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How to Remove Pixelation From Your Video on a MacBook

Casey Blake Casey Blake Last Updated: Nov 20, 2025AI Video Enhancer

The annoying appearance of a pixelated movie is still a persistent issue for many people, even in the brilliant age of 4K and ultra-high resolution. We've all experienced similar situations, whether it's a downloaded movie file full of visual noise, a popular clip that became blurry after being posted to social media due to compression, or that priceless family moment captured in poor light or fast motion. Whatever the reasons, this article will guide you in removing pixelation from video on a Mac. Please continue reading, and you’ll discover everything you need.

Mac Remove Pixelation from Video

Part 1. Can You Remove Pixelation From a Video on Mac

Yes, you can use video editing or enhancement tools on a Mac to lessen or completely eliminate pixelation in a movie. Clarity is increased by tools like Adobe After Effects, VLC, or AI-powered enhancers that dynamically upscale resolution, reduce noise, and sharpen features. Nevertheless, the quality of the original video determines the outcome; better restoration is produced by higher-quality source files.

Part 2. How to Remove Pixelation from Video on Mac Through Adobe After Effects

Numerous sophisticated plugins for Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects are available to improve the visual quality of videos and unpixelate them. None of them is easy or free, though.

Try After Effects' Remove Grain preset effect if you don't want to spend additional fees. It enables you to apply the effect to the selected region or the full frame and can eliminate grain brought on by poor light or high ISO while recording. Here's how.

Step 1. Purchase and obtain After Effects from Adobe's official website. You can receive a discount for educational use, and the annual fee is $251.88.Once it has been installed on your computer, launch it and start a new project. Drag the video file to the timeline after importing it into its composition tab.

Step 2. On the preview window's right side, select the Effects & Preset tab. Drag the effect to the composition area after typing Remove Grain.

Adobe Effect Remove Grain

Step 3. As you can see, it creates an effect preview window. To view it in greater depth, you can enlarge the image. To make it more realistic, go to the Noise Reduction Settings and adjust the Noise Reduction levels.

Step 4. To apply the effect to the entire image, switch Preview to Final Output in the Viewing Mode. To preserve the image quality as much as possible, export the video and make sure the output and render settings are set correctly.

Part 3. Remove Pixelation from Video on Mac with VLC Media Player

The majority of users have VLC, a free and flexible video player, installed on their computers. A large variety of videos, including pixelated ones brought on by corrupt index files, can be played by it.

But before you go through the how-to section, there are two things you should know. First off, it only corrects AVI-formatted videos that have grain or pixel issues. Second, since this feature is limited to VLC playback, it will not export the corrected video for you.

Step 1. Launch the VLC media player. Select Input/Codecs under Tools and see Preferences. Then, select the AVI file that is damaged or incomplete. Choose Always repair from the drop-down option after expanding it.

Step 2. To return to the main interface, click the Save button at the bottom.

VLC Always Fix Save

Step 3. To load the video, select Media and see Open File. You may now clearly view the pixelated video.

Part 4. Bonus Tip: Remove Pixelation from Video via AI Enhancer

VidHex is an AI-powered video improvement solution created for Windows and macOS users that makes it simple to bring clarity and detail back to pixelated recordings. It goes well beyond simple enlargement by using clever algorithms to improve resolution, lower noise, and recreate textures for a seamless, natural finish. Just select your preferred enhancement settings, submit your video, and let VidHex process it in a matter of minutes. VidHex produces crisp, clean, professional-quality outputs without the need for complex editing, making it ideal for both novices and experts. VidHex is the best option if you're using Windows and want your videos to look clear on any screen.

Step 1. Download the VidHex AI now and install it on your computer immediately. After that, upload the videos you want to enhance using the Click or Drag and Drop features.

Step 2. You will now see your media files on the editing tab of the tool. On the right portion of the screen, click the Denoiser feature to remove the pixelated part of your video. Right after that, click the Export button.

Vidhex Ai Denoise Video

Step 3. Wait for a moment and get your video now with a higher quality on it.

Part 5. How to Avoid Pixelation in Video Before Production

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the adage goes. There are several ways to avoid pixelated or grainy videos if you haven't shot them.

Proper Light Condition

Without a doubt, a lack of light will result in muddy and blurry video. Thus, avoid filming in dimly lit areas, such as a tunnel, a cellar, a foggy day, or at midnight. If necessary, appropriately add additional lighting using lamps, strobes, lighting reflectors, and other devices.

Use of a Wide Aperture

Bright and clear video is produced by using a wide aperture (usually between f/2.8 and f/5.6), which lets in more light and focuses sharply on objects at close range.

Reduce the ISO.

The camera sensor's sensitivity to light is indicated by the ISO. As seen in the image below, the greater the value, the brighter the video seems, but it also contains more grain and image noise. Therefore, reducing the ISO value (usually between 100 and 800) is a smart strategy to combat grains.

Use a Camera with a Larger Sensor

A larger sensor is preferable since it can accommodate larger pixels, which helps capture more information. Consequently, the optimum choice is a full-frame sensor, followed by an APS-C sensor and, last, a Micro Four Thirds sensor.

Configure your Camera to Capture High-quality Videos

Your camera would create clear, sharp videos if it could record in 4K HDR at a high frame rate. Please make sure you are in this mode before pressing the recording button. If not, using sophisticated post-processing software to upscale 1080p to 4K is the final option.

Part 6. FAQs of Removing Pixelation from Video

Why does 1080p have so many pixels?

The primary causes of a pixelated appearance in 1080p video are typically heavy compression at low bitrates, upscaling from SD, undersized encoding, and over-sharpening. Detail and quality are maintained by using light compression at higher bitrates.

Can the pixels be unpixelated?

Yes, AI-powered solutions can frequently restore pixelated photos. An AI upscaler that anticipates and fills in missing pixels can lessen pixelation, or the blocky squares you see in low-quality photographs.

Why does my Mac video appear pixelated?

Pixelation typically happens when a video is stretched beyond its original dimensions, compressed significantly, or produced at low resolution. Blocky, fuzzy images might also be caused by poor camera quality or incorrect export settings.

Will pixelation be fixed if a video is converted to a higher resolution?

Pixelation cannot be eliminated by merely raising the resolution; in fact, it may get worse. Instead of merely increasing pixels, use AI-powered upscaling that adds missing information.

Can pixelation in videos be eliminated with QuickTime?

Pixelation cannot be successfully eliminated by QuickTime alone. Videos can be played smoothly, but you'll need third-party software with tools for upscaling, sharpness, and noise reduction to improve them.

Conclusion

Even the most memorable videos can appear unprofessional due to pixelation, but you can restore clarity and detail on your Mac with the appropriate tools and techniques. Every technique for enhancing video quality has advantages of its own, whether you use VLC Media Player, Adobe After Effects, or a sophisticated AI enhancer. More significantly, you can save time and work in post-editing by avoiding pixelation throughout production. Try VidHex AI Video Enhancer for the best results; its potent noise reduction and upscaling may make your movies appear crisp, polished, and genuinely professional.

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