Image Pixelator & Censor

Turn a whole picture, or a chosen rectangle of it, into big blocks. It's the quick way to hide a face, a car number plate, a house number or any other detail before sharing an image. You set the block size and the area, then download the result.

How to use it

1. Choose or drop an image.
2. Pick the whole image, or only a rectangle.
3. Move the sliders until the rectangle covers what you want to hide.
4. Raise the pixel size, then download.

When it helps

• Hiding faces or private details in photos.
• Obscuring personal information in a screenshot.
• Giving an image a retro pixel-art look.
• Protecting privacy before posting.

Good to know

• Use a large pixel size for anything sensitive, because small blocks can sometimes be reversed.
• Cover a little more than you think you need.
• Check the downloaded image before you share it.

How pixelation works

The tool shrinks the chosen area to a tiny image, with one pixel per block, and then enlarges it back without smoothing. Each block ends up one flat colour, the average of the pixels it replaced. A pixel size of 16 means every 16 by 16 square of the original becomes one block.

The larger the block, the less information survives. At 8 pixels a face is still recognisable on a large photo. At 30 or more it isn't.

Worked example: hiding a number plate

Upload a photo of a street, choose the rectangle mode, and set the rectangle to cover the plate: adjust left, top, width and height until it's just bigger than the plate. Set the pixel size to 20 or more. The area becomes a few big blocks, and the rest of the picture stays sharp.

Always zoom into the downloaded copy and check that nothing readable is left. If it's still legible, raise the block size and repeat.

Pixelation versus blur versus a solid box

Blur is sometimes used for the same job, but light blur can be undone by software. Pixelation is stronger, and a solid black box is strongest, since it contains no information from the original at all. For passwords, bank details or anything where exposure would cause harm, use a solid box.

Pixelation is a great choice for faces and plates in casual sharing, where you want the picture to stay natural but unidentifiable.

Creative uses

Pixelation isn't only for privacy. Designers use it for a retro, 8-bit look, for loading placeholders that sharpen as the full image arrives, and for artistic effects. Using a large block size on a portrait creates a recognisable mosaic.

Try pixelating the whole image at 40 or 50 pixels and see what shapes remain. It's an interesting way to see which parts of a picture carry the most visual information.

Questions