When we designed our original layers interface, we had no idea it would be copied by so many competing apps. Unfortunately for those guys, we’ve spent the last few months redesigning and rethinking a completely new way to manage layers. At first glance, you could easily be fooled into thinking there isn’t much to it. But the real beauty of the new Layers interface is in its understated simplicity. Instead of lots small scattered icons, much of the interface is now controlled by simple gestures!
Now that Procreate can create up to 128 layers (smaller canvases), managing layers can get out of hand very quickly. But with the new Layers interface you can fit 11 layers in portrait or 8 in landscape. Combined with thumbnails that zoom to display the subject of the layer, usability has drastically improved.
Modifying a single layer is also improved. Shown below is the tidy new interface to rename or otherwise change a layer.
With the inclusion of many new blend modes, we’ve created a much easier way to choose between the different modes. They’re now also divided up into their respective categories, which makes experimenting a breeze.
But wait until you see all the quick multitouch gestures. This is where the real power is…
