Smudge a specific area of an image

The Smudge tool is used to smudge a specific area of an image. The effect created is similar to smudging wet paint.

1. Do one of the following:

   • In the Tools sidebar, click Smudge or choose if from the grouped tools.
   • Choose Tools > Retouch > Smudge from the Tools menu at the top of your screen.

2. In the Tool Options pane, customize the Smudge tool:

   1. Brush Size: Drag the Brush Size slider to adjust the size of the Smudge tool brush. Press and hold the Option ⌥ key to extend the range of the Brush Size slider beyond 100%. You can also manually enter a value from 0% to 200%.


      💡 Tip: You can use the [ and ] keys on your keyboard to change the size of the Smudge tool brush.

   2. Softness: Drag the Softness slider to adjust the softness of the edges of the Smudge tool brush. With softer edges, the smudged areas will usually blend in better with the rest of the image.

   3. Strength: Drag the Strength slider to adjust the intensity of the smudging effect.


3. Brush over an area in your image to smudge it.

Show before and after or reset effects

Show Original: Click the Show Original button to see what the image looked like before.

Show Split Comparison: Option ⌥ – click the Show Original button or press Control ⌃ + C on your keyboard.

Click Reset to discard all the current changes.