I tried the box trick someone else mentioned. I couldn't see where I was painting. I looked at the box and it was clean. I discarded the box and sprayed direct. It covered, coated, matched, looks great! The only problem is, I was working on an area about 2 feet in diameter and going a little larger blending the paint. About the time I was done with one coat, so was the can! Where the texture was damaged will still need mud and perhaps another can. But it looks a LOT better already. Hopefully it's enough for the mud to stick to it now. I think it will be. If so, it will save me from cutting out a section of drywall, screwing in and taping off a new piece, mudding, texturing and painting. No matter how well you do it, you can always tell. With no hard tape lines, I can blend it so you'll never see it.Another hint: you can buy the spray texture in a can. It's messy, but it works. I've never tried it on a ceiling. Once you have a good coat of compound applied dip your trowel and tap to create a rough, messy surface. The messier the better. Avoid large smooth areas. Allow it to completely dry, and sand it down with a block, Not too much, again no large smooth spots. Didn't quite get it? Slap on a little more mud, make a mess and let it dry. Lightly sand it with a block and it'll match perfectly. A coat of paint and even YOU won't know it was there. Don't be afraid to make it bigger, sand it more in some spots, and apply more mud if necessary. I've had areas of drywall that someone else patched, never sanded, painted, and still left a large recessed area. One spot took me a week to get it right, but I can't see it at all now. I look for it all the time, there's even a light shining directly on that spot, it's perfect!A recessed spot will always show, but a slightly raised area will not. I have one where I pretty much destroyed the wall running a power cable for an outdoor security camera. I can "feel" that it's slightly raised. I'm not sanding it down again because it's not visible at all. Be my guest, I'll point it out and you can stare at it all you like, You cannot see it. More importantly, the wife cannot see it, and never did. She has no idea how badly I tore it up trying to fish that wire, and at this point she wouldn't care. The camera is installed, it works perfectly, and the wall looks untouched.