Keyboard shortcuts

Procreate Dreams is equipped with an array of customizable keyboard shortcuts that allow you to interact with elements on your Timeline, the Stage, in Draw & Paint, and elsewhere.

As long as you have an iPadOS-compatible keyboard connected directly or via Bluetooth, Procreate Dreams can use this for keyboard input.

Head to Movie settings (the button next to Theater on the main toolbar) Prefs → Keyboard Shortcuts to view and change them:

Tap on a command and input a your desired key or combination of keys to change the shortcut, then tap Return to save it. Tap Done in the top right to return to the Timeline.

You can also search for specific shortcuts by tapping the 'Search shortcuts' field at the top and inputting a query - for example if you were searching for how to make a new track on the Timeline, you could input 'track' into the search field.

Settings

Use the Settings menu in the top right to adjust your keyboard input type and reset all your shortcuts to default.

General shortcuts

Shortcuts primarily for navigating and using the main central toolbar menus and features.

1. Play/Pause - begin or stop playback of your movie

2. Show Add menu - opens the Add menu, allowing you to add content to your Timeline.

3. Show Movie Settings - opens the movie settings interface, which holds information and options for your current movie

4. Full screen - maximizes the Stage into full screen

5. Back to Theater - exits your movie and returns to the Theater

Timeline shortcuts

Shortcuts to speed up your workflow on the Timeline.

1. Enter Compose mode - switches your Timeline mode to Compose

2. Enter Perform mode - switches your Timeline mode to Perform

3. Enter Keyframe mode - switches your Timeline mode to Keyframe

4. Edit content/Toggle expanding group - when Flipbook or a Drawing is highlighted on the Timeline, enters Draw & Paint mode. When a Group is highlighted, expands or contracts the Group

5. Show options menu - shows the options menu for the highlighted piece of content (or Flipbook frame when in Flipbook Draw & Paint)

6. New track - adds a new track above the track where the Playhead is positioned

7. Delete content - immediately deletes the highlighted content or Flipbook frame

8. Zoom in - zooms into the Timeline

9. Zoom out - zooms out on the Timeline

10. Zoom to fit - zooms to display your entire movie on the Timeline (operates the same as a quick pinch on the Timeline)

11. Zoom in horizontal - centers on the Playhead and increases the horizontal zoom on the Timeline

12. Zoom out horizontal - centers on the Playhead and decreases the horizontal zoom on the Timeline

13. Zoom in vertical - centers on the Playhead and increases the vertical zoom of your content on the Timeline

14. Zoom out vertical - centers on the Playhead and decreases the vertical zoom of your content on the Timeline

1. Center on Playhead - positions the Timeline view so that the Playhead is perfectly centered

2. Navigate up - this will behave differently depending on the current context - it will move the Playhead up on the Timeline or the focus up in menus, etc.

3. Navigate down - this will behave differently depending on the current context - it will move the Playhead down on the Timeline or the focus down in menus, etc.

4. Navigate to track above - navigates the focus and Playhead to the Track immediately above your currently-focused track

5. Navigate to track below - navigates the focus and Playhead to the Track immediately below your currently-focused track

6. Navigate to top - sends the Playhead to the top track in your Timeline, at the current position in time

7. Navigate to bottom - sends the Playhead to the bottom track in your Timeline, at the current position in time

8. Next frame - moves the Playhead right by one frame, when in Timeline view and in Flipbook view

9. Previous frame - moves the Playhead left by one frame, when in Timeline view and in Flipbook view

10. Next content - jumps to the beginning of the next content (to the right) on the track, based on the current Playhead position. If it is sitting on the final piece of content, this will jump you to the final frame of that content

11. Previous content - jumps to the beginning of the previous content (to the left) on the track, based on the current Playhead position. If it is sitting on the first piece of content on a track, this will jump you to the first frame of that content

12. Forward one second - moves forwards by one second, whether in Timeline or Flipbook view

13. Back one second - moves backwards by one second, whether in Timeline or Flipbook view

1. Go to start - sends you to the beginning of your movie or Flipbook track

2. Go to end - sends you to the end of your movie or Flipbook track

3. Rename content - brings up an interface allowing you to rename the currently-highlighted piece of content

4. Nudge content to next frame - moves the currently-highlighted piece of content (or frame in a Flipbook) to the right by one frame. This will not push past other content - as soon as you hit the next piece of content, you cannot nudge further.

5. Nudge content previous frame - moves the currently-highlighted piece of content (or frame in a Flipbook) to the left by one frame. This will not push past other content - as soon as you hit the next piece of content, you cannot nudge further.

