Blur, Pixellate, or Fill Color — Which Should You Use?

Obscure offers three distinct ways to redact sensitive content in your photos: blur, pixellate, and fill color. Each has different strengths, and the right choice depends on your use case.

Blur

Gaussian blur applies a smooth, out-of-focus effect over the selected area.

Best for:

• Casual social media sharing
• Photos where you want to maintain the overall aesthetic
• Soft redaction of background details

Considerations:

• Very light blur may still allow content to be inferred — Obscure uses a strong blur level by default
• Works well on both text and faces
• Looks natural and unobtrusive

Pixellate

Pixellation applies a mosaic effect that breaks the area into large, blocky pixels.

Best for:

• Making it clear that redaction was intentional
• Screenshots and digital content
• Situations where you want a recognizable “censored” look

Considerations:

• Highly recognizable as intentional redaction
• Very effective at hiding details
• Can look jarring on organic photos (faces, landscapes)

Fill Color

Solid color fill draws an opaque block over the selected area, completely covering it.

Best for:

• Legal or compliance contexts where maximum coverage is required
• Documents and forms
• Any situation where you need absolute certainty that content is hidden

Considerations:

• Most aggressive redaction option
• Completely removes any visual hint of the underlying content
• Can obscure more area than needed if the selection isn’t precise

Which Should You Choose?

Here’s a quick guide:

• Sharing casually on social media? Use blur — it’s subtle and preserves the photo’s mood
• Posting screenshots or digital content? Use pixellate — it signals intentional redaction
• Handling sensitive documents or legal content? Use fill — it guarantees complete coverage

You can also mix and match within a single photo. For example, blur background faces while using fill on a visible document.

The Bottom Line

There’s no wrong choice — all three options effectively hide sensitive content. Pick the style that matches the context of your share, and always review the result before sending.