# Directional Smudge

> Local gestures pull and blend existing colors into long soft marks while selected contours remain readable.

[Web page](https://aistylebook.com/image/directional-smudge/)

## About this style

Directional smudge drags and blends neighboring colors along local gestures into soft, tapering marks. Readable edges coexist with pulled passages, making the change feel like an active blending gesture rather than camera motion.

Smudging drags and mixes nearby colors through selected gestures.

Tapering hair streaks beside clear eyes can suggest pushing wet paint rather than moving a camera across the whole scene.

### How the style changes different subjects

- **Portrait**: Selected areas stretch into color strips or trails, increasing motion while potentially distorting small features.

- **Landscape**: Scenic forms extend directionally, contrasting intact regions with flowing areas.

- **Object**: Pulled edges and colors elongate surfaces and can change proportions.

**Subjects**: Choose moving figures, night scenes, vehicles or bold-color objects with identifying details outside the strongest stretch.

## Visual keywords

local gestures · neighbor-color blending · tapering pulls · soft elongated marks · edge contrast · color dragging

## Names and related terms

Gestural color smearing · Digital smudge strokes

## Style examples

- [Portrait](https://img.aistylebook.com/ascii-artworks/directional-smudge-people.png?v=a92b76998c3bd006)

- [Landscape](https://img.aistylebook.com/ascii-artworks/directional-smudge-landscape.png?v=326881f48d495f6c)

- [Object](https://img.aistylebook.com/ascii-artworks/directional-smudge-objects.png?v=7c570104cba5cd8c)

## Reusable style prompt

```text
Apply a localized photographic raster smudge effect, preserving natural photographic texture and clearly readable detail across at least half of the image. In selected broad sweeping lanes, drag existing adjacent pixels into long tapering elastic color streaks with a soft digital smudge tool. Mix neighboring photographic colors smoothly, leaving intact sharp edges beside locally dragged areas. Vary the direction with each local gesture rather than applying one uniform camera-motion vector. Keep recognizable forms and original color relationships. Do not repaint the scene, add brush marks, pigment, impasto, canvas grain or illustration.
```

## Photo creation and prompts

Photo generation requires an account and credits; the cost is shown before generation.

[Create with this style](https://aistylebook.com/photo.html?style=34051&lang=en#studio)

## Related styles

- [Directional Motion Blur](https://aistylebook.com/image/directional-motion-blur/): Also stretches source colors, keeping one motion direction across the frame.

- [Pixel-Sorting Smear](https://aistylebook.com/image/pixel-sorting-smear/): Replaces softly blended smears with straight pixel streaks and clear thresholds.

- [Gestural Figuration](https://aistylebook.com/image/gestural-figuration/): Turns local gestures into visible pigment strokes that redraw the forms.

## References

- [GIMP Manual: Smudge](https://docs.gimp.org/3.0/en/gimp-tool-smudge.html)