How to Blur Part of a Picture: Detailed Guide for You

Blurring a part of the picture does have a lot of purpose. It could protect sensitive information, focus on a specific image area, or create an aesthetic effect. Whatever the reason, learning how to blur part of a photo can be super useful, especially if you post pictures online or use them for work or school. Luckily, you don't need to be techy to do it. Many tools like Photoshop, AceThinker Picwish, mobile apps, and even free online editors can help you get it done in just a few clicks. So, in this article, we provide steps to blur part of a picture using different methods. Whether on your computer or phone, we've covered you with simple steps anyone can follow.

How to Blur Part of a Picture With Photoshop

Photoshop is known as a professional photo editor that is packed with useful features. One is its Blur tool, which allows you to blur certain parts of the image. It offers different blur effects, such as Gaussian Blur for smooth hiding, Motion Blur for showing movement, Lens Blur for a natural depth effect, Box Blur for simple blocky blurring, and Surface Blur for softening areas while keeping edges sharp. With these blur effects, you can choose the style that fits your image. What makes it ahead is its various selection tools that allow you to precisely select the part of the image that you want to apply a blur, such as Lasso, Marquee, or Quick Selection tools. You can also unblur images in Photoshop using different techniques like Smart Sharpen, Shake Reduction Filter, and High Pass Filter. In addition, this photo editor has a lot to offer, such as fixing image exposure and colors, removing unwanted objects or blemishes, adding artistic filters, and combining multiple images. However, Photoshop is not free, and it costs $22.99/month for Photoshop as a single app or US$19.99/month for the Photography plan.

• First, install the Photoshop tool on your PC and create a plan to start. Next, upload the image you want to edit. Then, navigate to the toolbar and choose a selection tool.
• After that, carefully select the part of the picture you want to blur. Once you've done this, go to the "Filter" menu, select "Blur," and choose a type of blur like "Gaussian Blur." Next, adjust the blurriness using the slider until you are satisfied.
• When satisfied, save the edited image from the File menu by selecting the "Save As" option. Then, choose your desired format and hit the Save button. Finally, locate the edited photo and preview it.

How to Blur One Part of a Photo Online

1. Free Online Image Editor by AceThinker

Suppose you don’t want to install any third-party software or don’t have a budget for Photoshop. In that case, you can rely on AceThinker Online Image Editor. It is a web-based tool that offers various editing features like cropping, resizing, adding filters, and blurring an image. Plus, the tool can also let you fine-tune the brightness, contrast, HSV, and warmth of the picture to enhance its quality. This tool stands out because the output does not have a watermark. In fact, you can add your own watermark to protect your photo if you want to. However, the blur feature of AceThinker is only a Gaussian blur effect, and it does not have a selection tool to blur a specific object or area. Nevertheless, you can still use it for basic blurring, like blurring the whole picture. Here’s how to do it.

• Go to AceThinker Free Online Image Editor's official website and click the 'Drawing and Painting' tool on its interface. Next, your files will appear in another window, where you can choose the photo you wish to edit.
• Once the image is uploaded, navigate to the Fine-tune section and select the Blur effect. Then, adjust the slider on the right side to increase or decrease the intensity. You can also annotate the image with different tools, such as shapes, lines, or text.
• When you're done, click the 'Save' button in the upper left corner. Next, rename the image, choose an image format, and hit the save button again. Finally, the image will be saved in the Downloads folder of your computer files.

2. PIXLR Blur Image Online

Another online tool you can utilize to blur part of an image is Blur Image Online by PIXLR. It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate, which is perfect for all users. One of the features offered by this online image editor is its Blur effect. It uses a Gaussian blur effect that can be applied to any image part. In fact, it stands out because it lets you adjust the brush's size, strength, and softness. With that, you can precisely blur a certain object or area of your picture. Aside from the blur feature, PIXLR also offers various retouching tools, such as heal/repair, clone stamp, sharpen, and dodge/burn, that you can utilize for more enhanced images. Moreover, you can also use this to crop a person out of a photo, remove the background of a picture, generate an image, and more. Here's how to use PIXLR to blur a part of an image.

