Overview
Introduction
This tool censors a PNG by breaking it into large mosaic blocks, the same technique broadcasters and photo editors use to obscure faces, license plates, or other sensitive content.
Everything happens client-side using a plain pixel buffer, so the original image never leaves your browser.
What Is PNG Censorer?
A censoring tool built on top of this category's shared pixelation algorithm: it divides the image into blocks and replaces each block with its average color.
The block size scales with your chosen strength and the image's dimensions, so the same strength value produces a proportionally chunky result regardless of the source resolution.
How PNG Censorer Works
The strength value (1-100) is converted into a block size relative to the image's largest dimension, then every pixel inside each block is averaged (including alpha) and the whole block is repainted with that single averaged color.
Larger blocks destroy more detail and are harder to reverse, which is why higher strength settings produce a more thoroughly obscured result.
When To Use PNG Censorer
Use it before sharing a screenshot or photo that contains something you don't want clearly visible, like a phone number, a face, or a document's sensitive fields.
It's a quick way to obscure content without needing a full photo editor.
Often used alongside PNG Pixelator, PNG Blurrer and PNG Area Eraser.
Features
Advantages
- Runs entirely client-side; nothing you upload ever touches a server.
- A single strength control scales proportionally across any image size.
- Preserves transparency instead of flattening it away.
Limitations
- There's no automatic face or text detection; the entire image is censored uniformly, not just a selected region.
- Very low strength values can leave content partially recognizable; when in doubt, use a higher strength.
Examples
Best Practices & Notes
Best Practices
- Use a higher strength for anything you truly need unrecoverable.
- Preview the result before downloading to confirm the sensitive area is no longer legible.
Developer Notes
The censoring lib function is a thin, validating wrapper that maps a 1-100 strength value to a block size and delegates to the shared pixelatePng mosaic algorithm, reusing its pure block-averaging loop rather than duplicating it.
PNG Censorer Use Cases
- Obscuring a face before posting a photo publicly
- Hiding sensitive text in a document screenshot
- Blocking out a license plate or address in an image
Common Mistakes
- Assuming low strength values are enough to make content unrecoverable — always preview at full size before sharing.
- Expecting only part of the image to be censored automatically; the whole image is affected.
Tips
- Crop to just the sensitive region first if you only want part of an image censored.
- Combine with the area eraser tool if you'd rather remove a region entirely instead of pixelating it.