Procreate vs Morpholio Trace for Garden Design: Which Should You Choose?
- John Wood
- May 20
- 7 min read
TL;DR
Procreate is best for presentation graphics, rendered visuals and polished digital sketching.
Morpholio Trace is best for concept development, overlays and tracing-paper-style workflows.
Many professional garden designers use both apps together as part of a wider digital workflow.
Morpholio Trace is often easier for beginners transitioning from hand drawing.
Procreate offers more flexibility for final presentation visuals and client communication.
The right choice depends on whether your priority is concept development, workflow efficiency or presentation quality.
Why This Comparison Matters for Garden Designers
Garden designers are increasingly expected to communicate ideas visually, revise concepts quickly and present projects in a more engaging and professional way. Choosing the right digital tools can significantly affect workflow efficiency, presentation quality and client communication.
Based on working with garden designers across the UK, one of the most common questions designers ask is whether they should learn Procreate or Morpholio Trace first. While both apps support digital sketching and iPad-based workflows, they solve different problems within the design process.
Understanding the strengths and limitations of each app helps designers invest time more effectively and build workflows that genuinely support real garden design projects rather than simply adopting software because it is popular online.
Garden Design: Which Should You Choose?
Procreate and Morpholio Trace are two of the most widely used iPad apps for digital garden design workflows, but they are designed for different purposes. Procreate is a professional-grade illustration app focused on layer-based digital sketching, rendering and presentation drawing, while Morpholio Trace is a sketching and tracing app designed specifically for concept development, overlays and iterative design workflows.
For garden designers, both apps can improve visual communication, speed up workflows and reduce reliance on paper-based processes. However, choosing the right software depends on how you work, the stage of the design process you want to improve and the type of output you need to create.
At Create Visual, John Wood works with garden designers across the UK to help them integrate digital tools into practical, real-world workflows. Based on working with professionals transitioning from hand drawing into digital design systems, Procreate and Morpholio Trace often solve very different workflow challenges.
According to Apple, Procreate has won an Apple Design Award and is widely recognised as one of the leading digital illustration apps available for iPad. Morpholio Trace has become increasingly popular among architects, landscape designers and creative professionals because of its tracing-paper-style workflow and design development tools.
Why Are More Garden Designers Moving Towards Digital iPad Workflows?
Digital workflows have become increasingly important within professional garden and landscape design because clients now expect clearer visual communication, faster revisions and more engaging presentation material throughout the design process.
Traditional tracing paper methods still play an important creative role for many designers, but iPad-based workflows allow concepts to be developed, refined and shared far more efficiently. Digital sketching apps also make it easier to work remotely, annotate plans during client meetings and build presentation graphics without relying on multiple separate software systems.
Based on working with garden designers across the UK, one of the biggest shifts within the industry has been the growing demand for flexible workflows that combine creativity with presentation quality. Designers are increasingly looking for tools that help them maintain a hand-drawn feel while improving speed, organisation and visual communication.
This is one of the reasons Procreate and Morpholio Trace have become so widely adopted within the garden design industry. While both apps support iPad-based sketching and concept development, they approach digital workflows in very different ways.
What Is Procreate Used For in Garden Design?
Procreate is primarily used for digital sketching, rendering, annotations and presentation drawing within garden and landscape design projects. The software allows designers to create highly visual presentation graphics while maintaining a creative, hand-drawn aesthetic.
Many garden designers use Procreate to produce:
Concept sketches
Coloured presentation visuals
Planting overlays
Annotated layout drawings
Moodboards and presentation sheets
Client-facing visual communication materials
One of the biggest advantages of Procreate is its flexibility. The software supports layer-based digital drawing, custom brushes and high-resolution rendering, making it particularly useful for designers who want to combine artistic creativity with digital efficiency.
What Is Morpholio Trace Used For in Garden Design?
Morpholio Trace is commonly used for concept development, sketch overlays and iterative layout workflows within garden design projects. The app replicates the feel of traditional tracing paper while allowing designers to work digitally on iPad.
Garden designers frequently use Morpholio Trace for:
Tracing over surveys and plans
Early-stage concept development
Layout experimentation
Digital overlays
Scaled sketching
Design annotations
Unlike Procreate, Morpholio Trace is designed more around workflow development and spatial sketching rather than polished illustration output. For designers who prefer quick visual thinking and rapid idea generation, Morpholio Trace often feels closer to traditional design studio workflows.
How Do Professional Garden Designers Use Procreate and Morpholio Trace Together?
Many professional garden designers no longer rely on a single piece of software throughout the design process. Instead, workflows often involve multiple tools used at different stages depending on the task.
A common digital workflow may begin with:
Survey imports and overlays in Morpholio Trace
Early concept sketching and layout testing
Exporting sketches into Procreate
Refining graphics and presentation visuals
Producing presentation-ready client material
This layered approach allows designers to benefit from the strengths of both applications rather than treating them as direct competitors.
Designers who previously relied entirely on tracing paper workflows often find Morpholio Trace more familiar initially, while Procreate becomes increasingly valuable as presentation expectations and visual communication demands grow.