• First, search the PIXLR Blur Image Online Editor on your browser. Once you are on the main page, click the 'Blur Image Now' button, and you will go to the editing page. Next, import the image you want to edit by clicking the 'Open Image' button. Now, find the photo on your computer files and upload it on the tool.
• Once the picture is uploaded, it will show you the Retouch section. From there, select the blur icon (it's like a water drop) and choose the Blur mode. Next, adjust the brush size, softness, and strength according to your preference.
• After that, start brushing the part of the image you want to blur. Once you've done this, click the Save button below, choose your desired format and quality, and hit the Save As button. Lastly, select where you want to save your photo and preview it.

How to Blur Certain Parts of a Picture on Mobile (iPhone/Android)

Snapseed is one of the popular image editor applications for mobile phones. Like the other image editors mentioned above, this tool also has a blur effect that you can use. It provides two blur types that make it stand out: the elliptical and linear. The elliptical type is a round or oval-shaped blur around the center of your image, perfect for portraits or highlighting a subject in the middle. On the other hand, the linear type applies blur horizontally or vertically, which is ideal for tilt-shift effects or simulating motion. Furthermore, Snapseed lets you modify the settings, such as the blur strength, transition, and vignette strength, to blur the photo perfectly. Also, it has a "Double Exposure" tool to layer the same image on top of itself and create a motion blur effect. See how to do it below.

• First, install Snapseed on your mobile phone. Once installed, find it on your phone applications and open it. Now, tap the big plus icon on its interface to import the picture you want to edit.
• When the photo is uploaded, navigate to the Tools section in the lower part and find the Lens Blur option. Once you are in the editing section, select the blur type you want, either elliptical or linear. Then, place the center point in the area you want to focus on. You can also zoom in or out by pinching the screen to adjust the size of the focused area.
• After that, use the sliders to adjust the blur strength, transition, and vignette for a more natural or dramatic effect. Once you're happy with the result, tap the checkmark to apply the changes. Lastly, go to the Export section to save the edited photo to your phone.

Extra Tips: How to Unblur Photo with AceThinker PicWish

AceThinker PicWish is an image editor powered by AI that offers various useful features. One of these is the unblur feature you can use to unblur the images you're blurred in the future. It provides two unblur types: the Unblur faces and Blur to Clear features. Both types can make your blurred pictures into clear and high-quality images. What's more, since AI powers the tool, it automatically processes the photo and does not require any manual adjustments. Aside from that, PicWish also offers various tools such as image background remover, photo enhancer, photo colorizer, and more. Follow the steps below to unblur your images using AceThinker PicWish.

• First, download and install the AceThinker PicWish. You can get its installer file by clicking the download buttons given above. Once installed, launch the app to see its interface and all its features.
• Next, look for the Unblur faces or Blur to Clear function on the interface and click it. Then, click the 'Upload File' from the pop-up window. After that, locate the photo you want to unblur, upload it to the tool, and hit the Start button.
• Once the photo is uploaded, AceThinker PicWish will automatically process the photo. The process only takes 2-3 minutes, and you will see the progress on your screen. When satisfied with the result, click the Save All button below to download the unblurred photo.

How to Blur Parts of a Photo - FAQs

Can I blur multiple parts of the photo?

Yes, you can blur as many parts of the image as you need. Most tools let you select different areas one by one and apply the blur effect separately. This is helpful if you want to hide several faces, texts, or background spots in the same photo.

Can I undo the blur later?

If you save your image as a copy or in an editable format, like a Photoshop file, you can undo the blur later. But if you save it as a flat image (like JPG or PNG), the blur is permanent. So, it's a good idea to keep the original photo if you want to make changes later.

Which type of blur is best?

It depends on what you want to achieve. A simple "Gaussian blur" works well for hiding things, while a "motion blur" adds a cool effect. If you want to keep something private, go with a soft, smooth blur that blends in nicely.

Conclusion

Blurring part of a picture is a simple and useful way to hide private details, highlight important parts, or add a nice effect. You can use advanced tools like Photoshop or try easier options like Snapseed, Pixlr, or AceThinker’s Online Editor. These tools work on computers and phones, so you can edit your photos anytime. Try practicing on different images, like faces, texts, or backgrounds. The more you practice, the more natural it will feel. This also helps you learn what works best for each type of image. So why not give it a go? Upload a photo and try blurring a part of it today. You might be surprised how easy and fun it is!

Kelly

June 18, 2025