How to Blur a Face in a Photo Online
Want to share a photograph without showing someone’s identity? You can blur or pixelate a face, number plate, address, document or other private detail while keeping the rest of your photograph.
Why blur part of a photograph?
Photographs often contain more information than we notice when taking them. A street photograph, family picture, screenshot or workplace image may include people or private details that you don’t want to make public.
Selective blurring lets you obscure one part of the picture while leaving everything else visible. It can be useful when preparing images for social media, websites, community groups, forums, presentations or messages.
How easy is the MixPlay blur tool?
You don’t need Photoshop or complicated editing software. MixPlay’s Blur, Pixelate & Motion Tool gives you simple controls for applying an effect only where you want it.
Choose your photograph
Open the tool and choose the image containing the face or private detail you want to hide.
Choose Blur or Pixelate
Pick the effect you prefer and adjust the brush or stamp size for the area you are editing.
Cover the private detail
Apply the effect across the whole face, plate, name or other information rather than covering only part of it.
Check the edges
Zoom in and make sure identifying information hasn’t been left visible around the edge of your edit.
Compare the result
Look at the complete photograph again and check that the edited area is sufficiently obscured.
Save a new copy
Download the edited photograph and keep your original image separately in case you need it later.
10 things you might want to blur before sharing a photo
Faces are only one example. Take a quick look around the entire photograph for information you didn’t intend to publish.
Obscure an identifiable person while keeping the wider scene.
Registration plates often appear in street and driveway photographs.
Check house numbers, street signs, parcels and address labels.
Letters, forms and paperwork may contain personal information.
Background screens may show emails, usernames or private work.
Hide usernames, phone numbers and private conversations in screenshots.
Work passes, school badges and lanyards can reveal identities.
Check cards, receipts and payment information before sharing.
Someone may appear clearly even though they weren’t your subject.
Signs and labels may reveal where a photograph was taken.
Should you blur, pixelate or crop?
The best method depends on where the unwanted detail appears and whether you want to keep that part of the photograph.
Blur
Useful for faces and distracting details when you want the edited area to blend more naturally into the photograph.
Pixelate
Creates visible blocks over the selected area and makes it clear that information has intentionally been obscured.
Crop
If the unwanted detail is near an edge, removing it completely can give you a cleaner photograph.
If cropping would work better, try the free MixPlay Image Crop Tool .
Tips for getting a better result
Cover slightly more than you think you need
A very small brush can leave recognisable details around the edges. Make sure the effect covers the complete area you intended to hide.
Don’t make the blur too weak
A light blur may look attractive but can leave details recognisable. If privacy is the reason for the edit, concentrate on hiding the information rather than simply softening it.
Check the whole image afterwards
Once you’ve finished the main edit, look at the complete photograph again. You may notice another face, registration plate, sign or document that you missed the first time.
Keep your original photograph
Save your edited picture as a new copy. That way you still have the untouched original if you want to make a different edit later.
Try it on your own photograph
Choose an image, apply Blur or Pixelate to the area you want to obscure, check the finished result and save a new copy.
Open the Blur Tool →Useful tools before sharing a photograph
After dealing with private details, you may also want to crop, resize or compress your image before uploading it.
30-second check before you share
Blur can be creative too
Blur isn’t only useful for privacy. It can also help reduce distracting areas and direct attention towards the main subject of a photograph.
MixPlay’s Blur, Pixelate & Motion Tool also includes motion-style effects. These can be used creatively to suggest movement in subjects such as cars and wheels.
If you’re experimenting rather than hiding information, try different strengths and brush sizes and compare the result with your original.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A browser-based editor can be used for straightforward selective blur and pixelation without professional desktop software.
Yes. The MixPlay tool lets you apply the effect to selected areas instead of blurring the whole photograph.
Yes. Apply Blur or Pixelate over the registration and inspect the finished version before sharing it.
They create different appearances. Blur is generally softer, while pixelation makes the obscured area much more obvious.
Yes. If the unwanted person or information is close to the edge, cropping it away can be cleaner than covering it with an effect.
No. The MixPlay Blur, Pixelate & Motion Tool can be used without creating a MixPlay account.
Blur a face or private detail for free
Open your photograph, select the area you want to obscure and create your edited copy directly with MixPlay.
Use the Free Blur Tool →