Ink Bleed
Let dark source edges feather and soak outward like ink spreading through paper fibres.
Add Ink Bleed
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 → Ink Bleed in the effects picker, or search for Ink Bleed with Cmd/Ctrl + F. Select the new layer in Layers to open its Effect Panel.
Choose the ink coverage
Set Threshold and Contrast for the source regions that hold ink. Choose Use Ink Colour and Ink when you want a single ink treatment.
Spread into paper
Increase Amount, Absorbency and Iterations to extend the bleed. Use Softness for the edge and Edge Only when the spreading should stay near contours.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Distance over which dark ink spreads into neighbouring pixels. | 0 to 20 %; 1 to 500 px (typed input: 1 to 2000) Default: 1.5 % Continuous keyframes |
| Angle | Rotates the sampling ray that pulls dark ink into neighbouring areas; the visible spread extends opposite that ray. | 0° to 360° Default: 270° Continuous keyframes |
| Wobble | Capillary wobble in the bleed path | 0% to 100% Default: 18% Continuous keyframes |
| Contrast | Shapes the ink-boundary contrast curve; higher values make ink edges more sharply defined. | 0.1 to 8 Default: 1.5 Continuous keyframes |
| Edge Only | Restrict spread toward source edges | 0% to 100% Default: 0% Continuous keyframes |
| Ink | Colour substituted for sampled source ink when Use Ink Color is enabled. | RGBA colour (0 to 255 per channel) Default: RGBA (12, 12, 14, 255) Colour keyframes |
| Threshold | Luminance cutoff below which source pixels count as ink; raising it includes more midtones. | 0% to 100% Default: 35% Continuous keyframes |
| Iterations | Number of samples gathered along each ink-bleed ray; more samples give smoother spread at greater processing cost. | 1 to 64 Default: 16 Discrete keyframes |
| Absorbency | Long-tail paper wash | 0% to 100% Default: 35% Continuous keyframes |
| Softness | Controls how gradually ink influence fades with distance; smaller values make a tighter bleed. | 0.05 to 1 Default: 0.5 Continuous keyframes |
| Strength | Maximum contribution of ink spread into lighter pixels; zero leaves the source unchanged. | 0% to 100% Default: 80% Continuous keyframes |
| Use Ink Colour | Uses the chosen Ink Color for the spread instead of the sampled source colour. | On / Off Default: Off Discrete keyframes |