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ProcreateViewer for Windows - The Ultimate .procreate File Viewer

ProcreateViewer Logo

Preview, open, and export Procreate files (.procreate) directly on Windows — with native thumbnail previews in File Explorer, just like .png or .jpg files!

Are you an iPad artist using Procreate but working on a Windows PC? ProcreateViewer is the missing link for your digital art workflow. It allows you to seamlessly view your .procreate artwork files on Windows without needing an iPad or Mac. No more guessing what's inside your Procreate files!

License Platform Version

🌐 Visit Official Website

📸 Screenshots

Before & After

Before (Unrecognized Files) After (Native Thumbnails)
Before: Windows cannot recognize .procreate files After: ProcreateViewer enables thumbnails

App Interface

ProcreateViewer Main Interface

✨ Features & Capabilities

Feature Description
📁 Native Explorer Thumbnails See .procreate artwork previews directly in Windows File Explorer. Instantly identify your digital paintings without opening them.
🖼️ Full Standalone Viewer Open and view .procreate files with zoom, pan, and a sleek dark theme UI inspired by Procreate itself.
📑 Detailed Layer Info Inspect your artwork's structure. View all layers with their names, opacity levels, visibility status, and blend modes.
🎨 Advanced Layer Compositing Full layer compositing and rendering engine. Supports custom visibility overrides to see specific parts of your illustration.
📤 High-Quality Export Convert .procreate to standard image formats. Export your art to PNG, JPEG, BMP, or TIFF for easy sharing or printing.
📦 Batch Conversion Tool Save time by converting entire folders of .procreate files to PNG/JPEG at once. Perfect for backing up your portfolio.
🔗 Seamless File Association Double-click any .procreate file in Windows to open it automatically in the viewer.
⚡ One-Click Installation A single, hassle-free installer sets up the application, thumbnail handler, and file associations in seconds.

🔍 Why use ProcreateViewer on Windows?

If you transfer your Procreate backups to a Windows PC, you've likely noticed that .procreate files show up as blank, unrecognized icons. ProcreateViewer solves this problem.

By installing this lightweight tool, you get:

  • Visual File Management: Organize your digital art portfolio easily with visual thumbnails in Windows Explorer.
  • Quick Previews: Check the contents of a .procreate file without having to send it back to your iPad.
  • Easy Extraction: Need a flattened PNG of your artwork? Export it directly from the .procreate file on your PC.
  • Layer Inspection: Review how a piece was constructed by looking at the layer stack, opacity, and blend modes right from your desktop.

📥 Quick Install (Recommended)

Option A: Download Setup Installer

  1. Go to Releases and download ProcreateViewer_Setup_v1.0.0.exe
  2. Run the installer — it handles everything automatically
  3. Done! Navigate to a folder with .procreate files and see thumbnails

Option B: One-Click Script Install

  1. Download or clone this repository
  2. Right-click INSTALL.bat → Run as administrator
  3. Follow the on-screen prompts
  4. Restart Windows Explorer (or sign out/in) for thumbnails

📸 How It Works Under the Hood

.procreate files are essentially ZIP archives containing a QuickLook/Thumbnail.png preview image and raw layer data. ProcreateViewer leverages this structure:

  1. Windows Shell Extension (ProcreateThumbHandler.dll) — A custom Windows COM component that instructs File Explorer on how to generate thumbnails for .procreate files, making them visible alongside your JPEGs and PNGs.
  2. Standalone Viewer Application (ProcreateViewer.exe) — A dedicated GUI app for opening, inspecting, and exporting .procreate files without needing the original Procreate app.
  3. System File Association — Registers .procreate as "Procreate Artwork" in the Windows Registry, complete with a custom icon.

🏗️ Building from Source

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8+ — python.org
  • Windows 10/11 (includes .NET Framework 4 for DLL compilation)
  • Inno Setup 6 (optional, for building the Setup installer) — jrsoftware.org

Build Everything

git clone https://github.com/NothingData/ProcreateViewer.git
cd ProcreateViewer
build.bat

This will:

  1. Install Python dependencies (Pillow, PyInstaller)
  2. Generate the application icon
  3. Build ProcreateViewer.exe (standalone, ~24 MB)
  4. Compile ProcreateThumbHandler.dll (shell extension, ~10 KB)
  5. Build ProcreateViewer_Setup_v1.0.0.exe (if Inno Setup is installed)

Output

dist/
  ProcreateViewer.exe          ← Main application
  ProcreateThumbHandler.dll    ← Explorer thumbnail handler

release/
  ProcreateViewer_Setup_v1.0.0.exe  ← Full installer (if Inno Setup available)

