Wirebook › Glossary › Pixelation
What is a pixelation?
In one sentence: Turning part of a picture into big single-colour squares; it looks hidden but is not a safe way to hide text.
A little more
Pixelation turns part of a picture into big squares, each filled with the average colour of the pixels underneath. Apps and TV use it to hide faces, number plates or text.
It is not a safe way to hide text such as a PIN, a password or a name. Pixelating is a repeatable recipe, so someone can write every likely answer in the same font, pixelate each one the same way and see which matches. Blurring has the same weakness. To hide something in a screenshot, cover it completely with a solid box or crop it out.
See it in action
- BonusCan a blocky picture be made sharp again?Guess a mystery blob made of just 16 squares, buy back real patches of detail with five coins, then see the original.7 min · interactive
- BonusWhat happens when you squish a video too much?Squish a real (tiny) picture the way phones squish video: watch thin whiskers crumble first, then 8x8 blocks appear, then a splat.10 min · interactive
Do it for real
Free grown-up tools and guides on Tooltern, our sister site. They work in your browser and nothing is uploaded.