How to redact an address or location from a video
- Step 1Load the clip — Drop the MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM or AVI. Vlogs and drone footage are usually MP4 or MOV; all load locally via FFmpeg.wasm. One file per run.
- Step 2Scrub to the frame with the address detail — Set Start (s) to where the house number, sign, or doorbell label is most legible — the picker shows that exact frame so you can place the box over the real content.
- Step 3Box the address detail generously — Drag a rectangle over the number or sign. Because the camera moves in vlogs and drone shots, draw the box larger than the detail itself so it stays covered as the shot drifts. Click-drag inside to reposition; SE corner to resize.
- Step 4Set the time window — Enter End (s) for when the detail leaves frame or becomes illegible. The blur only applies between Start and End, so the rest of the footage keeps full detail.
- Step 5Choose the blur strength — Use a high Blur strength for legible text like house numbers. The radius caps at half the smaller side of the box, so if a small box still shows the number, enlarge the box rather than just raising the number.
- Step 6Export and verify across the pan — Process to MP4 and scrub through the window. Confirm the address stays hidden through the entire camera move — especially the frames where the detail is biggest and closest.
Common location giveaways and how to box them
Where home location leaks in creator footage and the redaction approach.
| Location detail | Box approach | Why |
|---|---|---|
| House number on a door | Box the door area, generously sized | Small + camera moves; over-cover to stay safe |
| Street sign at a corner | Box the sign for the seconds it's readable | Window tightly; rest of shot stays sharp |
| Doorbell / intercom label | Box the panel; high strength | Small high-contrast text needs a big enough box |
| Building signage in background | Box the sign across the shot | May be visible the whole clip — whole-clip window |
| Reflections of a sign in glass | Separate pass with its own box | Only the drawn rectangle is blurred |
Redactor behaviour for address jobs
Fixed processing facts.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Processing | In-browser FFmpeg.wasm — no upload |
| Method | Destructive boxblur over one cropped region |
| Output | MP4 / H.264 (CRF 20, preset medium) |
| Audio (commentary) | Stream-copied, unchanged |
| Tracking | None — box is static for the window |
| Max file (Free / Pro / Media / Dev) | 1 GB / 10 GB / 100 GB / 100 GB |
Cookbook
Recipes for vloggers, drone pilots, and anyone protecting a home address before posting.
Blur the house number as the camera pans past the door
Your vlog walks up to the front door from 0:30 to 0:34, showing the number. Box the door area large and window it to the pan.
Source: morning_vlog.mp4, 3840x2160 Redact rectangle: X=1600 Y=900 Width=600 Height=420 Start (s): 30 End (s): 34 Blur strength: 45 radius = min(45, floor(420/2)) = 45 Filter: [0:v]split[base][redact];[redact]crop=600:420:1600:900,boxblur=45:1[blur]; [base][blur]overlay=1600:900:enable='between(t,30.000,34.000)'[outv]
Hide a street sign in a drone shot
An aerial reveals the corner street sign for a few seconds before the drone climbs. Box the sign and window it tightly.
Source: drone_reveal.mov, 1920x1080 Redact rectangle: X=820 Y=640 Width=220 Height=110 Start (s): 6 End (s): 10 Blur strength: 50 -> radius = min(50, floor(110/2)) = 50 Output: drone_reveal.mp4 (commentary copied)
Doorbell label visible the whole intro
A doorbell camera label stays in shot for the full 8-second intro. Box it and leave the window at default to blur the entire clip.
Source: intro.webm, 1280x720 Redact rectangle: X=540 Y=300 Width=180 Height=90 Start (s): 0 End (s): (whole clip) Blur strength: 50 -> radius = min(50, floor(90/2)) = 45
Sign appears twice in the clip (two passes)
The street sign shows once at the start and again at the end. One box per pass, so process for the first appearance, then feed the MP4 back for the second.
Pass 1: clip.mp4 -> sign box, window 2s-5s -> step1.mp4 Pass 2: step1.mp4 -> sign box, window 40s-43s -> final.mp4
Strip GPS from the drone file too
Drone MP4s embed GPS coordinates that pinpoint the location even after the sign is blurred. Chain the metadata-scrubber.
