To use Barrel Roll functionality in Procreate, you first need to enable and customize it within the Brush Studio for a compatible brush. This feature, designed for the Apple Pencil Pro, allows your digital brush strokes to respond dynamically to the rotation of your pencil.
Enabling Barrel Roll Functionality
Activating and customizing Barrel Roll involves navigating Procreate's Brush Studio, where you can tailor how your selected brush responds to your Apple Pencil Pro's rotation.
Here's a step-by-step guide to set it up:
- Open Procreate and tap the Brushes icon (a paintbrush) in the top right menu to open the Brushes panel.
- Select a Brush: Choose any brush you wish to customize. For best results, consider duplicating a default brush first by swiping left on it and tapping
Duplicateto preserve the original. - Enter Brush Studio: Tap the selected brush again to open the Brush Studio.
- Access Apple Pencil Settings: Within the Brush Studio, look for and tap the Apple Pencil tab on the left-hand menu. This is where you'll find specific settings related to the Apple Pencil Pro's advanced capabilities.
- Configure Barrel Roll:
- Locate the "Barrel Roll" section.
- Here, you can adjust various parameters like Size, Opacity, Flow, or Color to be controlled by the rotation of your Apple Pencil Pro.
- Use the graphs or sliders to define how sensitive the brush attribute is to the pencil's rotation. For instance, you can make a calligraphic brush's width change dramatically with a slight rotation or subtly.
- Test Your Settings: Use the drawing pad on the left side of the Brush Studio to test your adjustments in real-time as you rotate your Apple Pencil Pro.
- Save Changes: Once satisfied, tap Done in the top right corner to save your customized brush.
What Does Barrel Roll Do?
Barrel Roll detects the precise rotation of your Apple Pencil Pro along its longitudinal axis, allowing for nuanced and realistic brush effects that mimic traditional art tools.
Key applications include:
- Calligraphy and Lettering: Achieve authentic thick and thin strokes with ease, just like using a broad-nib pen, by simply rotating your pencil.
- Realistic Brushwork: For brushes designed to emulate natural media (e.g., charcoal, paint, pastels), Barrel Roll can create natural variations in texture, width, or angle based on how you hold and rotate your pencil.
- Dynamic Artistic Effects: Link rotation to brush attributes such as brush shape, scattering, or color jitter for unique, expressive, and interactive drawing and painting experiences.
Practical Tips for Using Barrel Roll
To get the most out of Barrel Roll in Procreate, consider these practical tips:
- Experiment Broadly: Don't limit yourself to just calligraphy brushes. Try enabling Barrel Roll for flat brushes, textured brushes, or even stamps to discover unique effects.
- Combine with Other Dynamics: Barrel Roll works in conjunction with other Apple Pencil features like pressure sensitivity and tilt. Experiment with how these different dynamics interact to create incredibly rich and responsive brushes.
- Start with Duplicates: Always duplicate a brush before making extensive modifications. This ensures you can revert to the original if your customizations don't achieve the desired effect.
- Utilize the Drawing Pad: The drawing pad within the Brush Studio is an invaluable tool. Use it continuously while making adjustments to see immediate feedback on how your brush responds to rotation.
Compatibility Note
It's crucial to remember that the Barrel Roll feature is exclusive to the Apple Pencil Pro. This means you must have an Apple Pencil Pro and an iPad model compatible with it (e.g., iPad Air M2, iPad Pro M4) to utilize this functionality in Procreate. It will not work with previous generations of Apple Pencil.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Function | Changes brush attributes based on Apple Pencil Pro's rotation |
| Location | Procreate's Brush Studio > Apple Pencil tab |
| Benefit | Enhances realism, control, and expressive potential for digital art |
| Compatibility | Exclusively with Apple Pencil Pro on compatible iPads |
