How to Curve Text in Procreate

In this tutorial, we will go over a few different ways you can curve text in Procreate. We’ll start with the simplest method and end with the method that takes the most amount of time and adjustments.

There are tons of great font duos and trios on Font Bundles, and the one we’ve chosen to use is the Helton font family. We will first import the font into Procreate and then add our text. We typed ‘Design Bundles’ for this tutorial.

We have tons of Procreate Palettes and Procreate Brush sets to boost your digital creations, so be sure to check them out!

Curve Text in Procreate Using the Liquify Tool

Using Liquify to curve text is easy, but it’s a bit hard to gauge exactly how much your text is going to curve and stretch.

Note: Once you use the Liquify tool, the text will become rasterized. You will no longer be able to change what the text says, so duplicate the text layer beforehand if needed.

Create your text layer using the font the of your choice. Do this by going to the Actions or wrench tool at the top toolbar, then tap on Add > Add Text. We have an excellent tutorial on how to edit text in Procreate to get you started.

Step 1 - Enable Liquify Tool

With the text layer selected in the Layers panel, tap the Adjustments button, and choose Liquify.

Step 2 - Adjust Liquify Tool Push Brush Settings

Select Push in the toolbar at the bottom. Push works like the smudge tool, except instead of smudging/blending, Push moves the pixels. Adjust the size of the brush. The brush size will depend on the size of your text.

You don’t want the brush to be so small that it doesn’t curve enough of the text, but you also don’t want the brush to be so large that it’s curving more of the text than you want.

We only use the Liquify Tool Push mode for this tutorial, but you can take a look at our tutorial about how to use the Liquify tool in Procreate to learn more about its other features.

Step 3 - Push to Curve Text

The Liquify tool works like a brush. Draw strokes in the direction you want to curve the text. Remember you are not drawing the curve itself, but instead pushing the existing pixels to where you want them to be.

It's not necessary, but it's helpful to toggle on Brush cursor in Procreate preferences (Actions > Prefs). With Brush cursor toggled on, you will be able to see the outline of the brush as you draw.

Curve Text in Procreate Using the Warp Tool

With the warp tool, you will have to make a lot of little adjustments using the warp mesh.

Note: Again, the text will become rasterized once you use the Warp tool. You will no longer be able to change what the text says, so duplicate the text layer beforehand if needed.

Step 1 - Sketch Lines and Align Text

Decide how you want to curve the text and sketch some lines to help guide you. Horizontally center the sketch lines on the canvas. Place the text between the sketch lines with the text horizontally centered on the canvas.

Step 2 - Enable Warp Tool

With your text layer selected, tap the Transform button. Next, choose Warp in the toolbar at the bottom, and tap Advanced Mesh.

Step 3 - Warp to Curve Text

If you are curving text in a symmetrical shape, try to keep the blue dots symmetrical as well. See the following image for a better understanding.

In the following image, the dots on the left side and the dots on the right side should line up. Some of the dots in our example don't exactly line up, but that's the risk of using the Warp tool to curve text.

Curve Text in Procreate by Manually Adjusting Each Letter

Manually adjusting each letter to curve text is the best way to make sure the letters stay the same size. This method should not be used with a script font. Go ahead and add your text in Procreate.

Note: Again, the text will become rasterized once you select a letter and start to move/rotate it. You will no longer be able to change what the text says, so duplicate the text layer beforehand if needed.

Step 1 - Sketch Guides and Align Text

Decide how you want to curve the text and sketch some lines to help guide you. Horizontally center the lines on the canvas, and place the text between the sketch lines with the text horizontally centered on the canvas.

Step 2 - Select Letters and Adjust Snapping Settings

With the text layer selected in the Layers panel, tap the Selections button. Select a single letter by drawing around the letter using Freehand, Rectangle, or Ellipse. We suggest starting with the letter closest to the middle.

Next, tap the Transform button. Tap Snapping in the Transform toolbar, and toggle off Magnetics and Snapping. We want to be able to freely move and rotate the letter.

Step 3 - Move and Rotate Letter

Move the letter to its new location according to the sketch lines. Rotate the letter as needed. Continue selecting, moving, and rotating for the rest of the letters. Be mindful of the spacing between the letters and words.

Tip: If you ever find that your letters overlap, undo and follow these steps. Select the letter. Then swipe down on the canvas with three fingers to open the Copy & Paste menu. Tap Cut & Paste. This will place the letter on a separate layer so the letters don't overlap on the same layer.

If you liked this tutorial, make sure to check out some of our other Procreate tutorials such as using Alpha Lock, creating a clipping mask, and using drawing guides.

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