How to Import Clipart into Procreate

Clipart can save time when you need a flower, label, or small illustration inside a larger piece of artwork. In Procreate, the simplest route is to insert a transparent PNG onto an open canvas. The image becomes a layer that you can move and resize. It remains a pixel image, so start with enough resolution for the size you intend to print.

This guide uses Procreate on iPad and the menu names in its handbook. The exact arrangement of icons may shift with an app update, but the path is Actions > Add > Insert a file. You will also use the iPad Files app to locate the download.

Prepare the clipart in Files

Download the product and save it to a known location in Files, such as On My iPad or iCloud Drive. If it arrives as a ZIP, tap the archive in Files to extract it, then open the resulting folder. Do not try to insert the ZIP itself. Look for the PNG artwork rather than a preview JPG or instruction PDF. A clipart bundle may hold several separate PNGs and a contact sheet, so choose the individual image you want.

Check the image's pixel dimensions if the listing supplies them. Procreate can scale the layer on screen, but enlarging a small bitmap cannot create new detail. If you are making a card or print, decide the final physical size before building the canvas. A canvas sized for print at an appropriate resolution gives you a clearer limit than repeatedly enlarging a small sticker-sized asset.

Insert the PNG onto a canvas

1. Open Procreate and create or open the canvas for your project.
2. Tap the Actions wrench icon.
3. Open Add, then tap Insert a file.
4. Browse in Files to the extracted clipart folder and tap the .png you want.
5. Use the transform handles to place and size the new layer. Keep its proportions intact unless the design is meant to be stretched.
6. Open Layers to rename the inserted layer, then repeat for any additional images.

If the clipart is already in the Photos app, Insert a photo is another route. Files is the more direct path when you downloaded a ZIP or need to see exact filenames. The handbook lists PNG, JPEG, and PSD as compatible for insertion. An SVG cut file is not the expected source for this workflow; use its PNG companion if the product includes one.

Build with separate layers

Keep each inserted motif on its own layer while arranging a card, planner page, or printable. That lets you change one flower without moving the border underneath it. Rename layers by subject rather than leaving several copies of “Inserted Image.” Group related layers when the composition is settled, and keep an unflattened working copy before export.

To check transparency, hide the canvas background temporarily or place a colored layer beneath the clipart. A transparent PNG will let the color show around the art. If you see a solid white rectangle, confirm you picked the intended PNG and not a JPEG or preview. If the PNG itself contains white pixels, those pixels are part of the art; Procreate will not treat them as transparent by filename alone.

When resizing, make most of your changes in one transform. Repeatedly shrinking and enlarging a pixel layer can soften detail. If the art becomes too small or fuzzy, undo and insert the original file again. For print projects, inspect the result at the actual output size rather than trusting a zoomed-out canvas view.

Make a simple printable card

1. Create a canvas at the intended print dimensions and resolution.
2. Add a plain background layer, then insert one PNG motif on a separate layer.
3. Position the art away from trim and fold lines. Leave room for any text you will add.
4. Duplicate the working document before flattening or exporting.
5. Export a test image and print it at actual size. Check the edge detail and color on paper.

This small proof catches a flower that looks right on an iPad but lands too close to a cut edge. If you plan to print with bleed, follow the print service's measurements. For a home printer, account for its nonprintable margins before placing artwork at the edge of the page.

Export without losing the useful version

Keep the layered Procreate document as your working copy. For sharing a flat image, use the format that matches the destination. PNG can preserve transparency when the background is off; JPEG does not. If you export a finished card with a colored background, either format may be acceptable depending on the printer's requirements. Check the exported file once in Files so you know the background and dimensions are what you expected.

Do not assume that exporting as PNG makes clipart a cut file. A PNG is still pixels. A cutting workflow needs a cut outline set in the cutter software or a separate vector file. Likewise, a Procreate layer does not automatically become a sublimation-ready transfer; confirm print size, mirroring, and blank compatibility for that use.

If the file does not appear

You are looking inside the ZIP

Return to Files, tap the ZIP to extract it, then open the extracted folder. If the archive contains nested folders, keep opening them until you see .png files. If you only see a contact sheet, check whether the product listing promised individual clipart files and contact the seller if they are missing.

The clipart looks blurry

Check whether you inserted a small preview rather than the full-resolution PNG. Reinsert the original and compare pixel dimensions. Keep the art near its intended print size. If you need a much larger print than the listing supports, choose a larger source file instead of repeatedly scaling up.

The background looks wrong

Place a colored layer underneath. If the white area stays, inspect the source file. If the area disappears, the clipart is transparent and the white came from your canvas background. This quick test is more reliable than judging the thumbnail in Files.

If you sell printed work made with the art, check the license. CraftFile Studio's Commercial tier permits up to 500 finished units per design without print on demand; Extended permits unlimited units and print on demand. Personal covers your own projects and gifts. None permits selling or sharing the original PNG.

Related files

• PNG designs for transparent artwork and print projects.