Is pixelation secure enough for privacy redaction?

Yes, mosaic pixelation is destructive and non-reversible when the block size is large enough. The original detail is permanently lost in the output. Processing runs on your own self-hosted server, so sensitive images stay private.

Can I pixelate just a face or license plate?

Yes, you can define a rectangular region to pixelate while leaving the rest of the image untouched. This runs locally on your SnapOtter instance with no images sent to external services.

What block size should I use?

For privacy redaction, use a larger block size that makes the content unrecognizable. For creative effects, smaller sizes preserve more detail. Since it runs on your server, you can preview different sizes freely.

Adjustments

Pixelate

Apply a mosaic pixelation effect to an entire image or a selected rectangular region. Useful for both creative pixel-art styles and practical privacy redaction of faces, license plates, or sensitive information. All processing happens locally on your self-hosted server.

Deploy with Docker View Source

Features

Adjustable pixel block size from subtle mosaic to heavy redaction
Full-image or region-specific pixelation with coordinate selection
Non-reversible mosaic that securely obscures underlying detail
Preserves original image dimensions and format
Batch support for redacting consistent regions across image sets

What you can do

Redacting faces in street photography before publishing to comply with privacy regulations
Obscuring license plates and addresses in real estate listing photos
Creating retro pixel-art effects from photographs for gaming or social media content
Hiding sensitive information in screenshots before sharing in bug reports or documentation

Self-hosted. Your files never leave your network.

SnapOtter runs entirely on your own infrastructure. Files processed with Pixelate are never uploaded to third-party servers. Deploy a single Docker container and process files with full privacy, no watermarks, and no usage limits. Open source under AGPL-3.0.

Frequently asked questions

Is pixelation secure enough for privacy redaction?: Yes, mosaic pixelation is destructive and non-reversible when the block size is large enough. The original detail is permanently lost in the output. Processing runs on your own self-hosted server, so sensitive images stay private.
Can I pixelate just a face or license plate?: Yes, you can define a rectangular region to pixelate while leaving the rest of the image untouched. This runs locally on your SnapOtter instance with no images sent to external services.
What block size should I use?: For privacy redaction, use a larger block size that makes the content unrecognizable. For creative effects, smaller sizes preserve more detail. Since it runs on your server, you can preview different sizes freely.

More Adjustments tools

Adjust Colors

Brightness, contrast, exposure, saturation, temperature, sharpness, and effects

Learn more Sharpening

Adaptive, unsharp mask, and high-pass sharpening with presets

Learn more Replace & Invert Color

Replace specific colors or invert

Learn more Color Blindness Simulation

Simulate how images appear with color vision deficiency

Learn more

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