Blur and Pixelate
Blur and Pixelate are privacy tools. Drag a rectangle over a sensitive region and the pixels inside are obscured so the captured image can be shared safely.
Tools
| Tool | Effect | Default Parameter | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blur | Gaussian blur across the selected rectangle | Radius 10 px | Annotation.BlurRadius |
| Pixelate | Mosaic of solid-colour blocks | Block size 10 px | Annotation.PixelateSize |
A larger blur radius softens the content more. A larger pixelate block size produces chunkier, less-recoverable mosaics.
Workflow
- Select Blur or Pixelate from the annotation toolbar.
- (Optional) Adjust the parameter — thickness slider controls blur radius or pixelate block size while these tools are active.
- Press and hold the left mouse button on one corner of the sensitive region.
- Drag to the opposite corner and release.
- The rectangle commits as a single annotation and the underlying pixels inside it are replaced with the obscured version.
Multiple Blur or Pixelate rectangles can be stacked freely — each one is its own undo step.
Good Candidates
- Email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses in screenshots.
- API keys, bearer tokens, and session IDs in terminal output.
- Customer names in CRM screenshots.
- Faces and number plates in incidental photo content.
Warning: Destructive on Save
Warning — Blur and Pixelate are destructive once you Apply & Save. The saved file contains the obscured pixels only — the original underlying content is not recoverable from the saved image. The full history stack retains the pre-annotation capture (see 4.7), but any file written to disk or placed on the clipboard is already redacted.
This is deliberate: it means you cannot accidentally leak the underlying pixels by stripping annotation layers after the fact. But it also means you should confirm your coverage before committing.
Tip — Zoom the AnnotationWindow (resize it larger) before placing Blur / Pixelate rectangles over small text. A tight box over "a@b.com" is better than a loose box that might leave the "a" peeking out the corner.
Choosing Between Blur and Pixelate
Blur produces a soft, glassy effect that reads as "redacted" to most viewers. Pixelate produces a harder, blockier look that is more obviously destructive and is better for purely technical audiences. Functionally both are equally effective at hiding content when used with sensible parameters.