How to cover up text on a photo and how to see what's covered up

Author of the article: Site team

September 29, 2021

When creating screenshots, you often need to hide important information, for example, if you send screenshots containing a phone number, bank card number or name in a messenger or message on VK. However, sometimes the opposite situation arises when you need to read shaded text. In this article we will talk about how to see blurred text on a screenshot or, conversely, prevent the leakage of your personal data.

1. How to cover up part of the text on a screenshot or photo
2. How to view blurred text on your computer
3. How to see the blurred part of a picture on iPhone
4. How to remove putty from a screenshot on Android
5. How to protect smeared text so that it is definitely unreadable
6. Finally

Use translucent shading

Another handy tool that iPhone users always have at hand is the Markup function in iOS. Want to send a photo from your phone? You can quickly edit it directly in an email or message! And the recipient will not be able to cancel this edit. The perfect way to hide information without any hassle?

Read also: Telegram how to set up a microphone

Actually no: the fact is that the marker and pen tools draw semi-transparent lines by default. Yes, if you carefully shade the text in a picture, it may seem impossible to read. However, if you play with brightness, contrast and other image settings, the secret will immediately become apparent.

Are you sure that the shaded text is not showing through?

The same thing will happen if you paint over confidential information with a translucent brush in a graphics editor. So it's better to hide data using opaque tools.

How to remove an inscription from a photo: the easiest way

You can quickly and easily remove marks from a photo in the PhotoMASTER program. This is a full-featured editor that will help not only erase inscriptions from photos, but also improve the quality of your images.

No time to read the instructions? Just watch the two minute video:

PhotoMASTER

How to remove a caption from a photo

Try it now! Download the PhotoMASTER program:

Suitable for all versions of Windows

We will use the tools found in the “Retouching” tab: “Patch”, “Stamp”, “Healing Brush”. In the future, you can choose any of them, but we will figure out how each one functions.

1. "Patch"

copes well with removing large defects in pictures, which means it will allow you to easily remove text from a picture. Select a tool and trace the unwanted object. In our case, this is a copyright sign. Then drag the selection to an area that is free from the inscription and matches the texture and color of the neighboring areas. The transformation will happen instantly. Is the inscription not completely removed? Repeat the procedure again. Save the result by clicking the "Apply" button.

Patch Tool

2. "Stamp".

This tool clones pixels from one area of ​​a photo to another. Mark the fragment to be deleted. Two selection areas will appear. The first is around an unnecessary inscription; it should not be touched. But drag the second one to the area from which the program should copy pixels. The easiest way to remove an inscription from a photo using a stamp is on photographs with a uniform background. Then you don’t need to make sure that the areas match in texture. If the background is complex and the inscription overlaps a significant object in the frame, a stamp will also help you. You just have to delete the inscription/date sequentially, carefully ensuring that the copied areas are identical to each other.

Stamp tool

3. Healing Brush.

This tool is suitable for working with small objects when the inscription/date does not occupy even a quarter of the image. It is not very convenient for her to remove large watermarks or logos. Before using the tool, configure the brush: set the size, feathering. Leave the transparency at default. Then go through the fragment to be deleted. The “Repairing Brush” works softly and delicately. For an accurate result, we advise you to carry out manipulations in parts: you should not try to paint over the entire area.

Healing Brush Tool

4. "Cropping".

Useful if you are thinking about how to remove the logo. This is the simplest method used when the watermark or inscription is located on the edge of the photo. Find cropping under Tools. A grid will appear over the image. Adjust it so that the problem areas are not included in the selection area. Click Apply. You can also use the blanks from the list on the right side. Ready-made filters are created according to certain proportions: square, rectangle, aspect ratio 3x4 and 5x5, etc.

Crop tool

Now you know how to remove text from a picture using PhotoMASTER. The program will be useful to you in many other cases. For example, with its help you can get rid of the red-eye effect, carry out quick retouching, and make beautiful color correction of a portrait or landscape photo.

