FAQ Shadows & Outline
Why does the outline effect look jagged or pixelated?
Short answer: Outline traces the layer's alpha edge at its current resolution — if that edge is already low-res, or the outline width is large relative to the image size, the trace shows every pixel step instead of a smooth curve.
Why it happens
Outline builds its path by walking the transparent/opaque boundary pixel by pixel, then stroking along it. A soft or downsampled edge — common after resizing a cutout — gives it a jagged boundary to trace in the first place. A thick stroke on a small image just makes every stair-step more visible.
How to get a smooth outline
- Apply Outline before downsizing the image, not after — the edge is cleaner at full resolution.
- Increase the “Smoothing” / edge-feather setting, especially on a subject that came out of Background Remover, which cleans up the alpha edge before tracing.
- Keep outline width proportional to image resolution — a 40px outline on a 300px-wide cutout will always look chunky, no matter how much smoothing you apply.
Getting a jagged outline right now? Open Outline in Zurapic and check Smoothing before increasing the stroke width.
Last updated: August 11, 2026