Image Blur Tool
Blur a photo smoothly with an adjustable radius to soften backgrounds or hide details. Free, no signup, works in your browser.
Everything runs inside your browser — your file is never uploaded to a server.
About this tool
This tool applies a smooth Gaussian-style blur to an entire photo, controlled by a radius slider that ranges from a subtle 1-2px softening up to a heavy 60px wash that makes the whole image unreadable. It's useful for softening a busy background behind a subject, creating a dreamy bokeh-style effect, or quickly obscuring an entire photo before using it as a placeholder or loading preview. Upload a JPG, PNG or WebP file, drag the radius slider until the blur strength matches what you need, and export the result. The blur is rendered live on an HTML canvas using the browser's native filter engine, so previews update instantly and the process stays fast even on larger images. Because everything happens locally, your original file is never uploaded to a server, which keeps private or unpublished photos fully under your control. There's no account, no watermark, and no limit on how many times you can use it.
How to use this tool
1. Upload a photo
Choose a JPG, PNG or WebP image from your device.
2. Set the blur radius
Move the slider to control how soft or heavy the blur looks.
3. Preview live
Watch the blurred result update instantly as you adjust it.
4. Download
Save the blurred image directly to your device.
Why use this tool
A soft blur can turn a distracting background into a pleasant, out-of-focus canvas that puts the main subject front and center, and a heavier blur is a fast way to create a placeholder image or a low-detail loading preview. Doing this in the browser means the effect renders instantly and privately, without waiting on an upload or paying for editing software.
Tips & best practices
- Use a light radius of 2-6px for a subtle softening that still reads as a normal photo.
- A radius above 25px works well for background images behind website hero text.
- Combine blur with a brightness adjustment to make overlaid text more readable on busy photos.
Common use cases
- Softening a cluttered background behind a portrait subject
- Creating a blurred hero background image for a website banner
- Generating a low-detail placeholder while a full photo loads
- Producing a dreamy, soft-focus aesthetic for social media posts
- Obscuring an entire photo used as a temporary preview thumbnail
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between light and heavy blur?
A low radius like 2-4px softens fine texture slightly, while a high radius above 30px turns the whole photo into a smooth color wash.
Can I blur only part of the image instead of the whole thing?
This tool blurs the entire photo uniformly; for masking a specific region, a dedicated area-based tool like a pixelate tool is better suited.
Will blurring reduce the image resolution?
No, the pixel dimensions stay the same; only the sharpness of detail is reduced.
Can I use a blurred photo as a background image?
Yes, a heavily blurred photo makes an excellent background behind text or UI elements since it avoids visual clutter.
Is the blurred photo processed on a remote server?
No, the blur filter runs entirely in your browser using canvas, so nothing is ever uploaded.
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