About the Sponge Tool
The sponge tool changes how colourful a picture is, only where you paint. Add colour to make a flower, a lip or a product pop, or remove it to calm an area that is too loud, such as a bright background that steals attention. Choose the brush size, softness and flow, drag over the picture and watch the colour change under the brush. Undo any stroke, start over, and save a full-size PNG. Fine control like this is hard with a single saturation slider, which changes everything at once. Your picture is never uploaded.
Updated October 2026
How to use the Sponge Tool
- 1Select an image or drop one on the page.
- 2Choose Add colour or Remove colour.
- 3Set the brush size, softness and flow.
- 4Drag over the parts you want to change, repeating for more effect.
- 5Undo if needed and press Download PNG.
Why colour control matters
The eye goes to the most colourful part of a picture. If a bright background is louder than your subject, muting it moves attention back. If a subject looks flat, adding colour in just the right place brings it forward. Local control gives you this without making the whole picture look unnatural.
Add colour carefully
Over-saturated pictures look fake, especially skin. Use a low flow and a soft brush, and stop as soon as the area looks richer. For skin, it is usually better to use the sponge sparingly or not at all.
- Flowers and food: add colour with medium flow
- Skin: very low flow, if at all
- Distracting background: remove colour
- Old or faded photo: add colour in patches
Removing colour for effect
A popular style keeps one object in colour on a muted background. Use Remove colour with a big brush over the background and avoid the subject; make the brush edge soft to avoid an obvious cut-out.
Sponge with other tools
Combine the sponge with Dodge Tool and Burn Tool for full control of light and colour. Download between steps, since each tool opens a new picture.
A quick example
Take a photo of a red scarf on a grey street. Choose Add colour, a soft brush as wide as the scarf and a flow of 30 percent, then make two or three passes along it. The red deepens and the street stays grey, so the scarf draws the eye. To go the other way, choose Remove colour and pass over a loud yellow wall behind a person until it turns calm and pale; the person now stands out.
Phone and computer
On a phone, one finger paints and 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.
Good to know
The result is saved as PNG at the original size. Colour is changed mathematically per pixel, so already-grey or fully saturated pixels cannot change much further. Start over restores the original at any time. To make the picture grey, try Black and White Image, and the Photo Editor has more adjustments.
Features
- Add or remove colour only under the brush
- Adjustable size, softness and flow
- Greys stay grey when adding colour
- Undo and Start over
- Touch, mouse and pen supported
- Private: runs in your browser
Frequently asked questions
What does the sponge tool do?
It increases or decreases the colour intensity (saturation) of the pixels under the brush, leaving everything else as it is.
How is this different from a saturation slider?
A slider changes the whole picture at once. The sponge lets you change one area, such as making a red dress richer without touching the skin.
Why does the grey of a wall stay grey when I add colour?
Saturation boosts colours that are already there. A neutral grey has no colour to boost, so it does not turn into a tint.
What does flow mean?
It sets how much colour changes with each pass. Low flow builds the effect slowly, which gives a more natural look.
Can I make part of the picture black and white?
Yes. Choose Remove colour, a big brush and go over the area several times. Many passes reduce colour to grey.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. Editing happens in your browser.