How to Duplicate in Procreate

Imagine having to duplicate your artwork by redrawing each piece. It would be a total nightmare! That’s why being able to duplicate objects in Procreate is so important, and it can save you a lot of time. In this tutorial, we will go over the Copy & Paste menu, how to use the Selections tool to duplicate elements of a layer, and how to duplicate whole layers.

The font WildKind is used in this tutorial.

Duplicate a Layer in Procreate

This is the quickest and simplest way to duplicate a layer in Procreate. You don’t need to copy or paste any objects.

With the Layers panel open, swipe left on a layer and tap Duplicate.

The duplicate layer will have the same name as the original layer.

Duplicate with the Copy & Paste Menu in Procreate

There are a number of different processes for duplicating an element in Procreate, but at the root of it, is the Copy & Paste menu.

Cut 

The cut feature will delete the selected object(s) while storing a copy in memory to paste/insert at a later time.

Copy 

The copy feature simply copies the selected object(s) to be pasted/inserted at a later time without deleting the original.

Copy All 

The copy all feature will copy the selected area from all of the layers together, including the Background colors layer. The Inserted Image layer in the following image is the result of using Copy All.

Duplicate

The duplicate feature instantly copies and pastes the selection onto a new layer.

Cut & Paste

The Cut & Paste feature instantly cuts and pastes the selection onto a new layer.

Paste

The paste feature is used to insert the last cut or copied element. You can paste a cut or copied element as many times as you would like. Cut or copied objects can be pasted into any Procreate canvas or even into another app! The following image shows the copied contents pasted into the Notes app.

How to Duplicate Elements Using the Selection Tool

The Selection tool allows you to select elements while masking the rest of the layer. There are four different Selection modes in the Selection toolbar.

Step 1 - Choose the selection mode that best fits your situation

See the following image for a better understanding of the different modes. The masked areas are shown with white and grey stripes. Changes made to the layer will not affect the masked areas.

Step 2 - Duplicate the element

There are two ways to duplicate objects while using the Selection tool we will outline below.

To begin duplicating an element, tap the Selection tool button. Select the elements using one of the Selection modes. Check to make sure you are on the correct layer, as the Selection tool and most of the Copy & Paste menu options only affect the active layer. Keep in mind that this does not apply when using Copy All in the Copy & Paste menu.

Option 1 - Copy & Paste Button

Tap the Copy & Paste button in the Selection toolbar to instantly copy and paste the selection.

Option 2 - Copy & Paste Menu

With three fingers, swipe down on the screen to open the Copy & Paste menu. Make sure all three fingers are contacting the screen at the same time. See earlier in the tutorial for how each Copy & Paste menu option works.

The duplicate element(s) will now be on a new layer, named From selection.

If you enjoyed this tutorial be sure to check out other tutorials including curving text, using alternative glyphs and making Procreate brushes.