Which App Is Better for Sketching Garden Design Ideas?
Morpholio Trace is often better for rapid concept sketching and layout development because it is built around overlays, tracing workflows and iterative design thinking. The app allows garden designers to quickly sketch over plans, test layout ideas and explore different concepts without needing polished artwork.
Procreate is generally stronger for refined sketches, rendered visuals and presentation-quality drawings. The software offers more advanced brush tools, rendering flexibility and visual control for designers wanting more polished outputs.
For many professionals, the most effective workflow combines both apps:
Morpholio Trace for concept development and overlays
Procreate for final visuals and presentation drawings
Which App Is Easier for Beginners?
Morpholio Trace is often easier for beginners transitioning from traditional tracing paper workflows because the interface is designed around sketch overlays and conceptual drawing. Designers familiar with hand drawing usually adapt quickly to the software.
Procreate has a steeper learning curve because it offers more advanced drawing, rendering and layer-management tools. However, once understood, Procreate provides significantly more creative flexibility for presentation graphics and visual communication.
Based on training garden designers across different experience levels, many beginners initially feel more comfortable using Morpholio Trace before gradually incorporating Procreate into their workflow.
Can You Use Procreate and Morpholio Trace Together?
Yes. Many garden designers combine both apps as part of a wider digital workflow.
A common process involves:
Importing surveys or plans into Morpholio Trace
Developing concept layouts and overlays
Exporting sketches into Procreate
Refining visuals, colour and presentation graphics
This combined workflow allows designers to maintain the flexibility of conceptual sketching while also producing polished client-facing visuals.
Which App Is Better for Client Presentations?
Procreate is usually the stronger option for final client presentations because of its advanced rendering capabilities, brush systems and presentation flexibility.
Garden designers frequently use Procreate to create:
Coloured masterplans
Rendered concept visuals
Planting presentation boards
Annotated presentation sheets
Visual storytelling graphics
Morpholio Trace can still play an important role during client meetings because of its ability to rapidly sketch and develop ideas in real time.
Should Garden Designers Learn Both Apps?
For many professionals, learning both apps creates the most flexible digital workflow.
Morpholio Trace supports:
Concept development
Spatial thinking
Iterative layouts
Overlay sketching
Procreate supports:
Visual presentation
Rendering
Graphic refinement
Final communication outputs
The right choice depends on whether your biggest challenge is:
developing ideas quickly
improving presentation quality
modernising tracing workflows
or creating more engaging client visuals.
What Are the Main Differences Between Procreate and Morpholio Trace?
The biggest difference between the two apps is their primary purpose.
Procreate is designed as a professional illustration and rendering app. It is built for polished visual output, advanced brush systems, rendering flexibility and presentation graphics.
Morpholio Trace is designed around conceptual design thinking. Its tracing-paper-inspired workflow makes it particularly useful for iterative layouts, overlays and spatial sketching.
In simple terms:
Procreate focuses more on presentation and visual refinement
Morpholio Trace focuses more on design development and workflow flexibility
Neither approach is better overall — the right choice depends entirely on how you work as a designer and which stage of the design process you want to improve.
Procreate vs Morpholio Trace: Final Thoughts
Procreate and Morpholio Trace are both powerful tools for garden designers, but they solve different workflow problems.
Morpholio Trace is particularly effective for concept development, tracing workflows and layout experimentation, while Procreate excels in rendering, presentation graphics and refined visual communication.
For garden designers looking to modernise their process, the strongest workflow often comes from understanding how both apps can complement each other rather than treating them as direct competitors.
At Create Visual, John Wood provides specialist digital workflow training tailored specifically for garden and landscape professionals. Training focuses on practical application, creative workflows and helping designers integrate digital tools confidently into real-world projects.
Why Are iPad Workflows Becoming More Popular in Garden Design?
iPad-based workflows have become increasingly popular within garden and landscape design because they allow designers to sketch, annotate, revise and present ideas more flexibly than traditional paper-based systems.
According to Apple, iPad Pro devices are widely used across creative industries because of their portability, Apple Pencil integration and ability to support professional creative software. For garden designers, this means concepts can be developed during site visits, client meetings and design reviews without needing to return to a studio environment.
Digital workflows also improve:
Version control
Annotation flexibility
Presentation speed
Client collaboration
File organisation
Remote working capabilities
For many professionals, the goal is not replacing creativity with technology, but using digital tools to support a more efficient and visually engaging design process.
Professional Experience
This article is based on practical experience supporting garden designers and landscape professionals transitioning from traditional drawing methods into digital workflows. The comparison reflects real-world workflow considerations commonly encountered during garden design training, concept development and presentation planning.
Rather than focusing purely on software features, the aim is to help designers understand how Procreate and Morpholio Trace function within actual garden design processes, client presentations and creative workflows.
Author Bio
John Wood is the founder of Create Visual and a specialist in digital garden design workflows, visual communication and software training for garden designers and landscape professionals. He works with designers across the UK to help integrate practical digital systems using tools such as Procreate, Morpholio Trace, SketchUp and AI-assisted workflows.
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