📂 Project Structure

ProcreateViewer/
├── INSTALL.bat                     # One-click installer (right-click → Run as admin)
├── UNINSTALL.bat                   # One-click uninstaller
├── build.bat                       # Build everything from source
├── requirements.txt                # Python dependencies
├── LICENSE                         # MIT License
├── README.md                       # This file
│
├── src/                            # Source code
│   ├── procreate_viewer.py         # Main GUI application (tkinter)
│   ├── procreate_reader.py         # .procreate file parser
│   ├── generate_icon.py            # Application icon generator
│   ├── install_associations.py     # File association helper
│   └── shell_extension/
│       ├── ProcreateThumbHandler.cs    # C# COM thumbnail provider
│       └── ProcreateThumbHandler.csproj # .NET project file
│
├── resources/
│   └── icon.ico                    # Application icon
│
├── dist/                           # Built binaries (after build.bat)
│   ├── ProcreateViewer.exe
│   └── ProcreateThumbHandler.dll
│
├── installer/
│   └── ProcreateViewer_Setup.iss   # Inno Setup installer script
│
├── scripts/
│   ├── install.ps1                 # PowerShell installer (with progress bar)
│   └── uninstall.ps1               # PowerShell uninstaller
│
└── release/                        # Setup installer output (after build)
    └── ProcreateViewer_Setup_v1.0.0.exe

🔧 Technical Details & Architecture

The .procreate File Format Explained

A .procreate file is a ZIP archive containing:

Path in ZIP Content
QuickLook/Thumbnail.png The preview thumbnail (used by our Shell Extension for Explorer previews)
Document.archive A binary plist containing canvas size, layer structure, and metadata
1.chunk, 2.chunk, ... Raw layer pixel data (often LZO or LZ4 compressed)

Windows Shell Extension (COM Thumbnail Provider)

  • Implements IThumbnailProvider, IInitializeWithFile, and IInitializeWithStream interfaces.
  • CLSID: {C3A1B2D4-E5F6-4890-ABCD-123456789ABC}
  • Extracts QuickLook/Thumbnail.png from the .procreate ZIP and returns an HBITMAP to Windows Explorer.
  • Uses a manual ZIP parser (no external dependencies) for maximum compatibility and speed.
  • Compiled with csc.exe (.NET Framework 4, no SDK needed, works out-of-the-box on Windows 10/11).

Python Viewer Application

  • Built with Python and tkinter (featuring a dark theme, Procreate-inspired UI).
  • Uses Pillow (PIL) for image processing, compositing, and exporting.
  • Packaged as a standalone .exe via PyInstaller (no Python installation needed for end-users).
  • Supports drag & drop, zoom/pan, and a detailed layer tree view.

🛠️ Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually:

1. File Association Only

# Run as Administrator
New-PSDrive -PSProvider Registry -Root HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT -Name HKCR -EA SilentlyContinue | Out-Null
New-Item -Path "HKCR:\.procreate" -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCR:\.procreate" -Name "(Default)" -Value "ProcreateViewer.procreate"
New-Item -Path "HKCR:\ProcreateViewer.procreate\shell\open\command" -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCR:\ProcreateViewer.procreate\shell\open\command" -Name "(Default)" -Value '"C:\Path\To\ProcreateViewer.exe" "%1"'

2. Thumbnail Handler Only

REM Run as Administrator
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe /codebase ProcreateThumbHandler.dll

3. Unregister Thumbnail Handler

REM Run as Administrator
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe /unregister ProcreateThumbHandler.dll

💡 Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Thumbnails not showing Restart Explorer (taskkill /f /im explorer.exe && start explorer.exe) or sign out/in
Still no thumbnails Set folder view to "Large icons" or "Extra large icons"
Thumbnails broken after update Run INSTALL.bat again to re-register
Need to uninstall Run UNINSTALL.bat as administrator, or use "Add/Remove Programs" if you used the Setup installer
"Access denied" errors Make sure you right-click → "Run as administrator"

📄 License

MIT License — free to use, modify, and distribute.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Feel free to:

  • Open issues for bugs or feature requests
  • Submit pull requests
  • Star the repo if you find it useful ⭐

Made with ❤️ for digital artists who use Procreate and Windows

About

If you transfer your Procreate backups to a Windows PC, you've likely noticed that .procreate files show up as blank, unrecognized icons. ProcreateViewer solves this problem by integrating directly into Windows File Explorer and providing a standalone viewer.

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