How to Use Dispersion in PhotoDirector
Scatter part of a photo into flying particles, as a still or a short clip.
Updated Sep. 2, 2026 · 5 min read
In a hurry? Use the Dispersion quick guide instead.
Dispersion breaks part of a photo into particles flying away from the subject, so a butterfly's wing trails off into a scatter of stars. You brush the area yourself, so what disperses is your decision. One checkbox turns the result into a moving clip with music, and that choice decides whether you finish with a photo or a video.
- In PhotoDirector, open Guided & GenAI, click Effects, then pick Dispersion under Animation Effects.
- Brush over the area you want to scatter, then click Apply.
- Under Settings, choose a particle Shape and a Type, then tune size, density and direction.
- For a moving version, tick Enable animation effect and add Background music.
- Export as New Photo File or New Video/GIF File.
Steps to Use Dispersion
Step 1: Open Dispersion
From the PhotoDirector launcher, choose Guided & GenAI. That is the mode holding the step-by-step tools rather than the full editing workspace.
In the Effects rail down the left, Dispersion sits under Animation Effects, next to Photo Animation. The name of that group is the first clue that this tool does more than one thing.
Step 2: Brush the Area to Scatter
Nothing happens automatically here. Pick the brush, set a Brush size, and paint over the part you want to break apart. The second tool in the pair is an eraser, for trimming a selection that went too far.
A dashed outline shows what you have marked. When it covers the right area, click Apply.
Brush the edge you want it to fly off, not the whole subject. In the example the marked area runs along a diagonal through the wing, so the outer side breaks up and the half nearest the body stays intact. Scatter the whole butterfly and there is nothing left to recognize, which is the usual reason a first attempt looks like noise.
The particles appear straight away over the picture, and the Settings below become live. From here you are adjusting, not re-selecting.
Step 3: Shape the Particles
The Shape swatch opens a grid of twelve particle shapes. Alongside plain dots and squares there are stars, hearts, leaves and several more graphic ones. This is the single control that changes the character of the result most, so it is worth trying before touching the sliders.
Type decides how the particles travel:
| Type | What the name tells you |
|---|---|
| Spread | Particles fan outwards, widening as they go. This is the default and what the example uses |
| Straight | Travel in one direction rather than fanning |
| Shrink | Pull inwards rather than away |
Underneath, Size, Stretch, Density and Fade control how big, how streaked, how many and how quickly the particles thin out. The Direction dial sets which way they fly.
If the brushed area itself was wrong, Modify Region takes you back to the brush without losing these settings.
Step 4: Make It Move
This is the checkbox that changes what you are making. Tick Enable animation effect and the still becomes a short looping clip.
The particles drift
Movement only. The colors stay as they are, so the result still reads as your photograph.
They drift and change color
Adds a color cycle on top of the drift. More obviously an effect, which suits something already stylized.
A Slower to Faster slider sets the pace, and a play control under the preview lets you watch it before committing.
Background music sits directly underneath. Load a track and the panel shows a Duration, which is how long the exported clip will run. That makes the music the thing that sets the length, not the animation.
Step 5: Export
Export at the top offers two things, and which one you want was decided back at the animation checkbox. New Photo File saves the frame; New Video/GIF File saves the movement.
Exporting a photo from an animated version simply takes the frame, so there is no need to undo the animation to get a still out of it.
Haven't got PhotoDirector yet? A photo and a brush is the entire setup, and the same effect comes out as a still or as a clip with music.
Download PhotoDirector Free →FAQ About Dispersion
No. Leave Enable animation effect unticked and Dispersion is a still effect, exported through New Photo File. The animation is an option on top, not the point of the tool.
No. The second brush tool is an eraser, so you can trim a selection before applying. After applying, Modify Region takes you back to the brush with your Settings intact, and Clear at the bottom of the panel resets the whole thing.
As long as the background music you load. The panel shows a Duration under the track, and that is what the exported video or GIF runs to.
Usually because too much was brushed. Dispersion reads as an effect when part of the subject stays intact and only an edge breaks up. Mark the trailing edge rather than the whole subject, and drop Density if the particles are still crowding the frame.