Step 1: drone.mp4 -> redact sign -> sign_blurred.mp4 Step 2: sign_blurred.mp4 -> metadata-scrubber -> clean.mp4 Now neither the pixels nor the metadata reveal the address.
Edge cases and what actually happens
Camera pan moves the address detail out of the box
By designThe box is static for the whole window. A handheld pan or drone drift can carry a house number out from under it. Draw the box generously over the full path, or split the redaction into shorter windows with a box for each.
Small house number still readable after blur
Insufficient radiusA tight box around a number caps the blur radius at half its smaller side. Enlarge the box (cover the whole door area) so the cap rises and the digits scramble. Verify on the frame where the number is biggest.
GPS metadata still reveals the location
PreservedBlurring pixels does not remove embedded GPS — drone and phone footage often carry exact coordinates. Run the redacted file through the metadata-scrubber to strip them before posting.
Address visible in a reflection or second location
PreservedOnly the rectangle you drew is blurred. A sign reflected in a window, or a second appearance later in the clip, stays visible. Run another pass with a box over the additional spot.
You name the street out loud
PreservedAudio is stream-copied unchanged, so saying the address aloud leaves it in the soundtrack. Mute that span with audio-mute-region in addition to blurring the visual.
Output container changed to MP4
By designMOV or WEBM footage comes back as H.264 MP4. This is intentional for upload compatibility. Transcode with the video-transcoder if you need a different container.
Whole clip re-encoded at CRF 20
ExpectedThe full video stream is recompressed once. CRF 20 is high quality, but to minimise re-encoding of footage you didn't redact, trim to the relevant segment first with the lossless-trimmer.
Long 4K vlog exceeds the Free tier
Tier limitFree caps the video family at 1 GB per file; a long 4K vlog can exceed that. Upgrade (Pro 10 GB, Pro + Media / Developer 100 GB) or trim to the clip you're publishing first.
Frequently asked questions
Will this fully hide my home address?
Blurring the visible detail (number, sign, label) removes the on-screen giveaway, and processing locally means the footage isn't uploaded. But location can also leak through GPS metadata and spoken words — strip metadata with the metadata-scrubber and mute any spoken address with audio-mute-region for full coverage.
Can the blurred address be recovered?
No. The boxblur destroys the pixels in that region — it isn't an overlay. There's no hidden layer to reveal within the box you drew.
Why is a small house number still legible after blurring?
The blur radius caps at half the smaller side of the box, so a tight box can't blur hard. Box the whole door area — the larger height/width raises the cap and the digits scramble.
Does the footage get uploaded?
No. It's read into an in-browser FFmpeg.wasm filesystem and processed on your device, so location-revealing video never reaches a server.
Can I blur the address only while it's in shot?
Yes. Set Start (s) and End (s) to the seconds the detail is visible; the blur is gated by enable='between(t,start,end)' and the rest stays sharp.
The address shows up twice in the video — can I do both?
One rectangle per pass. Blur the first appearance, then run the resulting MP4 back through the tool with a box and window for the second.
Does the tool follow the address as the camera pans?
No — the box is static for the window. Size it generously to cover the camera move, or split into multiple time-windowed passes. There's no motion tracking except for faces via face-blur.
What about GPS coordinates in drone footage?
Blurring pixels doesn't touch metadata. Drone files often embed exact GPS. Run the redacted MP4 through the metadata-scrubber to remove it before posting.
Will my voiceover survive?
Yes — audio is stream-copied unchanged. If you say the address aloud, mute that span with audio-mute-region.
What output format do I get?
An H.264 MP4 (CRF 20, preset medium). MOV and WEBM inputs all come out as MP4.
Can it handle a long 4K vlog?
Up to 1 GB on Free, 10 GB on Pro, and 100 GB on Pro + Media / Developer, with no length cap. For very large files, trim to the segment you're publishing first with the lossless-trimmer.
Should I also blur faces of people in the shot?
If passers-by or neighbours appear, yes. Use face-blur for automatic face detection, or face-pixelate for a mosaic look, after redacting the address with this tool.
Privacy first
Every JAD Video tool runs entirely in your browser via WebCodecs and FFmpeg (WebAssembly). Your video files never leave your device — verified by zero outbound network requests during processing.