Hide Sensitive Information in an Image

Introduction

Snagit provides a number of ways to redact, delete, or edit sensitive information in an image. For example:

• Redact confidential information, such as credit card and social security numbers.
• Blur sensitive or distracting information, such as license plates or employee profile pictures.
• Remove or edit personal information, such as names or contact information.

Option 1: Automatically Redact Sensitive Information

Smart Redact identifies and automatically covers sensitive information, such as contact information, credit card numbers, and more.

To automatically redact sensitive information in an image:

1. Click the Blur tool in the Snagit Editor toolbar, or from the More dropdown in the toolbar.
   
2. In the Actions panel, click Smart Redact.
   
   Snagit detects different categories of sensitive information and covers them with black shapes.
3. Complete any of the following to edit the redactions:
   • Toggle off information categories that you want to keep visible in the image. Snagit removes redactions from those categories.
     
   • In the Type dropdown, select the Blur or Pixelate option to change the appearance of the redactions.
     

     Note: Some third-party tools can reverse blur or pixelation. For the most secure option, use the Solid shapes (Windows) or Black shapes (Mac) redaction type.

   • For the solid shapes redaction type, click the Shape Color dropdown to choose a different color (Windows only).
     
4. Click Done to close Smart Redact.
5. To edit individual redactions or blurs, complete any of the following:
   • To remove a redaction and reveal the information underneath, click to select the redaction and press Delete.
   • To edit the redaction type, color (Windows only), shape, or intensity, click to select the item, and then adjust the tool properties.
6. Flatten the image before sharing so that redactions and blurs cannot be removed to reveal the information underneath. Complete any of the following:
   • Right-click the image and select the Flatten All option.

     Note: With this option, redactions and blurs cannot be edited further.

   • Click Share Link to share the image via Screencast. See Get a Shareable Link.
   • Select File > Save As and save the image in a flattened format such as JPEG, PNG, GIF, or PDF for sharing.

Option 2: Blur Individual Items

Blur or pixelate part of an image, such as a profile picture or license plate, to quickly hide identifiable details.

1. Click the Blur tool in the Snagit Editor toolbar, or from the More dropdown in the toolbar.
   
2. In the Tool Properties, select the blur Type and Shape.
   

   Note: Some third-party tools can reverse blur and pixelation. Secure confidential information by selecting the Black shapes option from the Type dropdown.

3. Click and drag on the canvas to draw the blur.
4. Drag the slider to adjust the intensity.
   
5. When you are finished with the Blur tool, click the Move tool to select, move, edit, or delete objects you added to your image.
   

For more information, see Blur Tool.

Option 3: Delete Parts of the Image

Delete parts of an image that include names, addresses, or other sensitive or personally identifiable information.

1. Click the Selection tool in the Snagit Editor toolbar, or from the More dropdown in the toolbar.
   
2. In the Tool Properties panel, select the Auto-Fill background option.
3. Click and drag over the information you want to remove.
   
4. Press Delete.

Auto-Fill uses the colors in the image to fill in the area you have removed.

For more information, see the Selection Tool.

Option 4: Replace Text

Replace text with made-up information to protect sensitive information in an example image.

1. Click the Move tool in the Snagit Editor toolbar, or from the More dropdown in the toolbar.
   
2. Complete one of the following:
   • Windows: In the Tool Properties panel, enable Smart Move.
     
   • Mac: In the Actions panel, click Smart Move.
     
3. Snagit identifies objects in the image. When you hover your cursor over editable objects, selection handles appear. Optional: Drag the Detail slider to adjust the granularity of objects Snagit identifies.
4. Double-click on the information you want to change and enter the new text in the text box.
   
5. When finished, click away from the text box.

For more information, see Move Tool.

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