AnonimoWhat can YouTube Studio's blur tool do, and what can it not?
YouTube Studio can blur faces it detects, or a box you draw that follows an object, in any video you have uploaded, for free. It cannot work before upload, on videos that are not going to YouTube, or give you a full-quality blurred file for Instagram or TikTok. For those, blur on your phone first.
How to use it
- Upload the video as private or unlisted.
- In YouTube Studio, open Content, pick the video, then Editor, then Blur.
- Face blur shows the faces YouTube found; pick the ones to blur. Custom blur lets you draw a box and choose whether it follows the object or stays still, with a start and end time.
- Save. Processing can take a while; the blurred version replaces what viewers see.
What it cannot do
- It only works after the unblurred original is on YouTube's servers.
- The blur style is fixed; there is no pixelation or emoji, and you cannot fine-tune the size.
- The result is for YouTube. Downloading your own video gives a lower-quality file, and the blur is not a tool for Instagram, TikTok or a file you send to a client.
- Face detection is YouTube's; faces it misses need a custom blur box.
Before upload instead
If the people in the video should never be on a server unblurred, or the video goes to several platforms, blur it on your phone first. Anonimo does this on the iPhone, groups faces by person so you tap once per person, and exports at source resolution for upload anywhere.
If you want this done automatically on your iPhone, Anonimo finds every face in a video, groups them by person, and blurs everyone except the people you pick. Nothing leaves the phone.
Trade-offs
- Free and already where your YouTube videos are.
- The original is uploaded unblurred, and YouTube keeps it as the source of the edit.
- One output, one platform.
Questions
Is YouTube's blur tool free?
Yes, for every channel, in YouTube Studio's editor.
Can I download the blurred video from YouTube?
You can download your own videos from YouTube Studio, but at a reduced quality. For a full-quality file, blur before uploading.
Does YouTube blur faces automatically on all videos?
No. You choose to blur in the editor; nothing is blurred unless you ask.