Airbrush
Smooth and posterize surfaces into sprayed gradients for retouching and soft graphic illustration.
Add Airbrush
Open an image or build the source composition first. Put this effect after the content it should process in stack processing order. Choose Texture & Pattern → Paint → Airbrush in the effects picker, or search for Airbrush with Cmd/Ctrl + F. Select the new layer in Layers to open its Effect Panel.
Smooth broad shapes
Adjust Radius and Smoothness to soften large areas, then use Detail and Detail Fidelity to retain important structure.
Add the spray finish
Increase Spray or Glow for an airbrushed haze. Use Clarity, Edge Highlights and the glow cutoff controls to keep highlights from washing out the subject.
Set an individual colour
Click the relevant colour swatch to open its picker. Colors and Palettes explains colour values, transparency and the canvas sampling controls where available.
Compare and finish
Toggle the layer eye to compare with the incoming composition. Use the Effect Panel footer for opacity and blend mode, or add a mask to limit the affected area. In Video or Live, use the function menu on a supported control to add keyframes or a driver.
Control reference
Show individual controls
| Control | What it does | Values and animation |
|---|---|---|
| Clarity | Local contrast around preserved detail | -1 to 1 Default: 0 Continuous keyframes |
| Detail | Amount of source detail retained in the smoothed airbrush finish. | 0 to 1 Default: 0.38 Continuous keyframes |
| Detail Fidelity | How literally edge detail is restored from the source | 0 to 1 Default: 0.72 Continuous keyframes |
| Detail Mask Fade | Feather the boundary between softened and preserved regions | 0 to 1 Default: 0.45 Continuous keyframes |
| Edge Highlights | Brightens source edges in the airbrushed finish. | 0 to 1 Default: 0.18 Continuous keyframes |
| Glow | Blends a soft glow around bright airbrushed regions. | 0 to 1 Default: 0.32 Continuous keyframes |
| Glow Cloud Noise | Adds cloud-like variation to the airbrush glow field. | 0 to 1 Default: 0 Continuous keyframes |
| Glow Radius | Sets how far the airbrush glow spreads from bright regions. | 0 to 12 %; 1 to 2000 px (typed input: 1 to 8000) Default: 2.4 % Continuous keyframes |
| Glow Soft Knee | Softens the transition around Glow Threshold so highlights enter the airbrush glow gradually. | 0 to 0.5 Default: 0.14 Continuous keyframes |
| Glow Cutoff | Minimum source brightness that contributes to the airbrushed glow. | 0 to 1 Default: 0.64 Continuous keyframes |
| Glow Tint | Colour applied to the soft airbrush glow. | Colour Default: #ffffff Colour keyframes |
| Radius | Sets the neighbourhood used to smooth the airbrushed image. | 0 to 12 %; 1 to 2000 px (typed input: 1 to 8000) Default: 1.4 % Continuous keyframes |
| Saturation | Scales colour saturation in the sprayed-paint result; one keeps its base saturation. | 0 to 1.8 Default: 1.08 Continuous keyframes |
| Seed | Selects a repeatable random pattern for Airbrush; the same seed repeats its layout. | 0 to 1000 Default: 0 Discrete keyframes |
| Smoothness | Amount of source detail replaced by the smooth sprayed-paint base. | 0 to 1 Default: 0.68 Continuous keyframes |
| Spray | Adds fine spray texture to the airbrush finish. | 0 to 1 Default: 0.16 Continuous keyframes |