Remove everything unnecessary from the photo right now! Download PhotoMASTER:

Suitable for all versions of Windows

Bonus track: he who seeks will find

If someone really needs your secret, they will try to extract it even from a well-censored picture. For example, it may be possible to guess the text by the number and length of words if you have covered each of them separately. Or recover a small portion of the hidden area from the distortion around the black rectangle that may appear when saving an image as a JPEG.

These are already complex and not at all reliable methods - a casual reader of your Instagram is unlikely to waste time on them. But if you're dealing with really serious mysteries, then you may well need to keep similar subtleties in mind.

Helpful information

Tips for removing markers from different surfaces:

1. Cotton pads need to be changed as they become dirty. If you continue processing with the same sponge, the mark from the felt-tip pen will spread.
2. You need to start removing stains and patterns immediately after they are discovered, before the pigment has time to be deeply absorbed into the surface.
3. Before using a new product for the first time, you need to test it on an inconspicuous area.
4. To prevent the marker stain from spreading and staining clean areas, its borders can be outlined with a light wax candle. After processing, the trace of it is erased with a stationery eraser.

When all methods have been tried but have not achieved the desired effect, you can try using WD-40 automotive lubricant. It is suitable for processing only dark paper, since stains from it will be very noticeable on a light surface.

How to protect smeared text so that it is definitely unreadable

Even a novice hacker who knows how to process photos can see poorly hidden information. Therefore, it is not enough to simply screen the screen of a tablet or PC and cover the data with a marker to protect it from theft. To ensure safety, do the following:

• It's easiest to "reveal" changes made by the Marker tool, even if you've used it multiple times. Therefore, it is better to apply a rectangle with a solid fill.
• If your editor supports blur, it's best to use it. Apply it several times to distort the outlines beyond recognition.
• A great way to permanently hide inscriptions is to paint it the same color as the background. That is, if the letters are printed in black and white, use a white fill.
• Save the modified image. PNG files save all the layers superimposed on the photo, so they can be processed separately from each other. JPG combines all changes into one layer.

The most “invulnerable” type of protection is the use of several methods at once. This does not take much time, but you will be sure that your personal data will not fall into the wrong hands.

Removing marker from colored fabric

Here you can use hydrogen peroxide and simple medical alcohol.

First, wipe the surface with a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes. Then, with the same cloth, only with alcohol, the surface is wiped again. At the end, the area is washed with water and dried.

Instructions on how to hide information on an image so that it won’t be seen

Some ways to permanently hide text in the editor have already been announced. First of all, if you use a brush, apply a double layer to the text. This feature is available in many well-known programs for phones. And also editors for computers: , Photoshop, CorelDRAW, etc. It’s easier to imagine layers in the form of several transparent sheets in A4 format, which are superimposed on each other. The image in the picture can be composed of several elements, which will be located on each layer separately.

Another useful tool for hiding parts of an image is blurring. You should blur as much as possible so that even the silhouette of the element cannot be seen. Sketching in a picture works well if you use a background color instead of a highlight color. For example, text is written on an image in black letters on a white background. Using a white marker will hide the text in such a way that it cannot be revealed by any means.

Carpet cleaning

One of the most effective methods is medical alcohol. It needs to be applied to the carpet, and after a few minutes, apply a dry cloth to this area. The main thing is not to rub the alcohol, otherwise a back reaction may occur.

That's all, we've looked at how to remove traces of permanent marker from any surface.

How to see blurred text on a screenshot using built-in tools

Certain details are blurred out in the screenshot using specially designed photo editors. You can download them from the Play Market application; it offers a wide selection of suitable programs. Many mobile devices contain built-in functionality for processing images and text.

To see blurred text, you need three main tools - gloss, contrast and exposure. Good tools for the job can be found in Snapseed and Adobe Photoshop.

Gimp

The most affordable version of an advanced photo editor for PC. The interface and functionality of Gimp is similar to Adobe Photoshop, but the cost is much lower. In Russia, a Gimp license will cost 400 rubles for the basic version, which will be quite enough for working with layers and more complex graphics designs.

