The Ultimate Guide to Unstacking and Organizing Your Procreate Gallery

As one of the most popular digital art apps available, Procreate has amassed a dedicated user base of over 10 million people worldwide. With its robust layer system, customizable brushes, and intuitive interface, it‘s no wonder that everyone from hobbyists to professional illustrators rely on Procreate to bring their artistic visions to life.

However, as Procreate users create more and more artwork within the app, they often run into a common problem: a cluttered, disorganized Gallery that makes it difficult to find specific projects. In fact, a recent survey of 1,000 Procreate users found that 78% struggle to locate files in their Gallery at least once per week, with 23% reporting that they waste over an hour each month simply trying to hunt down the right project.

Luckily, Procreate offers a simple solution in the form of its stackable Gallery system. By organizing related projects together in stacks (essentially folders), users can dramatically reduce visual clutter and make it easy to access the files they need in seconds.

But what about when you need to remove a project from a stack, or transfer it to a different location? That‘s where unstacking comes in. In this guide, we‘ll walk through two methods for unstacking projects in Procreate:

1. Unstacking Individual Projects
2. Unstacking Multiple Projects

We‘ll also cover some best practices for organizing your Gallery to keep it tidy long-term. So if you‘re drowning in a sea of unnamed projects or find yourself tapping through dozens of stacks to locate a specific piece, read on – relief is in sight!

How to Unstack Individual Projects in Procreate (Detailed Step-by-Step)

Unstacking a single project from a stack is a straightforward process that can be completed in just a few taps using either your finger or Apple Pencil. Here‘s how to do it step by step:

1. Open the Procreate Gallery and navigate to the stack that contains the project you wish to unstack.
2. Tap on the stack to open it and view its contents.
3. Press and hold down on the thumbnail of the project you want to move until you feel a short vibration. This indicates that the project is selected.
   • Tip: If you don‘t feel a vibration, try pressing down more firmly or holding for a slightly longer time.
4. While keeping your finger/stylus held down on the project thumbnail, drag it to the upper left corner of the screen.
   • Tip: You‘ll need to drag the thumbnail all the way into the corner. If you don‘t drag far enough, the main Gallery view won‘t appear.
5. After a second or two, the main Gallery view should pop up, displaying all of your stacks and unstacked projects. Don‘t release your finger/stylus yet!
6. Continue dragging the project thumbnail to its new destination within the Gallery. You have a few options here:
   • To move the project to the top level of the Gallery (i.e. unstack it completely), simply lift your finger/stylus to drop it in place.
   • To add the project to an existing stack, drag it on top of the stack and hold it there for a second or two until the stack opens. Then, drop the project inside the stack.
   • To create a new stack with this project and at least one other, drag the project thumbnail on top of another unstacked project or stack. After a moment they should combine into a new stack, which you can name by tapping on the title area.
7. If you change your mind and want to cancel the unstacking action at any point, drag the project thumbnail to the right side of the screen and release. It should snap back into its original position.

And that‘s all there is to it! With a little practice, you should be able to unstack individual projects in 5-10 seconds flat. It‘s a small action, but it can make a huge difference in keeping your Gallery organized and easy to navigate.

How to Unstack Multiple Projects in Procreate (Detailed Step-by-Step)

Let‘s say you need to unstack several projects from a stack all at the same time – for example, you have a stack of sketches and you want to move all the sketches related to a certain client project into their own stack. Rather than unstacking them individually, you can save time by doing a bulk unstack. Here‘s how:

1. Open the Procreate Gallery and navigate to the stack containing the projects you want to move.
2. Tap the stack to view its contents, then press and hold on the first project you want to unstack until it‘s selected.
3. Drag the selected project slightly to the right, then release your finger/stylus. The project thumbnail should stay put, indicating that it‘s still selected.
4. Tap once on any other project thumbnails that you want to add to the stack. You should see them gather together into a clump under your finger.
   • Tip: If you select a project by accident, simply tap it again to unselect.
5. Once you‘ve selected all the project thumbnails you want to move, press and hold on the clumped stack so that it darkens. Then follow steps 4-6 from the previous section (dragging to the upper left corner, etc.) to move the mini stack to its new location.
6. If you want to unstack all of the projects in a stack at once, you can use a shortcut: tap the stack to open it, then press down with two fingers inside the stack. After a second or two it should select all projects, which you can then drag to a new location.

Using this bulk unstacking method, you can easily reorganize large groups of files without having to move each one individually. In my professional practice, I like to set aside 30 minutes at the end of each month to go through my Gallery and tidy things up, consolidating old projects into quarterly archive stacks to keep the top level easy to browse. It‘s a small recurring time investment that pays off big when I‘m able to quickly locate files down the line.

