How to pixelate an image?

Select your file and set the block size — larger values create a more extreme mosaic effect.

What does pixelation do to an image?

It groups pixels into square blocks, reducing detail to create a mosaic or retro video game appearance.

How do I control block size in the Pixelate tool?

The block size slider determines how large each pixel block is — larger blocks create a more extreme mosaic effect.

What file formats can I export?

You can export as PNG, JPEG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, or HEIC.

Is this tool free to use?

Yes — completely free, no account needed. Your images are processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded to a server. Downloads have no watermarks.

BrushCue Tool

Pixelate Image Online

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What you can expect

This tool groups nearby pixels into square blocks to reduce detail. Smaller blocks retain more detail, while larger blocks create a stronger, mosaic-like effect, allowing control over how much the image is simplified.

Demo video

See Pixelate in action

Related tools

More BrushCue tools that fit this workflow.

See all tools →

Pixelate Reveal Animation

Transform any image into a stunning de-pixelation reveal animation. Simply input your image, set the duration, and choose the number of starting pixel columns to generate a smooth, high-quality animation that transitions from mosaic pixels to full clarity.

Halftone

Generates a halftone effect. Composes your image of a bunch of dots of sizes corresponding to the brightness of each area. Control the dot and background color, the size of the regions and a contrast adjustment to make this effect look exactly how you want it.

Median Filter

Runs a median filter over the composition. This will accumulate the R, G and B components of your image and then calculate the median of each component. Valid range for the kernel size is between 1 and 5. Use this tool to remove noise from an image.

Kaleidoscope

Turn your image to a kaleidoscope. Control the number of segments, the rotation and a warp feature when creating your kaleidoscope.

CRT Monitor Filter

Apply an authentic retro CRT screen effect to any image with adjustable scanlines, RGB color separation, screen curvature, vignette, noise, saturation, contrast, and glow. This BrushCue CRT tool recreates the look of vintage televisions, arcade monitors, VHS displays, and old computer screens while keeping the effect fully customizable for subtle analog texture or intense retro distortion.

Frequently asked questions

How to pixelate an image?: Select your file and set the block size — larger values create a more extreme mosaic effect.
What does pixelation do to an image?: It groups pixels into square blocks, reducing detail to create a mosaic or retro video game appearance.
How do I control block size in the Pixelate tool?: The block size slider determines how large each pixel block is — larger blocks create a more extreme mosaic effect.
What file formats can I export?: You can export as PNG, JPEG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, or HEIC.
Is this tool free to use?: Yes — completely free, no account needed. Your images are processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded to a server. Downloads have no watermarks.

For developers

Use Pixelate from Python

Open the Jupyter notebook example to see how to run this tool from the BrushCue Python API, inspect the processing steps, and adapt the workflow for scripts or batch image jobs.

View Python notebook

Build your own

Pixelate Image Online

What you can expect

See Pixelate in action

Read more about Pixelate

How Pixelate Works

How to Use the Halftone Tool

Frequently asked questions

Use Pixelate from Python

Create projects with your custom presets