Effects — Retro
Pixelate effect
Turn your photo into chunky pixel blocks. Adjust the pixel size and reduce the colour levels for a retro mosaic look.
- Status
- Live
- Category
- Retro
- Settings
- 2
What is the Pixelate effect?
Pixelation reduces an image's resolution by averaging areas into square blocks. It recalls early 8-bit and 16-bit graphics and is also the familiar censor-blur effect.
Combine pixel size with colour levels to control how coarse and how colourful the blocks are. Fewer levels give flat, poster-like blocks; more levels keep the photo's gradients.
Pixelate settings
- Pixel size
- Colour levels
Best photos for it
- Portraits and avatars
- Landscapes and skylines
- Game-style thumbnails
Tips for better results
- Tip 01
Choose a larger pixel size for a clear retro look, because small pixels just look like a soft photo.
- Tip 02
Reduce colour levels for a stylised result, then follow with Posterize or Dither + palette.
- Tip 03
Pixelate first, then add CRT / VHS for a retro monitor look.
Common questions
What is the difference between Pixelate and Dither + palette?
Pixelate shrinks resolution into blocks. Dither + palette also limits the colours to a palette and uses patterns to simulate extra tones.
Similar effects
- Dither + paletteConvert photos into retro pixel art with Bayer, Floyd–Steinberg, Atkinson or noise dithering and classic palettes like Game Boy, C64 and NES.Available
- MosaicRebuild photos as brick-style blocks, beads, cross-stitch, an LED matrix or tiles with adjustable cell size and gap.Available
- CRT / VHSAdd scanlines, RGB shift, vignette and noise for the look of an old CRT monitor or a worn VHS tape.Available
Also searched as: Pixel effect, Mosaic blur, 8-bit filter.