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How to Blur or Pixelate Part of a Photo to Hide Details

July 20, 2026 · AXS IMG Team

Before sharing a photo or screenshot, you often need to hide something in it — a face, a name, a licence plate, an address. Blurring and pixelating both obscure detail, but they aren't equally secure.

Pixelate for real censoring

Pixelate Image replaces detail with large blocks. Because it genuinely destroys the underlying pixels, a coarse pixelation is hard to reverse — which makes it the safer choice for hiding sensitive information. Use a large block size so no legible detail survives.

Blur for a softer look

Blur Image smears detail rather than removing it, which is perfect for aesthetic backgrounds or drawing the eye elsewhere. But a light blur can sometimes be partially reversed, so for anything that must stay hidden, use a strong blur — or better, pixelate it.

The rule of thumb

And if the photo came from a phone, strip its EXIF metadata too, so you're not leaking the location while carefully hiding a face. Everything runs in your browser.

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