Free Online Gaussian Blur Tool — Soften & Blur Images Instantly
Easily apply Gaussian blur to your images with our free online tool. Use the intuitive radius slider to control the amount of blur — from subtle softening that smooths skin and reduces noise to heavy blurring that obscures details for privacy protection. All processing happens in your browser for complete privacy — your images never leave your device.
Upload the image you want to blur by dragging it onto the upload area or clicking to browse your files.
Drag the blur radius slider left or right to control the intensity of the blur effect. The preview updates instantly as you adjust.
Download your blurred image in its original format when you're satisfied with the result.
Tips for Better Gaussian Blur Effects
- Small radius values (1–3 px) are ideal for subtle softening — smoothing skin imperfections, reducing noise, or creating a gentle dreamy effect.
- Medium radius values (4–8 px) work well for creating depth-of-field effects or drawing attention to a specific area of the image.
- Large radius values (10–20 px) are useful for privacy protection — obscuring faces, license plates, or other sensitive information before sharing images online.
Frequently Asked Questions — Gaussian Blur
Is the Gaussian blur tool really free?
Yes, completely free. No registration, no hidden charges, no watermarks, and no file size limits. All processing happens locally in your browser — your images never leave your device.
What does the blur radius slider do?
The blur radius slider controls the intensity of the Gaussian blur effect. The radius value (in pixels) determines how far the blur effect spreads from each pixel. A radius of 0 means no blur (original image), while higher values produce an increasingly smoothed and softened appearance. The effect is applied using native browser canvas filtering for optimal performance.
What is the difference between Gaussian blur and other blur types?
Gaussian blur uses a mathematical Gaussian function to calculate the weighted average of each pixel's surrounding neighborhood. This produces a smooth, natural-looking blur without artifacts. Unlike box blur (which uses a simple average and can produce blocky results) or motion blur (which blurs in a single direction), Gaussian blur creates an even, organic softness that closely resembles how out-of-focus areas appear in real photography.
What image formats are supported?
JPG, PNG, WebP, BMP, AVIF, GIF, TIFF, SVG, HEIC and more. The blurred result is saved in your original upload format, preserving compatibility.
Does blurring an image reduce its quality?
Blurring is a one-way process — while the visual smoothness does reduce fine detail, the underlying image resolution remains unchanged. The operation is performed on the full-resolution image data, so you always get the best possible result. We recommend keeping a copy of your original image if you might need the unblurred version later.
Can I blur only part of an image?
Currently, our tool applies Gaussian blur to the entire image. If you need to blur specific regions (like faces or license plates), you can use a separate photo editor to create a mask or crop the area first. We may add selective/region blur in a future update.
How large of an image can I process?
Our tool handles images up to 50 megapixels (50,000,000 pixels total). If your image exceeds this limit, you'll see a warning and can try a smaller version. We use browser-native canvas filtering which is highly efficient and GPU-accelerated.