How to apply a swirl effect to an image?

Select your file, drag the center handle where you want the twist to start, then adjust the radius and amount.

What does the Swirl radius control?

Radius sets how far the distortion extends from the center. The twist tapers smoothly to zero at the edge.

Is this like Photoshop's Twirl filter?

Similar — both rotate pixels spirally around a center point. Photoshop's Twirl uses a fixed center; this tool adds an interactive handle and smooth tapering at the radius boundary.

What file formats can I export?

You can export as PNG, JPEG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, or HEIC.

Is this tool free to use?

Yes — completely free, no account needed. Your images are processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded to a server. Downloads have no watermarks.

BrushCue Tool

Add Swirl Effect to Image Online

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Go to Swirl editor →

What you can expect

Creates a swirl effect at a point your choose in your image. Control the magnitude of the effect with a angle given in radians and the radius of the effect.

Demo video

See Swirl in action

Related tools

More BrushCue tools that fit this workflow.

See all tools →

Liquify

A Liquify image editing tool that distorts an image using wave-based deformation. Amplitude controls the strength of the distortion, while frequency determines how smooth or tightly rippled the effect appears, enabling precise, parameter-driven liquify effects.

Kaleidoscope

Turn your image to a kaleidoscope. Control the number of segments, the rotation and a warp feature when creating your kaleidoscope.

Camera Moving Distortion

This tool simulates the effect of camera movement during a photo capture. It overlays two instances of the same image and blends them using a configurable alpha value to produce the effect. You can control both the blending strength and the positional offset between the two overlays to introduce subtle motion, depth, or a sense of energy—useful for adding realism, emphasizing motion, or creating a more dynamic, cinematic feel in otherwise static images.

Zoom Blur

Zoom Blur simulates the effect of a camera zooming during exposure, creating streaks that radiate outward from a specified center point. The center remains relatively sharp while surrounding areas blur along radial lines. The strength parameter controls how pronounced the motion and streaking appear.

Shredder

Takes your image and makes it look like it was thrown through a shredder. You can specify the number of cuts to make and the background color.

Frequently asked questions

How to apply a swirl effect to an image?: Select your file, drag the center handle where you want the twist to start, then adjust the radius and amount.
What does the Swirl radius control?: Radius sets how far the distortion extends from the center. The twist tapers smoothly to zero at the edge.
Is this like Photoshop's Twirl filter?: Similar — both rotate pixels spirally around a center point. Photoshop's Twirl uses a fixed center; this tool adds an interactive handle and smooth tapering at the radius boundary.
What file formats can I export?: You can export as PNG, JPEG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, or HEIC.
Is this tool free to use?: Yes — completely free, no account needed. Your images are processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded to a server. Downloads have no watermarks.

For developers

Use Swirl from Python

Open the Jupyter notebook example to see how to run this tool from the BrushCue Python API, inspect the processing steps, and adapt the workflow for scripts or batch image jobs.

View Python notebook

Build your own

Add Swirl Effect to Image Online

What you can expect

See Swirl in action

Read more about Swirl

Introducing the Swirl Tool

Frequently asked questions

Use Swirl from Python

Create projects with your custom presets