From Procreate to Goodnotes

Digital planners and calendars can be amazing organization tools, that can make getting organized fun!

I love to design my own planners in Procreate, and then upload them to Goodnotes. Goodnotes gives me the best of both worlds - the convenience of a digital planner, but the ability to handwrite in my details. There is just something about hand writing that just feels more authentic than typing.

The process of moving your design from Procreate to Goodnotes is simple. Below we will go through in details, but you may be working with a different version of either app, so let's look at the general process in case your app looks different than mine.

In short, you will:

Convert your design to a PDF.

Save the PDF on your iPad.

Upload the PDF to Goodnotes (either as its own notebook or as a new page in an existing notebook.

Now, let's break that down.

1. First, make sure you have both the Procreate and Goodnotes apps downloaded on your iPad.

2. Create your design in Procreate.

While Goodnote will be able to adopt different sizes, to maximize space, you may want to start with a canvas that is screensize. Alternatively, and 8.5 x 11 inches canvas will not only be close to screen size, but it will also give you the option of downloading to print on paper.

Wondering where to start? Would you like a calendar template to design and try uploading to Goodnotes? Click here to receive our free template!

3. Save as a PDF

Once you are happy with your design, it is time to save it as a PDF.

In Procreate, make sure your design canvas is open (i.e. you see your design on the screen)

Click the Actions Menu (aka the wrench icon)

At the top of the pop-up menu, click on the "share" icon.

Under the "Share Image" heading, select PDF.

A pop-up box will appear.

Click on "Save to Files"

A new pop-up menu will appear to allow you to choose where the file will be saved. You can select any of your available folders to save your PDF.

Not sure where to save? Try either "downloads" or "On My iPad". Just make sure you remember where you saved it.

At the bottom of the box you can also rename your file - make it something that will help you easily identify your file later.

When you are happy with the location and file name, click "Save"

You should get a quick message saying "export successful"

4. Uploading to Goodnotes

Time to close Procreate, and open Goodnotes.

Go to the document view. (If you are already in a notebook, click the back arrow in the upper left corner)

Select the "New" option that appears on the screen.

From the pop-up menu select "Import"

Now we need to find the file that we just saved in the last step. Select the location on the left, and click on the file.

And Voila, your PDF is now loaded in Goodnotes!

5. Alternatively, want to add your new page to an existing notebook?

Let's say you've already uploaded a calendar for last month, and now you want to add next month to the same notebook. (note: no need to do this step if you have already uploaded as a workbook)

Open up the notebook where you'd like to add your new page.

In the upper right had corner, click the new page (plus sign) icon.

Select "Import"

Now, just like in step 4, find your newly saved PDF, click on it, and select Open.

And Voila - your PDF is now in your existing notebook.

Have questions? Feel free to contact us!

Happy Planning!