About the Burn Tool
Burning is the darkroom opposite of dodging: you give part of a print extra exposure so it gets darker. This online burn tool lets you do that with a brush. Drag over a sky that is too bright, the edges of a portrait, a blown-out highlight or the background behind a product, and those parts become darker while everything else stays untouched. Set the brush size, softness, strength and the tonal range, undo what you do not like and save the result as a full-size PNG. The picture never leaves your device.
Updated October 2026
How to use the Burn Tool
- 1Select an image or drop one on the page.
- 2Choose a brush size and a soft edge so the effect blends in.
- 3Pick shadows, midtones or highlights and set the exposure.
- 4Drag over the area you want to darken, repeating to build it up.
- 5Press Undo if needed, then Download PNG.
Where burning helps
A sky that is too bright, a window behind a subject, a white wall in a product shot, a shiny forehead: burning calms all of these. Photographers also darken the edges of a picture a little, a so-called vignette, to keep the eye in the centre. With a brush you can do this exactly where it is needed.
Technique
Start with a large soft brush, a low exposure and the highlights range if the problem is brightness. Make one pass, look, and make another pass only if needed. Slow, repeated strokes are the secret to an edit nobody notices.
- Bright sky: highlights, big soft brush, 15 to 25%
- Face shading: midtones, medium brush, 10 to 20%
- Deepen blacks: shadows, small brush, 20%
Burn and dodge together
Photographers use both to sculpt light: burn where light would not fall, dodge where it would. Use the Dodge Tool as well, downloading between the two. Even small changes can make a flat photo look three-dimensional.
Limits you should know
Burning cannot recreate information that is missing. A sky that is pure white stays featureless and just turns grey. Burning in very dark areas can also add a grey cast, which is why the range selector is useful.
Phone and computer
On a phone, paint with one finger; the picture does not scroll while you touch it. On a computer, a ring shows the brush size. Pictures up to about 16 million pixels are supported and saved at full size.
Good to know
The result is a PNG, which keeps every detail. Use Compress Image if you need a smaller file for the web. Your original file is not changed, and you can press Start over to return to it at any time. To lighten an area instead of darkening it, use the Dodge Tool, and the Sponge Tool raises or lowers colour strength where you paint.
Features
- Darken only where you paint
- Shadows, midtones or highlights range
- Adjustable brush size, softness and exposure
- Undo and Start over
- Touch, mouse and pen supported
- No upload
Frequently asked questions
What does the burn tool do?
It darkens the pixels you paint over. The effect builds up with every pass, so you can go from a gentle shade to a deep shadow.
Why would I darken part of a photo?
To draw attention to the subject, to calm a distracting bright background, to bring back detail in a bright sky, or to add shape to a face with soft shading.
Which range should I choose?
Highlights is best for toning down bright areas without crushing the shadows. Midtones suits general shading. Shadows deepens dark areas and makes them richer.
Can burn bring back a completely white sky?
No. If the sky is pure white, there is no detail left to recover. Burning darkens it to grey instead. It works well on areas that are bright but still have some detail.
Will the edit look obvious?
Not if you use a big, soft brush and a low exposure, and build up gradually. Hard edges and strong passes are what make edits visible.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser.