Pixelate image online

How to pixelate an image

1. Add your imagesChoose JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF or BMP files. You can add up to 30 at once, or 15 on a phone.
2. Pick a style and an areaMosaic makes square blocks over the whole image or over boxes you draw. Pixel art shrinks the picture, reduces the colors and scales it back up.
3. Set the block size and pixelateMove the Block size slider, press Pixelate image and compare with the original. Download each file or a ZIP.

What does pixelating an image do?

Pixelating splits the picture into a grid of squares and fills each square with its average color. The detail inside a square is gone and only a coarse block of color is left. This is the mosaic effect you see on censored faces and license plates.

The block size is measured in pixels of your picture. Small blocks keep the shape of the scene and look like a low-resolution photo. Large blocks hide most of the content. With area selection, the grid starts at the corner of each box you draw, so the blocks line up neatly with your selection.

Pixel art mode works differently. It shrinks the picture to one pixel per block, limits it to a small palette of 8, 16, 32 or 64 colors, and enlarges it back to the original size with sharp edges, so every block stays a flat square.

Pixelate a face or part of an image

Choose Mosaic and Selected areas, then press and drag on the picture to draw a box. Draw one box per face, plate or line of text, and remove any box with its small button or from the list in the options panel. Everything outside the boxes stays exactly as it was.

On a phone or tablet, draw with one finger. The page does not scroll while you draw inside the picture. With several images loaded, the same relative boxes are used on each one.

• Pixelate faces in a street or event photo before posting it.
• Hide a license plate, a name tag or an address.
• Create a retro, low-resolution look for part of a design.
• Make a simple censor bar that is easy to see.

Photo to pixel art

Switch the style to Pixel art to turn a photo into a retro picture. A block size of 8 to 16 pixels gives a detailed look, and 24 to 40 gives a chunky, game-like one. Fewer colors give a more graphic result, and 16 is a good place to start.

Pixel art covers the whole image. The output has the same size as the original, so each block simply becomes a larger flat square. Use the Resize image tool afterwards if you want a smaller file.

Pixelation is not always safe for hiding things

Small blocks can be reversed more often than people expect. Software can sometimes recover text or help identify a face from a lightly pixelated image, especially when the blocks are small compared with the letters.

For private details, use large blocks so that only a few blocks cover a face or a line of text, or cover the area with a solid color in an editor. Look at the result at full size before you share it. The downloaded file has no GPS or camera data.

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