8b40/content/images/2026/10/procreate-selections-body2-redo-v2.webp)

Copy & Paste creates From selection; the original pixels remain on the source layer.

This is the clearer choice when you want an additional object on its own layer. Select the new layer before continuing, so a later edit acts on the copy you intended.

### Paint a recolor within the boundary

For a painted recolor, choose your working layer and color, then tap Brush to commit the selection and paint the region. Procreate supports [painting or using ColorDrop inside a committed selection](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-automatic?ref=theprocreate.com). Painting is a straightforward option when you want to place color selectively rather than fill the entire selected area at once.

The restriction protects the outside area; paint inside it can still cover detail. Keep the original layer if that detail matters, and inspect the edge against the surrounding artwork. If you need repeated changes through a layer-based mask, use the [mask-comparison guide](https://theprocreate.com/learn/layers-masks-comparison/) to choose that workflow.

### Move the selected pixels

With the intended area selected, tap Transform, the arrow symbol in the top menu. [Drag inside or outside the bounding box to move the content](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/transform/transform-interface-gestures?ref=theprocreate.com). Check that the box surrounds the intended piece before dragging; an unexpected whole-layer box is a reason to revisit the layer and selection.

If you also need to resize, choose Uniform to keep the original proportions. Inspect the interpolation setting and the result at the final viewing size. When the position and size are right, [tap Transform again to commit the changes and exit Transform](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/transform/transform-interface-gestures?ref=theprocreate.com).

## Remove the selection restriction after the edit

After painting or finishing Transform, check the Selection button and outside shading. If Selection is still highlighted or outside shading remains, [tap Selection again to cancel the selection and return to the artwork](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com). The shading then disappears and the next edit is no longer limited by that selection. Finishing Transform commits the move; check Selection separately before an unrestricted edit.

![With Transform already inactive, tapping the blue Selection ribbon removes the diagonal shading around the fish.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/87/95/8795a9f5-73f0-42fe-8d7c-6a02022d8b40/content/images/2026/10/procreate-selections-body3-redo-v3.webp)

Committing Transform and exiting Selection are separate actions. Tap Selection again if its restriction remains.

## Check the edge and keep useful selections

Compare the outer contour first. Then check the internal texture and alignment. Missed pixels, a soft fringe, or a transformed edge can each need a different correction. Check Feather if you intended a crisp boundary. Compare with the original before repeatedly resizing: Procreate warns that [repeated transformations can leave raster edges fuzzy](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/transform/transform-interpolate?ref=theprocreate.com). A precise selection does not guarantee a lossless resize.

For a region you will reuse, tap [Save & Load, then the + button in the top-right of the Selections pop-up](https://help.procreate.com/procreate/handbook/selections/selections-interface?ref=theprocreate.com) to store it. Tap its saved entry to recall the selection. This saves the boundary; check the active layer again before the next edit.

If a copy is blank, check whether the primary layer contains pixels in that region. If painting appears stuck in one area, check for a highlighted Selection button or outside shading. If either remains, tap Selection again before an unrestricted edit. If a move includes other artwork, check for secondary selected layers as well as an overly broad boundary.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Procreate.