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Image effects

Pixelate Image (Posterize)

Turn your photo into big pixels and few colors: block size, color levels or your own palette, also as SVG. Your picture stays on your device.

Open the generator

Runs right in your browser. Your graphics are made on your device.

Example motif made with the Pixelate Image

Start from a preset

Pick a preset and it opens right in the editor, ready to adjust.

What is it?

Pixelating merges a picture into large blocks: each block shows the mean of all the pixels it covers. Posterizing then reduces the colors, either to a few evenly spaced levels per color channel or to a fixed palette. Together they create the look of pixel art, old video games and mosaics; on its own, pixelating hides faces and details.

What you can use it for

  • Pixel art and games

    Big pixels in few colors recall old game consoles. Ideal for sprites, backgrounds and retro projects.

  • Hide details

    Big pixels hide faces and details while colors and mood stay. The photo never leaves your browser.

  • Patterns for mosaics and stitching

    The SVG export gives you every block as a vector shape, a starting point for mosaics, fuse beads or cross-stitch.

How it works

Upload a photo or try the presets on the sample picture. Choose the pixel size: 1 keeps the resolution, larger values give coarser blocks. Under Colors, keep the original colors, reduce them to levels per channel, or give each block the closest color of your palette. Brightness, contrast and gamma adjust the tones. Space rolls colors and levels, or the pixel size for original colors. Export as PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG.

Try the Pixelate Image now

Tips

  • For pixel art, 8 to 24 pixels and 3 to 6 levels work well. More levels look more photographic.
  • Pixel size 1 with few levels gives a pure posterize effect, like a screen-printed poster.
  • Apply a brand palette from your Brand Kit: every block gets the closest brand color.

FAQ

Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is processed in your browser only and never sent to a server. Share links leave the photo out; if you save the design, everything stays local in your browser.
What is the difference between pixelate and posterize?
Pixelating lowers the resolution: each block shows the average color of its area. Posterizing lowers the number of colors without changing the resolution. Here you can use either one or both together.
Can I export the picture as SVG?
Yes. Every block becomes a rectangle, and equal neighbors in a row are merged. With very many blocks, such as pixel size 1 on a large photo, the file would be too large; the export dialog then shows the count and you export as PNG.
Does the export look like the preview?
Yes. The blocks are always computed on the same grid, the design size divided by the pixel size, and then enlarged to the screen or export size. At the same size, preview and PNG are identical pixel for pixel; at twice the size every block simply gets larger.
Can pixelation be undone?
Not from the exported picture: the details are no longer in it. In Musterli your original stays as long as the design is open or saved, and you can change every setting.

Related generators

All generators in Image effects

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    Turn photos into ASCII art from characters, colored characters, an LED dot matrix or braille. Export as SVG, PNG, text or HTML.

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  • Halftone Effect

    Turn photos into halftone dots, lines, squares or diamonds like newspaper print. With screen angle, cell size, two colors and SVG export. Your picture stays on your device.

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  • CMYK Halftone

    Separate photos into cyan, magenta, yellow and black with a screen angle per ink, like offset printing. With misregistration and SVG export. Your picture stays on your device.

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  • Dither Effect

    Reduce photos to a few colors with Floyd-Steinberg, Atkinson, Stucki or Bayer dithering, in 1-bit, grayscale, retro palettes or your own colors. Your picture stays on your device.

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