Procreate time lapse vs a process certificate: what each one shows
A Procreate time lapse shows your strokes on your iPad. A process certificate gives a client a link to check. Compare what each shows, and when to use both.
Published October 16, 2026. Last updated: October 16, 20265 min readDrawDog
TL;DR: A Procreate time lapse shows the order you drew in. A process certificate gives a client one link to check, with when and how long you worked. They answer different questions, so send the time lapse for the story and a certificate for something a client can check.
Drawing in Procreate on an iPad? Seal your .procreate file, nothing to install. On a Mac or PC too? 3 free certificates a month at drawdog.art/download.
This page is the short, two-way comparison. For the full export steps, read our main guide, Procreate time lapse: how to export it and what it shows a client. For six ways to show your process, see the alternatives guide.
DrawDog is a process-receipt app by Hive Asset Group, LLC that records how creative work was made without reading your files.
At a glance
| Procreate time lapse | Sealed record (iPad, via Seal page) | DrawDog certificate (Mac or PC app) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | On your iPad, in Procreate | A signed, timestamped record you can share | A link that opens in a browser |
| What it shows | Your actions in order, as a video | Your .procreate file locked at a moment in time | When you worked, for how long, and stroke counts for drawing |
| Can it be paused or trimmed? | Yes. Pausing skips a stretch, and the 30 Seconds export is an edited cut | You can edit a Procreate file before you seal it | Not a video, so nothing to trim |
| Who checks it | Whoever you send the video to | Anyone you share it with | Anyone with your link |
| Cost | Part of Procreate | Counts as one certificate on your plan | 3 free a month, then Pro $19 or Studio $39 |
What a Procreate time lapse shows
Procreate records a frame for every action you make on the canvas, except undo. It is on by default for new canvases. You can export it as Full length, which is your whole process, or 30 Seconds, which Procreate makes by removing frames and keeping the ones it finds most important.
A time lapse is a great story. A client can see the sketch turn into the final piece, and a face that gets drawn wrong and then fixed is hard to fake without doing the work.
What it can't show
- It lives on your iPad. A client can only see it if you send the file.
- If you paused recording, that stretch is skipped. Procreate says pausing lets you make an edited video.
- The 30 Seconds version is a cut. Send Full length.
- It is a video file. A client has no easy way to check when it was made.
None of that makes a time lapse a bad record. It makes it a record that you control, and a careful client knows the difference between a record you control and one somebody else can check. If your video has a gap, this guide explains the five causes Procreate documents, and this one shows how to say so plainly.
What a process certificate shows
A DrawDog certificate records how a piece was made over time. The desktop app notes your sessions, how long you worked, and for drawing, stroke counts. It never opens your files, and it never reads file names, keystrokes or your screen. The certificate opens in a browser from one link. You can look at a sample certificate first.
For Procreate on an iPad, there is the Seal page. Drop in your .procreate file and get a signed, timestamped "Sealed record". The file itself never leaves your device.
What a certificate can't show
Please read this part. We want you to know the limits.
- DrawDog is not an AI detector. It records how work was made, not what the work is.
- A Sealed record cannot catch tracing over an imported image.
- A Procreate file can be edited before it is sealed.
- It does not tell a client whether someone copied a piece by hand.
A certificate is a receipt. It is not a verdict.
Which one to send a client
Send both. They answer two different worries: how did you make it, and how does anyone know when.
- Export the Full length time lapse from Actions, Video.
- Send your layered file if the client wants it.
- Add the certificate or Sealed record link.
The video tells the story. The link gives the client something to check instead of just your word.
How to get both if you draw on an iPad
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Draw in Procreate with Time-lapse Recording on |
| 2 | Export the Full length time lapse |
| 3 | Drop your .procreate file on drawdog.art/seal |
| 4 | Send the video and the link |
| 5 | Also work on a Mac or PC? Add the desktop app |
The desktop app does not run on an iPad. The free plan gives you 3 certificates a month.
Questions
Is a DrawDog certificate better than a Procreate time lapse?
Neither replaces the other. The time lapse shows your strokes. The certificate gives a client something to check instead of your word.
Does DrawDog work on an iPad?
The desktop app does not. For Procreate on an iPad you can seal a .procreate file at drawdog.art/seal, which gives you a signed, timestamped Sealed record of your file at a moment in time.
Can a certificate show I did not use AI?
No. DrawDog is not an AI detector. It records how long and when you worked and gives a client one link to check.
Should I send full length or 30 seconds?
Full length. Procreate makes the 30 Seconds version by removing frames, so it is an edited cut.
Is DrawDog free?
There is a free plan with 3 certificates a month and no card. Pro is $19 a month and Studio is $39 a month.
Can a client tell when my Procreate time lapse was made?
Not easily. A time lapse is a video file, and a client has no easy way to check when it was made. A DrawDog certificate opens from one link in a browser and shows when and how long you worked.
Does DrawDog open my .procreate file?
No. When you seal a .procreate file at drawdog.art/seal, the file itself never leaves your device. The desktop app never opens your files and never reads file names, keystrokes or your screen.
Can a Sealed record catch tracing?
No. A Sealed record cannot catch tracing over an imported image, and a Procreate file can be edited before it is sealed. It is a receipt, not a verdict.
Drawing in Procreate on an iPad? Seal your .procreate file, nothing to install. On a Mac or PC too? 3 free certificates a month at drawdog.art/download.