How to Easily Pixelate Faces in Photos with Apple Intelligence
About This QuickTip
In this video, I show you how to use Apple Intelligence’s Cleanup Tool to remove distractions and apply pixelated blurs over faces, ideal for protecting student privacy in photos. I’ll cover how to use this feature offline on iPad to keep images on-device. This new addition is especially helpful for teachers and schools.
Step by Step
Select the Cleanup Tool
When editing a photo, start by selecting the Cleanup Tool, which lets you remove unwanted objects.
Draw a circle around each face
If there's a face, or multiple faces, you'd like to blur, just draw a circle around each face with the tool. Apple Intelligence will automatically apply a pixelated Safety Filter over it.
Undo and adjust if needed
This works for as many faces as you need. You can undo and adjust if you don't get it quite right on the first try.
Good to know
- This tool works offline, so if your iPad is in Airplane Mode, everything remains on-device, meaning student photos aren't uploaded to Apple's servers.
Questions This Answers
How do I pixelate faces in a photo with Apple Intelligence?
When editing a photo, select the Cleanup Tool and draw a circle around each face. Apple Intelligence will automatically apply a pixelated Safety Filter over it.
Can I blur more than one face in a photo using Clean Up?
Yes, it works for as many faces as you need. You can undo and adjust if you don't get it quite right on the first try.
Does the Apple Intelligence Cleanup Tool work offline?
It does. If your iPad is in Airplane Mode, everything remains on-device, so student photos aren't uploaded to Apple's servers.
Transcript
One of the standout features in Apple Intelligence is the ability to clean up and remove distractions from your photos. But it’s even more useful than that—you can also blur people’s faces with a pixelation effect. For me as a teacher, this is fantastic for protecting my students’ privacy when sharing photos on the school website or similar platforms.
When editing a photo, you can start by selecting the Cleanup Tool, which lets you remove unwanted objects. But if there’s a face (or multiple faces) you’d like to blur, just draw a circle around each face with the tool, and Apple Intelligence will automatically apply a pixelated Safety Filter over it. This works for as many faces as you need, and you can undo and adjust if you don’t get it quite right on the first try.
Another great feature for teachers to know: this tool works offline, so if your iPad is in Airplane Mode, everything remains on-device, meaning student photos aren’t uploaded to Apple’s servers. It’s a fantastic way to ensure privacy without compromising on functionality.
Technical details: This QuickTip was recorded on an 11″ iPad Pro (M4) running iPadOS 18.1 in October 2024.
The content used in this video is intended for educational and informational purposes only. All rights to the images, music, clips, and other media used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. This video has not been authorised, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple Intelligence, iPad and iPadOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Whilst I have done my best to list all applicable trademarks for this video, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I have missed any you can find a full list of trademarks registered to Apple Inc. on their website. Finally, please note that whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained within this video was correct at time of publication, please be aware that as future updates and software changes occur some or all elements of this video may become outdated. I will endeavour to remove videos which are completely obsolete so as not to cause confusion!