Eraser Tool

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Select an image file jpg, png, webp

Tool page uploader hero image

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Supported formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP
Supported formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP

How to use the online eraser tool

1

Upload an image

Use the form above to load an image. Click the 'Upload image' button, copy and paste or drag and drop an image into the uploader.

2

Adjust

Adjust the settings in the tool options bar to set the size, and hardness of the eraser tool.

3

Apply

Stroke the image to erase areas where brush strokes are applied.

Learn More About
the Eraser Tool

On this page

1. About the eraser tool

The eraser tool allows you to remove parts of an image, making them transparent or revealing the background color depending on your settings. It is used to change the opacity or transparency of the pixels in its stroke. The eraser tool can be used in combination with selection tools to restrict erasing to a selected area. Upload an image from your computer or use a sample image to use the eraser tool.

Eraser tool main example

2. How the Eraser Tool Works

To use the eraser tool click the tool icon in the toolbar. This will activate the eraser in the editor and load the tool options bar with the tool settings.

eraser tool icon in toolbar

By default the eraser tool erases to transparent. The transparency is indicated by the checkered tiling in the erased area. If you wish to erase to the background color, deselect the transparent background checkbox in the far right of the menu bar color selection panel.

Moving the mouse over the image shows the the eraser tool cursor. The cursor is a circle which has a diameter set by the Size setting in the tool options bar. Changing the 'Size' setting, as shown below, also changes the diameter of the eraser cursor circle.

eraser tool size setting

The cursor circle indicates the area that will be erased when you click or drag in the image with the eraser tool. In the pair of images below the first image shows the mouse over the image in the editor. The second image shows a single click in the image with the erase tool clearing the area covered by the eraser brush.

eraser tool cursor

The Blur radius setting in the tool option is used to soften the eraser strokes. It is analogous to the hardness setting in Photoshop and GIMP. The more you increase the blur radius the more the eraser will appear to spread the eraser stroke or reduce the hardness. The blur spreads the transition between the erased and un-erased areas at the border of a stroke.

eraser tool blur setting

Below shows an image with two eraser strokes. The stroke at the top has 0 blur radius, hence the sharp, hard edge. The stroke below it has a blur of 5 pixels. It has a soft edge because the erased area transitions from transparent to opaque in a 5px border around the stroke edge.

eraser tool blur

The erase tool does not have to completely erase at all times to full transparency. You can set the Opacity in the tool options to set the strength of the eraser tool.

eraser tool opacity setting

A value of 100, the default value, will erase completely, 50 will make the image semi-transparent and 0 opacity will make the eraser tool have no effect on the image. The image below illustrates the effects of changing opacity on the eraser strokes. The opacity values are 20 for the top stroke, 50 for the center stroke and a value of 100 for the stroke at the bottom. The higher the opacity the greater the strength of the eraser tool.

eraser tool opacity

3. Eraser tool options

  • Size:
    Sets the diameter of the brush strokes for the eraser tool.
  • Blur:
    Sets what would be called the 'hardness' in other editors such as photoshop or gimp. The blur makes the edge of the eraser brush stroke less sharp or fuzzy.
  • Opacity:
    The opacity sets how much the eraser tool erases in the image. A value of 100% means the eraser is at full strength and erases completely while an opacity of 0% means the eraser stroke is invisible and will not erase in the image.

Frequently Asked Questions

The eraser tool allows you to remove parts of an image, making them transparent or revealing the background color depending on your settings. It is used to change the opacity or transparency of the pixels in its stroke.

Opacity refers to the transparency level of an element. A fully opaque element has an opacity of 100%, meaning it is completely solid, while a fully transparent element has an opacity of 0%, meaning it is completely see-through. Adjusting opacity changes how much of the background is visible through the element.

Transparency refers to the quality of being see-through or allowing light to pass through. In digital imaging, a transparent area of an image allows the background or other layers to be visible through it, as opposed to opaque areas which completely block the view of what is behind them.

To save image transparency, you need to use a file format that supports transparency, such as PNG. When editing an image with transparent areas, ensure that you save or export the image in a format that preserves the alpha channel, which maintains the transparency information.

The checkered background indicates transparency in the image. When you erase parts of an image, those areas become transparent, and many image editing tools represent transparency with a checkered pattern so you can distinguish transparent areas from opaque ones.