Why a pixelated face or text cannot be recovered
Pixelation replaces a block of many pixels with one average colour. Thousands of different originals produce the same average, so the original is not in the file anymore. Tools that claim to “unpixelate” a face invent a plausible face; it is not the real one.
Text is the exception that proves the rule: when the font and layout are known, attackers can guess candidates and compare their pixelated versions with yours — which is guessing, not recovery, and why our redactor recommends solid bars.
What this tool really does
It runs Real-ESRGAN (general x4v3), an open super-resolution model, on your device. It enlarges the picture 4× and reconstructs plausible edges and textures, which makes a small, blocky or over-compressed picture look cleaner. An optional “Soften blocks first” pass blends block edges before enlargement, which helps on mildly pixelated images.
Questions
Can you unpixelate a censored face?
No. The detail was averaged away. Any tool that shows a sharp face is generating a new one. This page will not pretend otherwise.
So what does the AI do here?
It enlarges a low-resolution or blocky image 4× and makes edges and textures look natural. Good for old thumbnails, tiny logos and over-compressed photos.
How big can the input be?
Up to 1024 px on the long edge (output up to 4096 px). Larger pictures are scaled down first, and the page tells you when.
Is my image uploaded to an AI service?
No. The model (4.6 MB) is downloaded once from our model file server and runs in your browser.
Why is it slow on my phone?
Super-resolution is heavy. With WebGPU it takes seconds; on the processor alone it can take a minute for a large picture. Progress is shown tile by tile.