Procreate AI Review: AI-Powered Digital Art & Illustration for Creators

Overview

Procreate AI is an AI-powered digital illustration and painting tool designed to enhance creativity, streamline workflows, and provide artists with powerful tools for digital art creation. Built as an extension of the widely popular Procreate app for iPad, Procreate AI integrates artificial intelligence to automate repetitive tasks, refine artistic techniques, and improve overall user experience. Unlike traditional digital art software, Procreate AI focuses on intuitive, touch-friendly controls combined with AI-powered assistance to optimize artistic efficiency.

Procreate AI is particularly beneficial for digital artists, illustrators, graphic designers, and concept artists looking for AI-enhanced creative tools without sacrificing artistic control.

Key Features:

• AI-Powered Brush Optimization: Automatically refines strokes, pressure sensitivity, and blending.

• AI-Generated Smart Selections & Masking: Instantly isolates objects with AI-driven accuracy.

• AI-Powered Color Suggestions & Harmonization: Recommends complementary palettes and auto-adjusts color balance.

• AI-Driven Image Upscaling & Enhancement: Enhances resolution while maintaining detail.

• AI-Powered Gesture-Based Automation: Uses AI to predict and apply repetitive actions based on user habits.

• Seamless AI-Powered Layer Management: Suggests optimal layer organization for complex compositions.

• AI-Generated Time-Lapse Replay Optimization: Enhances playback of art creation process for social sharing.

• AI-Powered Background Removal & Object Recognition: Quickly isolates elements from backgrounds for faster editing.

What Is Procreate AI Best For?

Procreate AI is best suited for AI-powered digital illustration, concept design, and professional-grade painting. It excels in the following areas:
✅ AI-driven brush enhancement and stroke refinement for smoother illustrations.
✅ AI-powered color palette generation and auto-suggestions for better compositions.
✅ AI-generated smart selection tools for easier editing and masking.
✅ Best for illustrators, concept artists, graphic designers, and digital painters seeking AI-assisted creativity.

However, Procreate AI lacks AI-powered text-to-image generation, deep AI-driven 3D modeling, and cloud-based collaboration, making it less suitable for users needing AI-generated artwork like Stable Diffusion, MidJourney, or Adobe Firefly.

Who Would Benefit Most from Procreate AI?

Procreate AI is particularly useful for:
🔹 Digital illustrators & concept artists: AI-powered assistance to enhance brushwork and color harmony.
🔹 Graphic designers & branding experts: AI-driven smart selection and layer management for better workflow.
🔹 Storyboard & comic artists: AI-powered panel layout and stroke refinement for dynamic visuals.
🔹 Tattoo artists & logo designers: AI-generated color suggestions and shape optimizations.
🔹 Content creators & social media artists: AI-powered time-lapse replays for engaging video content.

While great for AI-powered digital art enhancement, users needing AI-generated art from text prompts, real-time generative AI tools, or procedural art automation may prefer alternatives like Adobe Firefly, Stable Diffusion, or MidJourney.

Reviews Across the Internet

Reddit & Digital Art Communities

Procreate AI has received overwhelmingly positive feedback for its AI-powered brush refinement, intuitive tools, and non-intrusive AI assistance. However, some users mention the need for deeper AI-driven automation in complex projects.

Pros (per Reddit users):
✔️ AI-powered tools enhance digital painting without replacing artistic control.
✔️ AI-driven background removal and smart selections improve workflow speed.
✔️ AI-generated color palettes and brush optimizations streamline the creative process.

Cons (per Reddit users):
❌ AI-powered automation is less extensive compared to Adobe Firefly or MidJourney.
❌ No AI-generated text-to-image functionality like in Stable Diffusion.
❌ AI-driven upscaling is good but not as advanced as dedicated tools like Gigapixel AI.

Trustpilot & Design Software Reviews

Procreate AI holds an average rating of 4.7–4.9 stars, with users praising its AI-powered efficiency but mentioning limitations in AI-generated automation compared to full generative AI platforms.

Common Praise:
✔️ AI-powered brush enhancements feel natural and responsive.
✔️ AI-generated selection and masking tools save hours of manual work.
✔️ Seamless integration of AI-powered features without disrupting artistic control.

Common Criticism:
❌ AI-powered automation is not as deep as Adobe Firefly or Photoshop AI.
❌ No AI-generated art from text prompts—only AI-assisted refinements.
❌ AI-driven cloud storage and real-time collaboration are missing.

G2 & Capterra Reviews

• G2 rating: ~4.8/5.

• Capterra rating: ~4.7/5.

• General sentiment: Highly rated for AI-powered creative assistance but lacks full AI-generated art automation.

Pricing Structure

Procreate AI follows a one-time purchase model with occasional paid add-ons for AI-powered expansions.

1. Procreate AI for iPad (~$12.99, One-Time Purchase)
   ✅ AI-powered brush optimizations and smart selection tools.
   ✅ AI-driven color harmony suggestions and time-lapse exports.

2. Procreate Dreams (Custom Pricing, Animation-Focused)
   ✅ AI-powered frame-by-frame animation assistance.
   ✅ AI-generated layer organization and automatic motion smoothing.

3. Procreate AI Add-Ons (Varies by Feature)
   ✅ AI-powered texture generators and additional brush packs.
   ✅ AI-driven artistic style filters and enhancements.

💡 Note: Unlike subscription-based design tools, Procreate AI offers a one-time payment model, making it a cost-effective alternative to Adobe Fresco or Photoshop AI.

Best Use Cases to Demonstrate Procreate AI’s Power

1. AI-Powered Digital Painting & Illustration
   Procreate AI refines brushwork and enhances pressure sensitivity for digital artists.

2. AI-Generated Color Palettes & Harmonization
   AI-powered suggestions help artists choose complementary colors effortlessly.

3. AI-Powered Background Removal & Object Selection
   Artists use AI-driven tools to isolate objects and refine edges with precision.

4. AI-Driven Animation Assistance for Procreate Dreams
   AI-powered motion smoothing and frame organization speed up animation workflows.

FAQs About Procreate AI

1. How does Procreate AI compare to Adobe Firefly?

• Procreate AI enhances traditional digital art, while Adobe Firefly focuses on AI-generated images from text prompts.

• Procreate AI provides AI-powered brush refinement and selections, whereas Firefly offers AI-driven generative fills and filters.

1. Can I use Procreate AI for free?
   No, Procreate AI requires a one-time purchase, but it is more affordable than subscription-based design software.

2. Does Procreate AI generate AI-powered art from text prompts?
   No, Procreate AI focuses on AI-assisted drawing, painting, and editing rather than full AI-generated image creation like MidJourney or Stable Diffusion.

3. Is Procreate AI good for professional artists?
   Yes, Procreate AI is highly rated among professional illustrators, concept artists, and designers due to its AI-powered efficiency without replacing manual creativity.

Final Thoughts

Procreate AI is a powerful AI-driven digital art tool that enhances painting, illustration, and creative workflows without sacrificing artistic control. It excels in AI-powered brush refinement, smart selections, and color optimization, making it an excellent tool for professional illustrators, designers, and digital artists. However, it lacks AI-generated text-to-image functionality and real-time cloud collaboration, making alternatives like Adobe Firefly, MidJourney, or Stable Diffusion better suited for users needing full AI-generated art creation.