For Procreate Artists, Is it Worth Upgrading to an Apple Pencil Pro?

I LOVE using my Apple Pencil to draw with Procreate. In fact, the Apple Pencil is what you’re supposed to use with Procreate, so it’s the natural choice.

Naturally then, when I saw that they were introducing an Apple Pencil Pro, I was curious.

My second generation Apple Pencil is amazing – would a Pro version be even more amazing? But how could you even make it any better? So, I did some research.

For the sake of this article, I’m going to be focusing on the perks of using an Apple Pencil Pro specifically in Procreate. As a Procreate artist, is it worth upgrading?

Spoiler alert: I decided to stick with my second generation Apple Pencil. If something happens to my Apple Pencil, I’ll get a Pro as a replacement because, at the time of this writing, the price makes sense.

At the time of this writing, it is cheaper to get an Apple Pencil Pro on Amazon.  

While the things you can do in Procreate with the Apple Pencil Pro are cool, I didn’t personally feel the need to upgrade right now.

You may feel differently though, so let’s look at the things you can do in Procreate with an Apple Pencil Pro.

Important note: before even considering the Apple Pencil Pro, make sure it’s compatible with your iPad. You can check that on the Apple website.

Alright, let’s jump into the features.

Barrel Roll for Brush Changes

The barrel roll feature allows you to control brush parameters like shape rotation, stroke jitter, color, size, opacity, etc by rolling your Apple Pencil Pro in your fingers. 

The thing that I found the most enticing about barrel roll is being able to change the angle to my brush just by twisting the Apple Pencil Pro. This could be especially handy for stamp brushes that normally require a lot of repositioning.

It’s also pretty neat to be able to make a color changing brush. Once set up the change colors, simply twist the Apple Pencil Pro as you’re drawing to change the color of your line. Given my style of art, I don’t think I would find a large use for this myself, but it’s a cool trick.

Keep in mind that the barrel roll feature needs to be enabled within the brush settings for each brush. It is not something that happens automatically for each setting of each brush.

In addition, make sure to have your brush cursor turned on so that you can see what’s happening.

The barrel roll feature could potentially be really useful, depending on your style of art. It has a TON of potential. Personally, while I think it’s awesome, I didn’t see how I would use it a lot with my own style right now.

Liquify

This setting can be found in the Liquify settings, not the brush settings. It still involves rolling this Apple Pencil Pro though, so I thought I’d include it here. This setting is quite specific, but it’s cool. Within the Liquify settings, choose the Twirl feature. Then, twist your Apple Pencil Pro between your fingers to add the twirling liquify effect to your art!

Of course, this may only be helpful if you use the twirl liquify feature a lot, but it’s fun.

Squeeze Function for Custom Actions

As the name implies, this is something that activates when you squeeze your Apple Pencil Pro. 

When you navigate to Gesture Controls, you have the option to assign different actions to different types of behaviors. For example, holding down a finger to activate the eyedropper.

With an Apple Pencil Pro, you can assign “squeeze” as an action that triggers a behavior like selecting a layer, QuickMenu, eyedropper, ect. Keep in mind that not all of the gestures can be used with the squeeze action.

Haptic Feedback

Haptic feedback is less about what you see while creating art, and more about what you feel. This adds a tactile experience when making selections and transforming content in your Procreate art. 

For example, the Apple Pencil Pro could vibrate once you snap a selection into place using the Transform tool.

Find My

While this article focuses on the Procreate-specific Apple Pencil Pro features, I felt that I needed to include this one because it’s something I personally appreciate as an artist who is constantly losing my Apple Pencil in the couch cushions or the backyard.

Unlike previous Apple Pencils, the Apple Pencil Pro works with the Find My feature. Depending on how often you tend to lose track of your Apple Pencil, you may be a fan of this.

My Thoughts

Overall, I think the Apple Pencil Pro has a lot going for it as far as Procreate art is concerned. The barrel roll feature is especially fascinating for improving the efficiency of using Procreate brushes. 

So, why am I not buying it yet? Given my style of art, I don’t feel like I will use the Apple Pencil Pro features to their fullest potential. While I like what I see with the Apple Pencil Pro, I’m happy with my second generation Apple Pencil for now.

BUT, what’s really cool is that the Apple Pencil Pro and the second generation Apple Pencil are in similar price brackets, depending on where you buy it. Again, I’m finding that the Apple Pencil Pro is cheaper on Amazon right now.

So, if anything were to happen to my Apple Pencil and I needed a new one, it would be a no brainer to get the Pro.

Personally, I think that if you’re in the market for a new Apple Pencil, the Pro has a lot to offer for the same general investment as the second generation. 

That said, if you’re happy with your current Apple Pencil, see if the Apple Pencil Pro features are worth it to you before making a decision.

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