How to pixelate an image
- Add your image: drag and drop, paste a screenshot with Ctrl/Cmd+V, or click to browse. The block size starts at about 1/64 of the long side.
- Choose the block size. Smaller blocks keep more detail; larger blocks give a chunky retro look or hide detail completely.
- Pixelate the whole image or selected areas. Choose Selected areas (censor) and drag boxes over faces, number plates, names or screens.
- Optional: reduce the number of colours for a pixel-art palette, and turn on grid lines for a chart you can follow.
- Download a full-size PNG or JPG, or a tiny version with one pixel per block. Hold Hold to compare to flash the original.
How pixelation works
The image is divided into square blocks of n×n pixels. Every pixel in a block is replaced with the block’s average colour, so a 12-pixel block turns 144 distinct pixels into one flat square. The average is weighted by transparency, which keeps the edges of logos and cut-out PNGs from turning dark. When you reduce colours, the tool groups the block colours with k-means clustering and snaps each block to the nearest palette colour; that is what gives pixel art its limited, poster-like look.
| Goal | Suggested block size | Colours | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide a face in a group photo | ≥ 1/8 of face width | Keep all | Cover hair and ears too; recognisable outlines give identity away. |
| Hide a licence plate or house number | ≥ the height of one character | Keep all | Blocks smaller than a character can leave text guessable. |
| Blur text in a screenshot | ≥ line height | Keep all | For passwords, API keys and card numbers, prefer a solid black box. |
| Retro 8-bit look | 1/48 – 1/64 of width | 8 – 16 | Portraits read best at about 48–64 blocks across. |
| Minecraft pixel art | Width ÷ blocks you will place | 16 – 32 | Download 1 px per block and use each pixel as a block; match colours to wool or concrete. |
| Crochet, cross-stitch or knitting chart | Width ÷ stitches across | 4 – 12 | Turn on grid lines; each square is one stitch. The palette list gives yarn colours. |
| Profile picture or avatar | 1/24 – 1/32 of width | 16 – 32 | Crop to a square first for a clean grid. |
Pixelate to censor: make it actually private
Pixelation looks secure but can leak information if the blocks are small. Researchers have shown that faces and short text can sometimes be recovered or matched from lightly pixelated images, especially when the attacker knows the font or can compare against candidate faces. A few rules make censoring reliable:
- Use big blocks. If you can still guess a character’s shape, the block is too small.
- Over-cover. Drag the box a little beyond the face or text so edges do not hint at what is underneath.
- Remember context. Tattoos, clothing, reflections, a car’s colour and the background can identify someone even when the face is hidden.
- Use solid boxes for secrets. Passwords, tokens, card and account numbers should be blacked out entirely; pixelation is for faces and incidental details.
- Strip metadata. A photo’s EXIF data may contain GPS location. Downloads from this page are re-encoded from the canvas, so camera metadata is not copied, but check originals you share elsewhere with the image metadata viewer.
Pixel art, grids and crochet patterns
To turn a photo into a pattern, work backwards from the finished size. A blanket 100 stitches wide needs a block size of image width ÷ 100; the status line shows the block count so you can adjust the slider until the columns match. Reduce colours to the number of yarns you want to buy, switch on grid lines, and print the full-size PNG as a chart. The 1 px per block download is ideal for pixel art editors and games: open it in any editor and every pixel is one tile, block or bead. To enlarge it without blur, scale with nearest-neighbour interpolation.
Privacy and limits
The tool uses the HTML canvas and runs entirely on your device, so it works offline once loaded. Very large photos are scaled to 4096 pixels on the long side. Animated GIFs are flattened to their first frame. JPG downloads replace transparency with white; use PNG to keep a transparent background. For other effects see censored image, grayscale image and the image cropper.
Frequently asked questions
How do I pixelate an image online?
Drop an image on the box above, paste it, or choose a file. Move the Block size slider until the picture is as blocky as you want, then press Download PNG or Download JPG. Everything runs in your browser, so the image is never uploaded.
How do I pixelate only part of a picture, like a face or licence plate?
Set Apply to to Selected areas, then drag a box over each face, plate, address or name. Each box is pixelated on its own and you can add as many as you need. Use a large block size, around 1/10 of the face width or more, so the detail cannot be recognised.
Can pixelation be reversed?
Not exactly, because each block keeps only one average colour. However, small block sizes on text or faces can sometimes be guessed with enhancement or matching techniques. For sensitive information, use big blocks, cover a slightly larger area than needed, or blank it out with a solid box instead.
How do I make a pixel art or crochet pattern from a photo?
Pick a block size so the block count shown matches the stitches or pixels you want, reduce Colours to 8 or 16 to match your yarn or palette, and tick Grid lines to see each square. Download 1 px per block gives a tiny image where every pixel is one stitch, and the palette swatches list the colours used.
Does pixelating reduce the file size?
The pixelated image keeps the original width and height, so file size depends on the format. PNG files often get much smaller because large flat blocks compress well. For the smallest file, use Download 1 px per block and scale it up later with nearest-neighbour resizing.
Is my image uploaded?
No. The image is decoded and pixelated with the HTML canvas in your browser. It never leaves your device, which matters when you are hiding faces or personal data.
Why is my downloaded image smaller than the original?
Photos larger than 4096 pixels on the long side are scaled down to 4096 before processing to keep the page responsive. That is still enough for social media and most prints.