6. Push content to next frame - moves the currently-highlighted piece of content (or frame in a Flipbook) to the right by one frame. This will push other content - as soon as your highlighted content hits the next piece of content, you can repeatedly push your highlighted content and any other touching content to the right further along the track.

7. Push content to previous frame - moves the currently-highlighted piece of content (or frame in a Flipbook) to the left by one frame. This will push other content - as soon as your highlighted content hits the next piece of content, you can repeatedly push your highlighted content and any other touching content to the right further along the track.

1. Extend by one frame - extends the currently-highlighted content or frame in Flipbook by one frame

2. Contract by one frame - contracts the currently-highlighted content or frame in Flipbook by one frame. You cannot contract something into nonexistence, 1 frame is the minimum

3. Push one frame - extends the currently-highlighted content or frame in Flipbook by one frame, and pushes anything adjacent to the right by one frame

4. Pull one frame - contracts the currently-highlighted content or frame in Flipbook by one frame, and pulls anything adjacent to the left by one frame. You cannot contract something into nonexistence, 1 frame is the minimum

5. Fill duration - extends the current content or frame in Flipbook to the end of the movie or group, or until it hits the next piece of content on the track

6. Contract to one frame - reduces the duration of the current piece of content to its first frame.

7. Split content - cuts the highlighted content at the frame where the Playhead is resting; this will become the first frame of the new piece of content

8. Trim start - for the currently highlighted piece of content, removes everything to the left of the Playhead

9. Trim end - for the currently highlighted piece of content, removes everything to the right of the Playhead

10. Content visibility - toggles the visibility of the currently highlighted content or frame in Flipbook

11. Group selection - places all currently-selected content (using Multi-Select) into a group on the track occupied by the lowermost selected content

Stage shortcuts

Shortcuts for changing content on the Stage area while in Compose mode.

1. Nudge up - slightly moves the content on the Stage upwards

2. Nudge left - slightly moves the content on the Stage leftwards

3. Nudge down - slightly moves the content on the Stage downwards

4. Nudge right - slightly moves the content on the Stage rightwards

5. Nudge up one pixel - moves the content on the Stage area up by one pixel

6. Nudge left one pixel - moves the content on the Stage area left by one pixel

7. Nudge down one pixel - moves the content on the Stage area down by one pixel

8. Nudge right one pixel - moves the content on the Stage area right by one pixel

9. Nudge up 100 pixels - moves the content on the Stage area up by one hundred pixels

10. Nudge left 100 pixels - moves the content on the Stage area left by one hundred pixels

11. Nudge down 100 pixels - moves the content on the Stage area down by one hundred pixels

12. Nudge right 100 pixels - moves the content on the Stage area right by one hundred pixels

13. Show Stage options - opens the Stage options menu, allowing you to set your Background color and movie transparency

Draw & Paint shortcuts

Shortcuts to be used in Draw & Paint mode, which is active while you are creating or editing a Flipbook or Drawing.

1. Paint - switch to the Paint tool

2. Smudge - switch to the Smudge tool

3. Erase - switch the Erase tool

4. Open Color panel - opens Colors in the top right

5. Open Layers panel - opens Layers near the top right

6. Decrease brush size by 5% - reduce the size of your current brush by five percent

7. Increase brush size by 5% - increase the size of your current brush by five percent

8. Decrease brush opacity by 5% - reduce the opacity of your current brush by five percent

9. Increase brush opacity by 5% - increase the opacity of your current brush by five percent

10. Decrease brush size by memory - jump down to your next saved brush size memory point

11. Increase brush size by memory - jump up to your next saved brush size memory point

12. Decrease brush opacity by memory - jump down to your next saved brush opacity memory point

13. Increase brush opacity by memory - jump up to your next saved brush opacity memory point

14. Previous color - switches between your current color and that which you most recently used

System shortcuts

Shortcuts provided by iPadOS, these are useful in a variety of contexts, and cannot be customized.

1. Undo - reverts your previous action

2. Redo - reapplies your most-recently undone action

3. Cut - removes the highlighted content and places it in your clipboard

4. Copy - places the highlighted content in your clipboard

5. Paste - places the current clipboard contents into the Timeline or Stage

6. Duplicate - places a copy of the highlighted content or frame immediately to the right of it

7. Accept / Show Action menu - confirms the current action relative to the focus in a menu

8. Back - returns to the previous mode or view

9. Alternative hold modifier - holding this produces the same effect as holding a finger down while performing adjustments like those in Free Trim.