# Pixel Sorting Online - Glitch Art Pixel Sort Effect

> Pixel sort images online: sort by brightness, hue or RGB within threshold, edge, random or brush-mask intervals at any angle, seeded, with full-res PNG export.

- URL: https://qilingtools.com/en/image/pixel-sort
- Category: Image Tools (https://qilingtools.com/en/image)
- Tags: [Image](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/image), [Creative Effects](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/effects)
- Last updated: 2026-10-26
- Price: Free, no sign-up
- Privacy: Runs locally in the browser; files are never uploaded

Pixel sorting is a classic glitch-art technique: scan the image line by line (or column by column, or along any angle), pick runs of neighbouring pixels and re-order them by brightness, hue or another property, so the picture melts into streaks and waterfalls of colour while keeping its overall shapes. This tool gives you full control. Sort by brightness, lightness, hue, saturation, the red, green or blue channel, or the darkest or brightest channel. Define the runs by a brightness threshold (only pixels between the lower and upper limit, or the inverse), by Sobel edge detection (runs break at object edges, so outlines stay crisp while flat areas smear), by random lengths that slice the picture into fragments, or sort whole lines end to end. Set any angle from 0 to 359°, reverse the order and add random breaks for a more shattered look. To melt only part of the picture, turn on the mask and paint the areas to sort right on the preview. Every random choice comes from a seed, so the same settings and seed always reproduce the same result. The preview runs live on a downscaled copy; the export is re-sorted at full resolution in a Web Worker and saved as a lossless PNG, and your image never leaves your device.

## How to use

1. Drop a photo
2. Choose what to sort by, the interval mode (threshold, edges, random or whole line), the angle, and tune the limits; paint a mask to affect only part of the image
3. Export a full-size PNG when you like it — change the seed for a different variation

## Features

- 9 sort keys including brightness, hue, saturation and RGB
- Brightness threshold intervals (invertible)
- Sobel edge breaks
- Random run lengths and random breaks
- Any angle from 0 to 359°, reversible
- Brush mask to sort only painted areas
- Seeded and reproducible
- Live preview, full-resolution PNG export in a Worker

## FAQ

### How does pixel sorting work?

The image is treated as a set of scan lines (rows from left to right by default). On each line the tool finds runs of consecutive pixels that meet the interval condition and re-orders the pixels in each run by the chosen property, such as brightness, before putting them back in place. Pixels outside the runs stay where they are, so the big shapes survive while the runs turn into smooth gradient streaks — the signature smeared, melting look.

### What is the difference between threshold, edge and random intervals?

Threshold sorts only pixels whose brightness lies between the limits — for example letting just the sky and highlights flow. Edge mode breaks the runs at object outlines, so people and buildings keep sharp edges while flat areas smear. Random lengths ignore the picture and cut every line into fragments of varying length, which looks more chaotic. Whole line sorts each line end to end, the most extreme option.

### Why does the export look slightly different from the preview?

The preview is computed live on a copy scaled to 640 px, while the export is sorted again at full resolution. Threshold, edge, angle and length settings are all scaled to the image size, so the overall look matches, but the full image has more detail and edge detection and random breaks land in slightly different places. Exports of the same image with the same settings and seed are always identical.

### How do I apply the effect to only part of the image?

Tick “Only sort painted areas”, then press and drag on the preview to paint; the red areas are the ones that get sorted. Adjust the brush size, switch to the eraser, or fill everything and erase what you don’t want. The mask works together with the threshold or edge condition and is scaled up to the full image on export.

## Related tools

- [PDF to Image](https://qilingtools.com/en/pdf/to-image): Free online PDF to image converter: render every page as a high-resolution JPG or PNG at 72/150/300 DPI, download all as a ZIP. Processed locally, no upload.
- [Image to PDF](https://qilingtools.com/en/pdf/from-image): Free online image to PDF converter: combine JPG, PNG and WebP images into one PDF in order, with A4 or image-sized pages. Processed locally, no upload.
- [Compress Image](https://qilingtools.com/en/image/compress): Free online image compressor: batch compress JPG, PNG and WebP with adjustable quality and a max size, showing the before and after sizes. Runs locally.
- [Resize Image](https://qilingtools.com/en/image/resize): Free online image resizer: batch resize by pixel width and height or by percentage with the aspect ratio locked. JPG, PNG and WebP, processed locally.
- [Convert Image](https://qilingtools.com/en/image/convert): Free online image converter: batch convert JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF and BMP images to JPG, PNG or WebP. Processed locally, no upload.
- [Watermark Image](https://qilingtools.com/en/image/watermark): Free online image watermark tool: batch add text watermarks with position, tiling, opacity, size and color settings. Processed locally, no upload.
- [Stitch Images](https://qilingtools.com/en/image/stitch): Free online image stitcher: join screenshots or photos vertically or horizontally into one long image, with gap and background options. Processed locally.
- [Remove Background](https://qilingtools.com/en/image/remove-bg): Free online background remover: AI finds people, products and animals and cuts the background to a transparent PNG, or swaps in a white, red or blue backdrop.