How to use the image mosaic tool
Photos you post to a blog or community often catch things that should be hidden, such as a passerby's face, a license plate or the address on a delivery label. Drag over the parts you want to hide and choose pixelation, blur or a black box. Your photo is processed inside your browser and never uploaded to a server.
How to use it
- Choose a photo and the editor appears.
- Drag over each part to hide. Add as many areas as you need and use Undo last area to remove a mistake.
- Pick the method and strength, and the preview updates right away.
- Press Apply mosaic and the result is made at the original resolution with a download link.
Which method is safest?
A black box erases the information in that area completely, so it is the most reliable. Use it for license plates, addresses, phone numbers and ID numbers, where text must never be readable.
Pixelate and blur look more natural, but at low strength text or faces may remain recognizable. Cover a generous area and set the strength high, around 7 or more. This tool sizes the mosaic cells relative to the area, so it stays hard to read even on large photos.
Check before you post
Personal information in a photo is not only what you can see. The EXIF data can contain location coordinates. By default this tool re-saves the photo and removes EXIF and GPS. Also look again for reflections in windows or sunglasses and for text showing through the back of a document.
Faces are not detected automatically, so you need to mark each area yourself. Check the preview to be sure everything is covered before saving. A weak mosaic can still be readable.
Frequently asked questions
Does it find faces and hide them automatically?+
No. For now you drag to mark each area yourself. This lets the photo stay on your device, and you can see and choose exactly what is hidden.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?+
No. Everything is processed inside your browser and your photo is not sent anywhere, so it is safe to use with sensitive photos.
Can the hidden part be restored later?+
The saved result does not keep the original pixels, so it cannot be restored by ordinary means. At low strength the rough shape may still be guessed, so raise the strength or use the black box.
How should I hide license plates or addresses?+
For information that must not be readable, use the black box. Pixelate and blur can leave text readable unless the strength is high enough.
What happens to location data when I save?+
By default EXIF and location are removed. Only a JPG saved with Keep EXIF turned on retains the original photo info.