What Is the Smear Tool in CorelDRAW?

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Smear tool in CorelDRAW, explaining what the tool is, how it functions, its primary settings, and practical ways to use it in vector illustration. Readers will learn how to manipulate vector paths dynamically by pulling and pushing object boundaries to create organic and customized shapes.

Understanding the Smear Tool

The Smear tool is an interactive shaping tool in CorelDRAW designed to distort vector objects by altering their outlines. Located in the toolbox under the Shape edit flyout (alongside tools like Smooth, Twirl, and Attract), the Smear tool allows you to sculpt the perimeter of a curve object by clicking and dragging directly on its path.

Unlike standard node-editing tools, the Smear tool creates fluid, organic distortions without requiring you to manually add, delete, or position individual nodes and control handles.

How the Smear Tool Works

The tool acts like a digital brush that drags the edge of a vector shape in the direction of your cursor movement:

  • Pushing Outward: Clicking inside an object and dragging outward extends the outline, creating bulges, spikes, or petal-like extensions.
  • Pulling Inward: Clicking outside an object and dragging inward creates indentations, notches, or hollows.

Key Settings on the Property Bar

When the Smear tool is active, the Property Bar offers several controls to adjust the effect:

  • Nib Size: Adjusts the diameter of the tool's brush cursor. A larger nib affects a broader area of the outline, while a smaller nib creates finer, more detailed distortions.
  • Smooth Smear vs. Pointy Smear:
    • Smooth Smear creates rounded, curved distortions along the path.
    • Pointy Smear draws the path out to sharp, tapered points.
  • Pen Pressure Options: If you are using a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet, you can toggle settings that tie the nib size or smear intensity directly to stylus pressure.

Practical Applications

The Smear tool is ideal for projects requiring fluid, non-geometric shapes, including:

  • Character and Creature Design: Adding tufts of hair, fur, fins, or tails.
  • Nature Graphics: Creating tree foliage, grass blades, petals, and leaves.
  • Liquid and Fire Effects: Drawing fluid splashes, melting edges, or flame tongues.
  • Abstract Artwork: Modifying basic geometric shapes into dynamic, flowing graphics.

How to Use the Smear Tool

  1. Select the vector object you want to modify. If working with basic shapes like rectangles or ellipses, convert them to curves first (Ctrl + Q).
  2. Click and hold the Shape tool in the toolbox to reveal the flyout menu, then select the Smear tool.
  3. Choose either Smooth Smear or Pointy Smear on the Property Bar and set your desired Nib Size.
  4. Click along the boundary of the shape and drag the cursor inward or outward to reshape the outline.