Pixelate Image Online: Whole Picture or Just One Area

How do I pixelate an image?

Choose a picture and the whole image appears pixelated at once. Drag the Pixel size slider until the blocks look right, press Apply, then press Save picture. To pixelate only one part, switch Whole picture to Drag a box or Brush. The editor writes a new file and leaves your original alone.

1. Press Choose a picture, drop a file, paste with Ctrl+V, or press Take a photo on a phone.
2. The picture shows pixelated right away. Drag Pixel size to make the blocks larger or smaller.
3. For one area only, pick Drag a box or Brush and mark the part to hide. You can mark several areas.
4. Press Apply to keep the effect. Each Apply is one undo step.
5. Open Export for the format, then press Save picture and download the file.

To pixelate and then shrink the file, use Resize Image or tick the size limit in Export. For a softer look, try Blur Image instead.

How do I pixelate only part of a picture?

Switch the area from Whole picture to Drag a box, then drag a rectangle over the part to hide. Choose Brush to paint over a shape a box does not fit, such as a face turned sideways. Each box starts its own block grid at its corner, and Remove last area undoes one box.

A box averages only the pixels inside it, so nothing from outside the box bleeds into the blocks. The brush works on a grid that starts at the picture corner and averages whole blocks, then paints only the pixels under the brush.

What does pixelate do to the pixels?

Pixelate cuts the area into squares and fills each square with one flat color, the average of the pixels it covered. A bigger block averages more pixels, so less detail survives. The block size is a share of the picture's longer side, so the preview and the saved file match.

The average is rounded to the nearest whole value, so 2.5 becomes 3. Pixels that are partly see-through count in proportion to their opacity.

How big should the pixel blocks be?

Larger blocks hide more. The slider shows the block size in pixels on the saved picture, and the setting scales with the picture, so one slider position gives a similar look on a phone photo and on a camera photo. Zoom in on the preview and check that the detail you want hidden is gone.

As arithmetic: a face 200 pixels wide in a 3,000 pixel photo spans about 3.7 blocks at the 30 setting (200 divided by 54). Fewer blocks across means less left to recognize.

Is pixelating enough to hide private information?

Not always. Pixelating with small blocks can sometimes be guessed or partly reversed, especially for short text, numbers and faces. For passwords, account numbers and anything private, use the Redact box, which paints a solid color and keeps nothing of the old pixels. Larger blocks give more cover than small ones.

The Redact effect sits in the same tool next to Blur and Pixelate. The Wikipedia article on redaction describes the practice of removing sensitive content from a document before it is shared. After you save, open the saved file once to confirm the area looks the way you expect.

Can I turn a photo into pixel art?

Yes, for a quick version. Pixelate the whole picture with a large block and save it. Each block becomes one flat color, which gives the blocky look of low-resolution art. The editor keeps the picture at its original pixel size, so shrink it afterward if you want a small file.

Pixelate does not reduce the number of colors, so the result is a photo made of flat squares rather than a palette-limited sprite. Cropping first with Crop Image puts the blocks on the part you care about.