CrowDraw docs · Files
Export & time-lapse
Share your artwork as a layered PSD, a flat image, a PDF or a short animation, and replay or share a video of how you painted it.
Exporting artwork
In an open canvas, go to Actions › Share. Under Share artwork:
| Format | What you get |
|---|---|
| CrowDraw | The full artwork with its layers, time-lapse and saved selections, to open in CrowDraw again or keep as a backup. |
| PSD | A layered Photoshop document, with groups, masks, clipping masks, opacity, visibility and blend modes. |
| A print-ready page at the canvas's print size. | |
| JPEG | Flattened, small file. |
| PNG | Flattened, with transparency if the background colour is hidden. |
| TIFF | Flattened and lossless. |
- CrowDrawThe full artwork with its layers, time-lapse and saved selections, to open in CrowDraw again or keep as a backup.
- PSDA layered Photoshop document, with groups, masks, clipping masks, opacity, visibility and blend modes.
- PDFA print-ready page at the canvas's print size.
- JPEGFlattened, small file.
- PNGFlattened, with transparency if the background colour is hidden.
- TIFFFlattened and lossless.
Then choose where it goes in the share sheet: Save to Files, AirDrop, Mail, Messages, another app, or Save Image to put a JPEG or PNG in Photos.
You can also share from the gallery: touch and hold an artwork and choose Share, or select several and share them together.
Layers and animations
Under Share layers:
| Format | What you get |
|---|---|
| PNG files | Every layer as its own PNG image. |
| Animated GIF | Each layer becomes a frame, at 8 frames a second, looping forever. Up to 1280 px. |
| Animated MP4 | Each layer becomes a frame, at 8 frames a second, repeated to about three seconds. Up to 1920 px. |
- PNG filesEvery layer as its own PNG image.
- Animated GIFEach layer becomes a frame, at 8 frames a second, looping forever. Up to 1280 px.
- Animated MP4Each layer becomes a frame, at 8 frames a second, repeated to about three seconds. Up to 1920 px.
For animated GIF and MP4, each visible top-level layer or group becomes one frame, from the bottom layer up. Draw each frame of a short loop on its own layer, hide any layers you don't want in it, and export.
Time-lapse
CrowDraw records a time-lapse of every canvas as you work: after each change it adds a frame to a video stored with the artwork. Recording is on unless you turn off Record time-lapse in Actions › Video; the setting applies to all canvases.
Replay
Actions › Video › Time-lapse replay plays it back. Drag across the video or the slider to scrub through it, tap to play or pause, and change the speed: ½×, 1×, 2× or 4×.
Export
- Full length: the whole recording as an MP4 video.
- 30 seconds: sped up to fit 28 seconds, plus two seconds on the finished artwork. Made for sharing.
- Save to Photos: the full-length video straight into your photo library. The first time, iPadOS asks whether CrowDraw may add to Photos.
From the gallery, Share › Time-lapse offers the same full-length and 30-second videos. Videos are 30 frames a second, up to 1920 px on the longest side.
For AI tools: this page as Markdown, the page index and all pages in one file.
