YouTube Now Lets You Blur Anything You Want

By Lovella Bantasan | Feb 26, 2016 09:43 AM EST

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YouTube has launched a new tool that lets you blur anything in your video, even if the object in question moves. Building on the face-blurring capability it introduced back in 2012, Dubbed Custom Blurring, the tool is currently only available on the desktop website.

"At any time, you can move the blurred area, resize it and choose when the blur starts and stops. There is also a "Lock" option to blur something that doesn't move at all." YouTube's Privacy Lead, Amanda Conway says, "Whether you want to blur sensitive information such as a license plate or cover up a wardrobe malfunction without reshooting an entire scene, the new Custom Blurring tool will let you blur objects throughout your video, right within YouTube."       

Blurring a section of the video is as easy as inserting an annotation. Just select the "blur" option and drag a box around whatever it is that you want blurred. YouTube's tool will automatically start tracking the object with their proprietary motion tracking algorithm. This ensures that the object is blurred for the duration that you specify.

With this new Custom Blurring feature, you can adjust the size of the box, move it, and adjust the start and stop time. A Lock button keeps the blurred box in the same place on the screen. You can save the changes to your video or create a separate one that reflects your changes.

YouTube earlier this month jumped into original content with three exclusive films and one original series for subscribers of its $10-per-month YouTube Red service. With more than 1 billion users, YouTube and Google frequently adds or finesses features to the service, including some intended just for creators.   For instance, Google recently improved the system that recommends frames that people can use as thumbnails for videos they upload.

You can find Custom Blurring in the Blurring Effects tab of the Enhancements tool in YouTube.

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