How to Make a Background Transparent in Procreate

The short answer

To get a transparent background in Procreate, turn off the Background color layer in the Layers panel, then export the artwork as a PNG. Two conditions matter. First, transparency only applies where no visible layer has pixels, so any painted or photographic background on another layer must be removed. Second, the file format has to support transparency: PNG keeps it, while JPEG fills empty areas with a solid color.

Removing the background from a photo takes more work, because the photo's background is part of the image layer itself. You select or mask the subject, discard or hide everything else, and then hide the Background color layer before exporting.

A note on what this guide does and does not cover

This is an image-editing task. It does not involve webcam microphones, audio input selection or speech capture, so those topics are not covered here. A transparent PNG made in Procreate can be useful elsewhere, for example as an overlay or logo in video software that accepts images with transparency. Whether a particular conferencing or virtual camera app supports transparent overlays depends on that app, and no evidence about specific apps was supplied for this article.

Menu names and icon positions can change between Procreate versions, and the iPhone version, Procreate Pocket, arranges some controls differently. The steps below describe the general workflow. If a control is not where it is described, check the current Procreate Handbook for your version.

Make a drawing's background transparent

• 1. Open your artwork and tap the Layers icon, which shows two overlapping squares, in the top-right toolbar.
• 2. Find the Background color layer at the bottom of the layer stack.
• 3. Uncheck the box on that layer to hide it. The canvas should now show a gray-and-white checkerboard wherever there are no pixels. The checkerboard is how Procreate displays transparency.
• 4. If you still see a solid color, another layer is covering the canvas. Hide or delete that layer, or erase the unwanted area.
• 5. Tap the Actions menu (the wrench icon), choose Share, and select PNG.
• 6. Save or send the file. Then open it in another app or place it over a different background to confirm the empty areas stay see-through.

Remove the background from a photo

Start by bringing the photo into a canvas. Use Actions, then Add, then Insert a photo, or open it as a new canvas from the Gallery. The photo arrives as its own layer, and you can use either of the following methods on it.

Method 1: Selection, then delete

• 1. With the photo layer active, tap the Selection tool, which is the ribbon-shaped icon.
• 2. Choose Automatic to select areas of similar color with a tap. Drag your finger or stylus left or right after tapping to lower or raise the selection threshold. This works best when the background is a fairly even color that contrasts with the subject.
• 3. Choose Freehand instead to trace around the subject by hand. This suits busy or low-contrast backgrounds.
• 4. If you selected the subject rather than the background, use Invert so the background becomes the selection.
• 5. Remove the selected area. You can tap the layer and choose Clear, or use the three-finger swipe-down Copy & Paste menu and choose Cut.
• 6. Hide the Background color layer and confirm the checkerboard shows where the background used to be.

Method 2: Layer mask (non-destructive)

• 1. Tap the photo layer's thumbnail and choose Mask. A white mask layer appears linked above it.
• 2. With the mask selected, paint black over the background to hide it. Paint white to bring areas back. Shades of gray give partial transparency.
• 3. You can also make a selection first and fill it with black on the mask for a cleaner edge.
• 4. Hide the Background color layer and check the result against the checkerboard.

The mask method keeps the original pixels, so you can fix edges later. The selection-and-delete method is quicker but permanent once you leave undo range. Using the Eraser directly on the photo layer also works for small cleanups, but like deleting, it permanently removes pixels.

Choosing the right export format

Format | Keeps transparency | Typical use

PNG | Yes | Single flattened image with transparent areas

JPEG | No, transparent areas are filled | Photos where transparency is not needed

PSD | Yes, with layers preserved | Continuing work in other layer-based editors

Procreate | Yes, with layers preserved | Continuing work in Procreate

If you need each layer as a separate transparent image, the Share menu also offers layer-based PNG export options. The exact names of these options vary by version.

If the background is still not transparent

• The Background color layer is still checked: hide it before exporting.
• Another layer contains a fill or leftover pixels: hide layers one at a time to find it.
• The file was exported as JPEG: export it again as PNG.
• The app you opened it in displays transparency as white or black: place the image over a colored background in a layer-aware app to check.
• Edges look rough or haloed: refine them with a soft brush on a layer mask rather than a hard eraser.

Evidence gaps

No version-specific documentation, measurements or test results were supplied for this article. The steps reflect Procreate's commonly documented layer, selection, mask and export workflow and have not been verified here against a specific release. Treat exact menu labels as approximate and confirm them in the version you are using.