Procreate Dreams 4+

So far good but updates will probably improve

I’ve run into a couple things so far while using procreate dreams. Something that may be helpful is being able to set a standard new frame length. Another thing is that even if you make a layer not visible with the check box you can still erase that layer even if you can’t see it. I’ve ended up on the wrong layer by accident only to realize I have erased my image by accident. Onion skin is too hidden, it’s in the toner which unless looked up I would not have found. Reading the manual is definitely a must so you know the finger gestures are needed to be able to resize the frames. When resizing frames I have run into the issue that the undo is accepted instead given that the actions both take two fingers for undo or the frame resizing. The three finger gestures seem fine. 4 fingers fine as well. I am still enjoying that app. There are also sum of lower level procreate functions I felt would have moved over like the hold to make a straight line but it doesn’t seem to be there. In a whole it’s definitely a simpler interface but if the lack of procreate features in dreams is meant to make me use procreate and transfer my work then I would just recommend flipaclip if you’re used to tradition animation or toon squid. Procreate dreams is still new however and I still find it very useful and helpful. The perform function has been a real time saver.

Good, but could be better

I left an earlier review, but I’ve been drawing more and realized a few bad things. First off, you can barely select anything. You can select the whole object in the track, but you can’t select individual layers, which makes things very difficult because sometimes I just want to move a layer to the correct place but cannot unless it is a completely different track, which I don’t always want. Second, there is no shape tool, in procreate holding down the shape makes it perfect, what happened to that? Third, copy and paste, really you just can’t do much with layers that you can in procreate, you can copy and paste a whole frame, but not just a layer. Reference isn’t a option for layers. The main problems are just in the layers, please add selecting for layers. Also, there is the select mode, the options are content and track, but both only select track. I don’t know if this is a glitch or what but.. they are both the track. So please add shape tool, selecting layers, and if possible most things layers have on procreate, alpha lock, reference. It’s just, for 10 more dollars, it seems like it should have the same things procreate has. This app is good for animating, but seems like a bit of a downgrade to procreate drawing wise. But besides like… the drawing process, this app is great! Has many tools to animate easier, anchor points, lots of good things. I just with it had the things I’ve listed above.

The original app was more intuitive

I was really looking forward to this app. I thought it would be the same as the original procreate, but with added layers for different animation, and the ability to add sound. Which it is, but way more complicated. My biggest complaints right now is the lack of a lasso tool to help adjust specific parts of drawings, how small the work area is with the timeline taking up half the screen, and how complicated it is to adjust the frames and lengths.
It was much easier in the original, being able to specify how many frames you wanted the drawing to extend to whether or not a frame was already in front of it. For this, now I need drag all of the frames individually ahead just to extend a frame. Why can’t I drag all of them at once, or just be able to extend the frame and have it just push the others ahead like the original? Also, is there still no way to change the opacity of the rough layer?
It’s also really annoying that the animation only plays the portion that you’re currently zoomed into. Why not just have it all play out like intended? If you just want a portion played out, have a highlight or isolate option. It would also be great if you put the option to have the original app’s animation orientation just so we can have a bigger work area.
The way it was in the original app wasn’t perfect, but it worked so well. All it needed was the option for animation layers, and the option to animate to sound.

Developer Response ,

Hey AgentDajo - Thank you for using Procreate Dreams and for sharing your feedback with us. In terms of extending a frame that sits among other frames, you can use the following steps to extend it without having to manually move other frames: while adjusting the duration of your content, hold another finger down on the screen. This will activate Free Trim and will automatically push content along when you extend the duration into it, as well as pull adjacent content with you when you adjust the beginning duration. This feature works for multiple frames as well. As for the Selections tool for Draw & Paint, it is being worked on at the moment and we are trying to get it to our users as soon as we can. It will, however, still need a bit of time in development. To adjust the opacity of your drawing layer, head into the Layers Panel in Draw & Paint, tap the icon next to the Visibility Checkbox and you should be able to see the Opacity Slider. As for your other suggestions, we will take them on board for future development. We look forward to bringing you an improved animation experience in the future. 🙏