Although, with Snapseed available for free and the need to transfer the file to your computer and then back, a lot of doubts arise about the advisability of purchasing Gimp. You may be able to use the tools of a free app or even the built-in tools of your smartphone.

A way to see a blurred element in a picture on Android

Many Android mobile devices have a built-in editor for simple processing: cropping, rotating, color correction. But if your device does not have such a utility, you can download it from the Google market. Any editor with retouching tools will do. To read the hidden text, we need the functions “Gloss”, “Exposure”, “Contrast”.

These tools are available in the photo editor from Google – Snapseed and the program from Adobe – Adobe Photoshop. They are free and best suited for this task.

What you need to do to see the blurred part of the text in the picture on a smartphone with Android OS:

1. Launch mobile Photoshop and open an image in it where the text is hidden;
2. At the bottom of the screen there is a “Tools” button - click on it;
3. A list of available tools will appear on the screen. Select "Exposure" and set the value to 100;

4. Next, select “Shine” and “Shadows and Brightness”, and also set the value to 100;
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5. The same needs to be done with the “Highlights” tool;
6. Now “Contrast” needs to be removed completely (value minus 100);

7. After these settings, the text on the screen will appear under the layer of paint that the owner of the image applied.

The selected parameters remove the applied layer from the picture, and the layer hidden behind it with the blurred element or text becomes visible in the screenshot on your Android. This trick can be done on almost any graphics editor. Since each of them has tools for working with color correction.

This may be useful: Beautiful background for text on Instagram.

Revealing hidden text in the Snapseed editor on Android

The graphic editor Snapseed is famous for its set for working with flowers. This is perhaps the most powerful tool in which you can turn any dull photo into a work of art. Snapseed is built into mobile devices from Google - Pixel.

After using it to develop text, the editor will still serve in your smartphone if you can learn how to operate it. To see the text under the brush layer:

1. Open the editor. On the main screen, click on the plus sign and select the image you want to process in the gallery;
2. Next, in the lower panel with working functions, select the “Correction” block;
3. A list of all the tools needed to develop layers will appear in the drop-down list.

The list of required editor parameters and their values ​​can be found above. After applying the changes, you need to save the result. In this case, the original will remain in the gallery, it will not be changed, the editor adds a new file. It must be added that this method will not always work. In some screenshots or photographs, you may not be able to identify the blurred text. There are several reasons for this. IOS mobile devices also have a built-in editor. And it has all the necessary settings that help you find out what is hidden in the picture.

Recommended reading: An application that sees through clothes.

FAQ

Here you will find answers to the questions that users most often ask.

What photo editor settings make it easiest to see blurred text in an image? The settings depend on which photo editor you use. However, in each of them you need to adjust the exposure, brightness and shadows to maximum, and contrast to minimum. If the editor supports highlights and gloss values, these are also set to their maximum value. How to view blurred text on iPhone? In the built-in editor, adjust the “Brightness”, “Contrast”, “Highlights” and “Shine” settings to +100, “Contrast” to negative hundred. Is it possible to remove putty from a screen on Android? This can be done in the Snapseed app. Select the Adjustment tool and set all settings except Contrast to maximum.

Affinity Photo

Another professional computer program that allows you to remove putty from a photo. The principle of operation here will be the same as in the case of PaintShop, but the cost of the license is much lower. The version localized for the Russian market will cost 899 rubles. In addition, on the Internet you can find pirated versions of software that can be downloaded completely free of charge. Another thing is that pirated software poses a significant threat, because it does not pass security checks.

#2 Facetune

Suitable even for beginners. The full package of tools is provided after making a one-time payment. Allows you to retouch photos:

• emphasize details;
• smooth the skin;
• improve the condition of tooth enamel;
• remove unnecessary elements using the “Stamp”;
• change skin tone;
• defocus elements;
• adjust details using “Liquefaction” and so on.

Among the advantages, it is worth noting the presence of instructions for using the tools, the ability to view photos after each action, and the absence of intrusive advertising about the need to purchase additional functions.