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Pixelate Effect

Block pixelation

This tool lets you pixelate an image by resampling it into solid, single-color blocks. It is ideal for censoring faces, hiding text, or creating retro 8-bit graphics. The pixelate effect runs entirely in your browser, keeping your files private on your device.

To pixelate an image, simply adjust the block size from fine pixel textures up to massive, abstract squares. The preview updates live, and the downloaded file keeps your original image format and full resolution.

Retro color palettes

By default, the tool uses the original colors of your photo. To create a true vintage aesthetic, limit the colors to a historical hardware palette. Options include classic 4-color Game Boy, PICO-8, Commodore 64, EGA, and ZX Spectrum configurations.

When using a limited palette, Dither Amount scatters pixels near color boundaries to simulate gradients without adding more colors. This turns smooth photographic shading into patterned dots, which is essential when you pixelate a photo into strict 8-bit or 16-bit color limits.

Blending and censoring

Pixel Size controls the severity of the pixelation. A size between 8–20px creates a clear pixel-art look, while sizes above 24px destroy recognizable detail, making it perfect for censoring sensitive information.

Effect Strength allows you to blend the chunky blocks back into the original photo. Lowering the strength lets some of the underlying detail show through the grid, creating a textured overlay rather than a complete abstraction. If you only want to censor a specific part of an image, crop that region first, apply the effect, and composite it back later.

Frequently Asked Questions

JPEG, PNG, and WebP as input.

The same format as the input: a JPEG stays JPEG, a PNG stays PNG, a WebP stays WebP. Use a PNG or WebP source if you need the hard block edges kept lossless.

No.

It sets how many pixels each block spans, from 2 to 64px. Larger blocks mean a coarser, more abstract result and stronger censoring.

Yes. A large pixel size blurs detail into solid blocks. The whole image is pixelated, so crop to the area you want hidden before or after if you only want part of it covered.

It blends the pixelated result over the original, so lower values keep some of the underlying detail visible instead of a full pixel grid.

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