Procreate Dreams Animation: iPad Animation from the Makers of Procreate

Procreate Dreams is Savage Interactive's dedicated animation application for iPad, bringing the same intuitive interface, Apple Pencil integration, and one-time purchase model that made Procreate the most popular digital illustration app on iPad to the world of animation. Released in late 2023, Procreate Dreams has quickly established itself as one of the most accessible and capable animation tools available for iPad artists who want to explore animation without the complexity of professional desktop animation software.

The application's most important characteristic is its accessibility for illustrators who are new to animation. Where professional animation software like Adobe Animate or Toon Boom Harmony can be intimidating for artists who are primarily illustrators, Procreate Dreams is designed to feel familiar to anyone who already uses Procreate, with an interface and workflow that builds on the Procreate experience rather than requiring artists to learn an entirely new paradigm.

The Animation Tools

The frame-by-frame animation tools are the foundation of Procreate Dreams, providing a traditional flipbook-style animation workflow that allows artists to create animations by drawing each frame individually. The frame-by-frame tools are particularly well-suited to illustrators who want to create hand-drawn animations with the expressive, personal quality that characterises the best traditional animation.

The flipbook mode is one of the most distinctive and intuitive aspects of the frame-by-frame animation tools, allowing artists to flip through frames quickly to check the flow of their animation in a way that feels similar to flipping through a physical flipbook. The flipbook mode is particularly valuable for checking the timing and flow of animations before committing to the final timing.

The onion skinning feature shows transparent overlays of adjacent frames while drawing, making it easy to maintain consistency between frames and to create smooth, fluid animation. The onion skinning feature is one of the most important tools for frame-by-frame animation, and Procreate Dreams' implementation is intuitive and well-integrated with the overall workflow.

The keyframe animation tools provide an alternative to frame-by-frame animation, allowing artists to create animations by defining key positions and letting the application interpolate the movement between them. The keyframe animation tools are particularly well-suited to animating elements like camera movements, background pans, and other smooth, continuous movements that would be tedious to animate frame by frame.

The Timeline Interface

The timeline interface is one of the most important aspects of Procreate Dreams, providing a visual representation of the animation's structure that allows artists to manage the timing and sequencing of different elements. The timeline is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, with a visual representation that makes it easy to understand the structure of the animation at a glance.

The track system allows artists to organise their animation into separate tracks for different elements, making it easy to manage complex animations with multiple moving parts. The track system is particularly valuable for animations that combine frame-by-frame drawn elements with keyframe-animated elements, allowing each type of element to be managed independently.

The timing controls allow artists to adjust the timing of individual frames and sequences, making it easy to fine-tune the pacing and rhythm of an animation. The timing controls are intuitive and responsive, with the ability to adjust timing by dragging frames in the timeline or by entering specific values.

The Procreate Integration

The Procreate integration is one of the most important practical features of Procreate Dreams for artists who already use Procreate, allowing artwork created in Procreate to be imported directly into Dreams for animation. The integration makes it practical to create character designs, backgrounds, and other elements in Procreate and then animate them in Dreams without the need for file conversion or other workflow interruptions.

The brush compatibility means that all of the brushes available in Procreate are also available in Procreate Dreams, allowing artists to maintain a consistent drawing style across their illustration and animation work. The brush compatibility is particularly valuable for artists who have invested in developing a specific brush set in Procreate and who want to use the same brushes in their animation work.

The Apple Pencil Support

The Apple Pencil support is one of the most important aspects of Procreate Dreams for iPad artists, with full support for Apple Pencil pressure and tilt sensitivity. The Apple Pencil support allows artists to draw with a natural, responsive feel that is similar to drawing with a real pen or pencil, making the application well-suited to artists who want to create expressive, hand-drawn animations.

The pressure sensitivity allows artists to create lines with variable width that responds to the pressure applied to the Apple Pencil, producing a natural, expressive line quality that is characteristic of hand-drawn animation. The pressure sensitivity is particularly valuable for animators who want to create animations with a distinctive, hand-drawn quality.

The Export Options

The export options cover the standard formats required for sharing and distributing animations, including MP4 video, animated GIF, and PNG sequence. The export options are straightforward and easy to use, with clear controls for setting the resolution, frame rate, and other export parameters.

The MP4 export is the most widely used export format, providing a standard video file that can be shared on social media, embedded in websites, or used in other digital contexts. The MP4 export supports a range of resolutions and frame rates, making it practical to create animations for different platforms and purposes.

The One-Time Purchase Value

The one-time purchase at $19.99 provides permanent access to the full feature set of Procreate Dreams, without the ongoing cost of a subscription. The one-time purchase model is one of the most attractive aspects of the application, providing professional-grade animation tools at a price that is accessible to artists at every level.

The affordable pricing makes Procreate Dreams particularly accessible to illustrators who want to explore animation without a significant financial commitment, and it reflects Savage Interactive's consistent commitment to the one-time purchase model that has made Procreate so popular.

The Bottom Line

Procreate Dreams is one of the most accessible and capable animation tools available for iPad artists, bringing the intuitive interface and Apple Pencil integration of Procreate to frame-by-frame and keyframe animation at a one-time purchase price. For illustrators who want to explore animation in a familiar, accessible environment, Procreate Dreams is one of the most compelling and practical options available.