Smudge Tool

How to use the Smudge Tool

1. 1Select an image or drop one on the page.
2. 2Choose a brush size. Smaller brushes give finer control.
3. 3Set strength: high pulls colours farther, low blends more gently.
4. 4Drag across the picture in the direction you want colours to move.
5. 5Undo or start over as needed, then press Download PNG.

The idea behind smudging

In painting, smudging means dragging wet paint with a finger or a cloth. The colour from one place is spread into the next. In digital editing, the brush picks up the colours under it at the start of a stroke and carries them along, leaving a smear that fades as the carried colour mixes with what it passes over.

Uses in photo editing

Retouchers use smudging to blend hard edges after a cut-out, stretch a highlight along the curve of an object, smooth a hairline and remove small, distracting marks. Artists use it to make digital paintings look hand made.

• Hard edges: short strokes along the edge, low strength
• Hair: strokes in the direction of the hair
• Highlights: drag along the curve of the shape
• Painterly effect: larger brush, long strokes

Getting a clean result

Use short strokes and lift your finger often. Long strokes carry colour farther and risk smearing into areas you did not want to change. Use a soft brush for blending and a harder one for pushing shapes.

A quick example

Imagine a pie chart you drew with a hard edge between two colours. Choose a brush about as wide as the border, strength 50, and drag across the line from one colour to the other in a few short strokes. The boundary becomes a soft gradient. Do the same along the line from the other side for a smoother blend.

Phone and computer

On a phone, use one finger; the page does not scroll while you touch the picture. On a computer, a ring shows the brush size. Pictures up to about 16 million pixels are supported.

Smudge, blur or clone?

Use smudge when you want shapes to flow in a direction, such as hair, brush marks or a stretched highlight. Use the blur tool when you simply want less detail, and the clone tool when you want an exact copy of something that is elsewhere in the picture. Mixing them works well: clone out a flaw, then smudge the edges of the repair so they melt into their surroundings.

Good to know

Smudging works on the pixels, so it cannot create detail. Heavy smudging flattens texture. Work on a copy if you want to keep the original; your original file is never changed, and Start over restores it. Smudging blends colours, and other brushes suit other edits. Use the Blur Tool for softer detail, the Brush Tool to paint, and the Clone Tool to copy one area onto another.

Features

• Pulls colours along your stroke
• Size, softness and strength controls
• Smooth, painterly blending
• Undo and Start over
• Works with mouse, finger and pen
• Nothing is uploaded

Frequently asked questions