Last Updated: November 21, 2025
Essential Gestures - Basic
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Two-finger tap |
Undo
|
| Three-finger tap |
Redo
|
| Two-finger hold |
QuickMenu (customizable)
|
| Pinch |
Zoom in/out
|
| Two-finger rotate |
Rotate canvas
|
| Two-finger drag |
Pan/move canvas
|
| Four-finger tap |
Toggle full screen (hide interface)
|
| Three-finger swipe down |
Copy/Paste menu
|
| Three-finger swipe left/right |
Undo/Redo (alternative)
|
Selection & Transform Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Draw circle, hold |
Create perfect circle (QuickShape)
|
| Draw line, hold |
Create straight line (QuickShape)
|
| Hold with finger after shape |
Edit shape with touch
|
| Scribble on selection |
Clear selection (when ColorDrop tool active)
|
| Drag & drop color |
Fill enclosed area (ColorDrop)
|
| Hold after ColorDrop |
Adjust fill threshold
|
| Tap outside selection |
Deselect
|
| Three fingers down, pause |
Cut
|
| Three fingers down-up quickly |
Copy
|
| Three fingers down-down quickly |
Paste
|
| Pinch layers together |
Merge layers
|
Drawing Assistance Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Touch + drag pencil |
Draw straight line from last point
|
| Touch canvas while drawing |
Eyedropper (sample color)
|
| Touch + hold |
Eyedropper with preview
|
| Swipe from edge |
Adjust brush size (left edge) or opacity (right edge)
|
| Double-tap Apple Pencil |
Switch between current tool and eraser
|
| Draw closed shape quickly |
Auto-close shape (in QuickShape)
|
Layer Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Swipe layer right |
Lock/unlock layer
|
| Swipe layer left |
Delete layer
|
| Tap layer thumbnail |
Select layer
|
| Tap layer name |
Rename layer
|
| Two-finger tap on layer |
Set layer as Alpha Lock
|
| Two fingers on layer thumbnail |
Multi-select layers
|
| Pinch two layers |
Merge layers
|
| Drag layer up/down |
Reorder layers
|
Brush Settings - Studio
| Setting | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Grain |
Source texture for brush - determines brush appearance
|
| Shape |
Brush shape/stamp - what gets repeated
|
| Spacing |
Distance between stamps - lower = smoother
|
| Streamline |
Smooths brush strokes - higher = less jitter
|
| Jitter |
Randomness in stamp placement
|
| Fall off |
How brush edges fade out
|
| Scatter |
Random offset perpendicular to stroke
|
| Rotation |
Angle of brush stamp
|
| Azimuth |
Tilt direction response of Apple Pencil
|
| Tilt |
How pencil tilt affects brush
|
Brush Settings - Dynamics
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Size (Pressure) |
How pressure affects brush size
|
| Opacity (Pressure) |
How pressure affects opacity
|
| Bleed |
How much brush mixes with underlying colors
|
| Wetness |
Paint fluidity in smudge/blend modes
|
| Dilution |
How quickly color depletes as you draw
|
| Charge |
Amount of color loaded onto brush
|
Layer Blend Modes (Most Useful)
| Mode | Effect |
|---|---|
| Normal |
Default - no blending
|
| Multiply |
Darkens - great for shadows
|
| Screen |
Lightens - perfect for highlights/glow
|
| Overlay |
Increases contrast - color adjustments
|
| Soft Light |
Subtle overlay - gentle lighting effects
|
| Hard Light |
Strong overlay - dramatic lighting
|
| Add |
Brightens intensely - glowing effects
|
| Color Burn |
Darkens with saturation increase
|
| Color Dodge |
Brightens with saturation increase
|
| Linear Burn |
Darker than multiply
|
| Darken |
Keeps darkest pixels only
|
| Lighten |
Keeps lightest pixels only
|
Quick Menu (Customizable Actions)
| Recommended Items | Why Include It |
|---|---|
| Flip Horizontal |
Check proportions and perspective quickly
|
| Merge Down |
Fast layer management
|
| Clear Layer |
Quick reset of current layer
|
| Alpha Lock |
Toggle without layer menu
|
| Liquify |
Quick access to push/pull tool
|
| Gaussian Blur |
Most-used blur type
|
| Hue/Saturation/Brightness |
Quick color adjustments
|
| Copy Canvas |
Export to clipboard fast
|
| Reference |
Toggle reference image on/off
|
| Drawing Guide |
Enable symmetry/perspective quickly
|
Adjustment Tools
| Adjustment | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Hue/Saturation/Brightness |
Change colors, boost/reduce saturation, lighten/darken
|
| Color Balance |
Adjust shadows, midtones, highlights separately
|
| Curves |
Advanced tonal control - brighten/darken specific ranges
|
| Gaussian Blur |
Smooth blur - depth of field, soft focus
|
| Motion Blur |
Directional blur - speed effects
|
| Perspective Blur |
Radial blur from center point
|
| Noise |
Add grain/texture to layer
|
| Sharpen |
Increase edge definition
|
| Liquify |
Push, pull, twirl, pinch areas
|
| Clone |
Copy areas to other locations
|
Animation Assist
| Feature | How to Use |
|---|---|
| Enable Animation |
Actions → Canvas → Animation Assist (toggle on)
|
| Frames per second |
12 fps = classic animation, 24 fps = smooth film
|
| Onion skin frames |
See previous/next frames as ghosted layers
|
| Frame duration |
Set individual frame display time
|
| Duplicate frame |
Tap frame, select Duplicate
|
| Play animation |
Tap play button in Animation Assist panel
|
| Background layer |
Set layer as background (visible in all frames)
|
| Foreground layer |
Set layer to appear above all animation frames
|
| Export as MP4/GIF |
Actions → Share → Animated MP4 or Animated GIF
|
Drawing Guides
| Guide Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 2D Grid |
Straight lines and right angles
|
| Isometric |
3D-style technical drawings
|
| Perspective |
1, 2, or 3-point perspective for buildings/environments
|
| Symmetry (Vertical) |
Mirror drawing left/right - faces, symmetrical designs
|
| Symmetry (Horizontal) |
Mirror top/bottom
|
| Symmetry (Quadrant) |
4-way mirror - mandalas, patterns
|
| Symmetry (Radial) |
Rotational symmetry - flowers, kaleidoscopes
|
| Assisted Drawing |
Toggle on to snap to guide, off to draw freely
|
Selection Tools
| Tool | Best For |
|---|---|
| Automatic |
Select similar colors - magic wand style
|
| Freehand |
Draw custom selection shape
|
| Rectangle |
Quick box selections
|
| Ellipse |
Circular/oval selections
|
| Feather |
Soft selection edges - smoother blending
|
| Invert |
Select everything except current selection
|
| Add |
Add to existing selection
|
| Remove |
Subtract from selection
|
| Save/Load |
Store selection for later use
|
Transform Options
| Mode | Function |
|---|---|
| Freeform |
Scale, rotate, move freely
|
| Uniform |
Maintain aspect ratio when scaling
|
| Distort |
Move corner points independently
|
| Warp |
Mesh-based warping for complex distortion
|
| Snapping |
Toggle to snap to 15° increments when rotating
|
| Magnetics |
Snap to canvas center and edges
|
| Interpolation |
Bilinear (smooth) vs. Nearest Neighbor (pixelated)
|
💡 Pro Tips:
- Enable Interface Options → Right-Handed/Left-Handed for optimal UI placement
- Use Reference window (Actions → Canvas → Reference) to view image while drawing
- Turn on Pressure and Smoothing in Prefs → Gesture Controls for better control
- Create custom color palettes: tap + in Colors panel
- Use Alpha Lock on layers to paint only on existing pixels (prevents overflow)
- Clipping Mask: tap layer → Clipping Mask (paints only where layer below exists)
- Maximum canvas size depends on layer count - fewer layers = larger canvas
- Export as PSD to continue work in Photoshop with layers intact