Finding & Fixing Missing Pixels

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Finding & Fixing Missing Pixels

When you're finished creating an element, it is important to check for missing pixels. A missing pixel is a transparent area within your element that is not supposed to be there. These often cannot be seen by eye. By applying an inside stroke to your element will become easier to spot:

You can see there are some red areas inside my element which I do not want to be there.

Missing pixels are generally pretty easy to fix. I usually use the Spot Healing Brush (J). Just click over the hole and it should disappear!

I found that sometimes the Spot Healing brush would mess up a pattern or texture on the element, and came up with a better option. I use the Eyedropper right next to where the missing pixels are to get the right color, then use a regular Brush...but in the space up in the upper left that usually says Normal, I use the dropdown arrow to select Behind. (It's much like the one on the right of Marisa's 3rd image, just has the Brush symbol on the left rather than the Spot Healing Brush.) This will paint with that brush behind what's already visible, and then I can just paint until all the missing pixels are gone.

What causes a missing pixel? I've read that saving an image too many times as a JPG can do it. What else can?

Thank you for sharing, Marisa! I didn't even know this was a thing. Well, I knew about stray pixels on the outside, but someone had flagged one of commons' elements and said to check the inside stroke.

Thanks