Python Pillow – Blur an Image

Blurring an image is a process of reducing the level of noise in the image, and it is one of the important aspects of image processing. In this article, we will learn to blur an image using a pillow library. To blur an image we make use of some methods of ImageFilter class of this library on image objects.

Note: The image used to blur in all different methods is given below:

Methods provided by the ImageFilter Class:

1. PIL.ImageFilter.BoxBlur(): Blurs the image by setting each pixel to the average value of the pixels in a square box extending radius pixels in each direction. Supports float radius of arbitrary size. Uses an optimized implementation that runs in linear time relative to the size of the image for any radius value.

Syntax: PIL.ImageFilter.BoxBlur(radius)

Parameters:  

• radius: Size of the box in one direction. Radius 0 does not blur, returns an identical image. Radius 1 takes 1 pixel in each direction, i.e. 9 pixels in total.

Output :  

 2. PIL.ImageFilter.GaussianBlur(): This method creates a Gaussian blur filter. The filter uses radius as a parameter and by changing the value of this radius, the intensity of the blur over the image gets changed. The parameter radius in the function is responsible for the blur intensity. By changing the value of the radius, the intensity of GaussianBlur is changed.

Syntax: PIL.ImageFilter.GaussianBlur(radius=5)

Parameters:

• radius – blur radius. Changing value of radius the different intensity of GaussianBlur image were obtain.

Returns type: An image.

Output : 

3. Simple blur: It applies a blurring effect to the image as specified through a specific kernel or a convolution matrix. It does not require any parameters.

Syntax: filter(ImageFilter.BLUR)

Output :