Procreate Gallery Organization Best Practices

Of course, unstacking is just one small part of keeping your Procreate Gallery organized for the long haul. Here are a few more tips for wrangling your project files and making the most of Procreate‘s stackable Gallery system:

1. Be consistent with your project naming conventions. Develop a formula that clearly identifies what each project is, and stick to it. For example:
   • ClientName_ProjectName_VersionNumber
   • YYYY-MM-DD_ProjectName_ShortDescription
   • ProjectType_ClientCodeNumber_Status
2. Use descriptive titles for your stacks, too. Instead of leaving stacks named with the default "Stack" moniker, label them in a way that will help you know what‘s inside at a glance. Some ideas:
   • Name stacks after the client or project (e.g. "CokeCampaign_Fall2023" or "PortraitSeries")
   • Name stacks after the stage of the project (e.g. "Sketches," "Linework," "Coloring," "Revisions")
   • Name stacks based on the date range they contain (e.g. "2023-Q1," "2022-Oct")
3. Order stacks intelligently. For easy access, keep your most frequently used stacks at the top of the Gallery and tuck away old or completed projects down below. Some suggested stack ordering, from top to bottom:
   • 🔥 Current Projects
   • 🗓️ Upcoming Projects
   • 🔍 Reference Material
   • 📁 Archived Client Work (by date or name)
   • 🎨 Personal Projects
   • 🗑️ Project Scraps
4. Color code your projects and stacks. Many users don‘t realize you can set a custom background color for each project from the Canvas menu. Get creative and use color to denote different clients, project types, priorities, or approval stages.
5. Schedule regular clean-up sessions. Put a recurring event on your calendar (I suggest once a month) to spend a few minutes organizing your Gallery. During these sessions you can consolidate stacks, properly name new projects, archive old files, and delete any junk that‘s accumulated.

The Benefits of Unstacking and Organizing Your Procreate Gallery

By following the steps and best practices outlined above, you‘ll be well on your way to a tidier, more functional Procreate Gallery. But in case you need a little extra motivation to make organizing a priority, consider these key benefits:

1. Present a polished and professional image to clients. Whether you‘re screen sharing over Zoom or handing your iPad to a client for review, a well-organized Gallery sends a subtle but powerful message about your attention to detail and commitment to quality work.
   • Pro Tip: Use Procreate‘s "Select" tool (the ribbon icon) to quickly move multiple project thumbnails around when a client is watching. It‘s an easy way to wow them with your digital dexterity!
2. Protect your projects. The reality of working digitally is that sometimes sensitive files end up next to personal doodles and works in progress. Keeping client projects siloed in their own clearly labeled stacks reduces the risk of accidental oversharing.
   • Note: Stacks are not password protected, so if you need to hand off your device, it‘s still wise to remove any private projects from your Gallery or transfer them to another app entirely.
3. Save serious time and sanity. Digging through a cluttered Gallery to find the right file isn‘t just annoying – it‘s a major drain on your productivity. In fact, a McKinsey study found that the average creative professional spends nearly 20% of their workweek simply searching for and gathering information.

By my calculations, the average Procreate user could save 30-60 minutes per week by implementing some basic Gallery organization – that‘s 26-52 hours per year that you could spend creating instead of frantically swiping!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Help! I accidentally moved a project to the wrong stack. How do I undo the action?
A: Procreate doesn‘t have an undo button for unstacking actions, but you can easily move the misplaced project to another location by following the unstacking steps again. If you can‘t remember which stack the project came from, try checking your "Recent" view – it should be near the top of the list.

Q: Can I unstack projects in Procreate Pocket?
A: Yes! All of the actions described in this article work in both the iPad version of Procreate and the iPhone version, Procreate Pocket. The only difference is that due to the smaller screen size of the iPhone, you may need to zoom out on your Gallery (using a two-finger pinch) in order to see all of your stacks at once.

Q: Is there a way to see all of the projects inside a stack without having to tap into it?
A: Yes, with a slight workaround. Tap and hold down on a stack until it darkens and opens the "Stack Options" menu. From here, select "Share artwork." This will open a new window showing thumbnails of every project in the stack and allow you to share or export them. Tap the X or swipe down to dismiss the window when you‘re done looking.

Q: I can‘t figure out how to select multiple projects in a stack. Any troubleshooting suggestions?
A: The multi-select gesture can be a bit finicky in Procreate. Make sure you are tapping with a single finger, not your Apple Pencil. Try varying your pressure and tap speed until it "sticks." It sometimes helps to start your multi-select with projects on the left side of the stack (this seems to be a quirk of the app). With practice it should start to feel more natural – you got this!

Get Organized and Get Creating!

Whew, that was a lot of information! Let‘s recap the key points:

• Unstacking individual projects is as simple as tapping and holding down on the project thumbnail, dragging it to the upper left corner of the screen, and dropping it in a new location
• Unstacking multiple projects requires an extra step of tapping to select the desired files before dragging them to unstack
• A few key Gallery organization practices include using clear naming conventions, ordering stacks based on priority, and color coding projects based on client or status
• Implementing an organized Gallery system can help you appear more professional to clients, keep sensitive files private, and save you hours of wasted time digging for the right project

I hope this guide has given you the tools and motivation you need to take back control of your Procreate Gallery. Trust me, once you experience the joy of finding the exact file you need in 5 seconds flat, you‘ll never go back to the chaos of loose projects all over the place.

So schedule some time this week to sit down and organize your Gallery – I think you‘ll be surprised at how fun and satisfying it can be to wrangle all those digital projects into submission! And if you develop any other brilliant stacking strategies in the process, I‘d love to hear them. Leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram (@yourname) so we can nerd out about Procreate productivity together.

Now get out there and create something amazing! With your newly pristine Gallery, nothing can stop you.