How to Add Screentones & Halftones in Procreate

2026-06-25

Screentones are the dotted grey shading that gives black-and-white manga its look. This guide shows how to add screentones and halftones in Procreate — applying tone brushes on their own layer, controlling density, mixing tones with solid blacks, and avoiding moiré — for clean, print-ready manga pages.

What are screentones?

Screentones are patterns of dots or lines that create shades of grey in black-and-white manga. Originally they were adhesive films cut and pressed onto inked pages by hand; in Procreate you apply them with screentone brushes instead. The density of the pattern controls the shade — denser dots read as darker grey, sparser dots as lighter.

Work in greyscale first

Screentones replace grey shading in black-and-white art, so finish your lineart and decide where the light and dark areas fall before you tone. Think in three values: solid black, toned grey, and white paper. That value plan is what makes a manga page read clearly.

1. Put each tone on its own layer

Always apply a screentone on a separate layer above your art. That way you can erase any tone that strays past the lineart without touching the drawing. Select the area first (or clip the layer to a flat) so the tone stays exactly where you want it.

2. Apply the tone with a screentone brush

Pick a dot or line screentone brush and paint over the zone you want shaded. Keep it inside the lineart and build coverage evenly. Grain and tone brushes live in the texture brushes category; for special tone bursts and motifs, the stamp brushes category is handy.

3. Control the density

Darker areas call for a denser tone; lighter areas a sparser one. Most pages use just a few consistent densities so the values stay readable, and you can stack a second tone layer over the first to deepen a shadow. Keep it simple — two or three grey levels usually carry a whole page.

4. Combine tones with solid blacks

The classic manga look comes from contrast: solid black for hair masses and dark clothing, screentone grey for mid shadows, and white paper for highlights. Tones alone look flat; blacks and whites give the page its punch.

5. Avoid moiré

Overlapping two tones, or zooming a page in and out, can create moiré — an unintended shimmering pattern. Avoid it by keeping tones at one consistent canvas resolution, not stacking conflicting dot patterns, and exporting at full print resolution (300 DPI or higher).

Types of screentone

Dot tones — general shading and grey fills.
Line / hatching tones — motion, fabric, mood and backgrounds.
Gradient tones — soft skies and fades.
Effect tones — sparkles, flowers and bursts for emotion.

Screentones or color — which to use?

Use screentones for black-and-white print manga and doujinshi. If you're making a full-color piece or a webtoon, shade with flat color instead — see our anime cel-shading guide. Some artists even mix tones into color work for a retro print feel.

Brushes and next steps

You can tone a whole page with free brushes — grab a set on the anime & manga brushes page or browse all free brushsets, and see our picks in best Procreate brushes for anime. New to the whole process? Start with our guide to drawing anime in Procreate.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How do you add screentones in Procreate?

Finish your lineart, then on a separate layer above the art select the area you want shaded and paint over it with a dot or line screentone brush. Keep each tone on its own layer so you can erase any that strays past the lineart, and use denser patterns for darker areas.

Are there free screentone brushes for Procreate?

Yes. You can download free screentone and halftone brushsets — dot, line and gradient tones — and import them into Procreate in one step. They sit in the texture and stamp brush categories.

What is moiré and how do I avoid it?

Moiré is an unwanted shimmering pattern that appears when tones overlap or when a page is zoomed in and out. Avoid it by keeping tones at one consistent canvas resolution, not stacking conflicting dot patterns, and exporting at 300 DPI or higher.

What is the difference between screentones and halftones?

A halftone is a dot pattern that simulates shades of grey, used in printing. Screentone is the manga term for ready-made tone patterns — dots, lines, gradients and effects — applied to black-and-white pages. In practice the words are used interchangeably for manga shading.