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How to undo edits and use History Brush in Lil Cactus

Beginner6 minutesUpdated

Quick answer

In Lil Cactus, choose Edit then Undo to step back and Edit then Redo to reapply an edit. Choose Window then History to jump to a recorded state. To paint from an earlier state, click the small brush icon beside a state that contains your current layer, then use History Brush over the area you want to restore.

The coffee photo with a black practice mark on the orange background, before and after removing the mark with History Brush
History Brush paints over the practice mark using the clean history state. Drag the handle to compare.
Time
6 minutes
Level
Beginner
You need
The practice photo and a mouse or trackpad
Works with
Editable pixel layers and compatible states in the open document’s history
Open the sample in Lil CactusUse your own photo

Free, no sign-up. Your photo stays on your computer.

History records your recent edits. Undo and Redo move through that sequence; History Brush paints from one recorded state onto the current layer. This practice puts a black mark on a copy of the photo, then removes it.

Undo and repair a practice mark in seven steps

  1. Make a working copy

    Open the sample from this page. Choose Layer then Duplicate Layer. The new Background copy is selected above the original. You will paint on this editable copy.

    Layer menu with Duplicate Layer ringed
    Duplicate Layer creates the copy used in this practice.

  2. Add a practice mark with Brush

    Press D to reset the colors to black and white. Then right-click (or press and hold) the brush button in the toolbar, ringed below, and choose Brush. In the options bar, set Size to 80 px and Hardness to 100%.

    Drag a short stroke across the empty orange background above the cup. This is the mark you will undo and repair.

    The brush button in the left toolbar beside its flyout, with the button and Brush ringed
    Choose Brush to make the practice mark.
    Brush options bar with Size 80 px and Hardness 100%, both ringed
    An 80 px hard brush makes a clear mark.

  3. Undo and redo the stroke

    Choose Edit then Undo or press Ctrl+Z or ⌘Z. The mark disappears. Choose Edit then Redo or press Ctrl+Shift+Z or ⇧⌘Z to bring it back.

    Edit menu after Undo, with Undo and Redo ringed and their Mac key combinations visible
    After Undo, Redo can reapply the stroke.

  4. Jump between states in History

    Choose Window then History. Click the name Duplicate Layer to return to the clean copy, then click Brush Stroke to return to the marked version. The highlighted row shows the state you are viewing.

    Window menu with History ringed
    History lists the steps recorded in this open document.
    History panel with Duplicate Layer and the current Brush Stroke row ringed
    The state names move the document back or forward.

  5. Choose the clean state as the brush source

    Click the small brush icon to the left of Duplicate Layer. The line above the list changes to Brush source: Duplicate Layer. The photo stays at Brush Stroke with the mark still visible.

    Duplicate Layer is the first state that contains Background copy. Its pixels show the photo before you made the mark.

    History panel with the source icon beside Duplicate Layer and the Brush source status ringed, while Brush Stroke remains the current state
    The small icon chooses a paint source without changing the current view of the photo.

  6. Set up History Brush

    Right-click (or press and hold) the brush button in the toolbar and choose History Brush. Set Size to 200 px in the options bar.

    The brush toolbar button and History Brush in its open flyout, both ringed, with Brush currently selected
    History Brush uses the source chosen in the History panel.
    History Brush options bar with Size 200 px ringed
    The 200 px brush covers the mark’s thickness.

  7. Paint over the mark

    Drag History Brush across the whole black mark. Cover its ends and edges too. The orange background returns as you paint from the clean copy. History Brush appears as a new row in History.

    History panel showing Duplicate Layer as the brush source and History Brush as the current edit, with that row ringed
    The repair is an edit you can Undo and Redo too.

What to do next

History and Undo: questions and answers

Where is the History panel in Lil Cactus?

In Lil Cactus, choose Window › History. Click a state’s name to view the document at that point. The small brush icon beside it chooses a History Brush source instead.

Why is Redo unavailable after I make another edit?

In Lil Cactus, a new edit made after Undo starts a different history branch. The undone steps ahead of that point are discarded, so Redo cannot restore them.

Does a Lil Cactus project save my Undo history?

No. A Lil Cactus project keeps the current layers and document contents. Reopening it starts a new History list at Open, without the earlier Undo steps. History Brush starts from Open when you paint again.

Why does History Brush not paint on my new layer?

In Lil Cactus, the History Brush source must be a state that already contained the layer you are painting on. Click the brush icon beside a later state, such as the one that created the layer.

Does History Brush paint with the foreground color?

No. In Lil Cactus, History Brush samples the chosen history state. The regular Brush uses the foreground color; History Brush uses the earlier image.

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