About the Pixelate Image
Pixelation works by averaging: the picture is first drawn at a much smaller size, which makes the browser average each group of source pixels into one, and that tiny version is then scaled back up with smoothing switched off so each averaged value fills a hard edged square. Block size is the length of that square in the finished picture, so twelve pixels on a 1200 wide photo gives roughly a hundred columns.
Two extra cell shapes are available. Round dots paint each average as a filled circle over a backdrop colour, which produces a halftone or LED panel effect that suits posters. Triangles give a low polygon look that reads as stylised rather than censored. Both leave gaps between cells, which is why the backdrop colour is exposed and worth choosing deliberately: near black gives a screen, white gives a printed dot pattern.
Optional grid lines draw a thin dark rule between cells, useful when the mosaic is meant to look like beadwork, cross stitch or a tile plan. They are skipped automatically past forty thousand cells so the drawing does not crawl. A whole picture is pixelated here; if you only want one rectangle covered, Censor Image masks a region and leaves the rest sharp. Bear in mind that pixelation is a poor way to hide small text, because averaging over a coarse grid preserves enough structure for a determined reader to guess at short strings.
How to use
- Drop a picture onto the left pane.
- Set Block size, using a larger number for a coarser and more abstract mosaic.
- Switch Cell shape to dots or triangles for a halftone or low polygon look.
- Tick grid lines for a bead or tile chart, then download the result.
Common questions
- What block size should I use?
- Divide the picture width by the number of columns you want. A 1000 pixel wide image at block size 20 gives fifty columns, which is coarse enough to be clearly abstract.
- Does the output keep the original dimensions?
- Yes. The picture is shrunk internally to average the cells and then scaled straight back to its original width and height.
- Is pixelation safe for hiding sensitive text?
- Not reliably. A coarse mosaic still carries the shape of the original, so use a solid bar in the censor tool for anything that must stay secret.
- Why is there a colour showing between my dots?
- Circles and triangles cannot tile a rectangle without gaps, so the backdrop colour fills the space. Set it to match the surface the picture will sit on.