To provide an optical film excellent in anti-glare property, black reproducibility, hardness, brittleness and durability, and to provide a method of manufacturing the optical film, a polarizing plate and an image display apparatus each using the optical film.

The optical film has an anti-glare layer which is formed by applying coating liquid onto a transparent support and then drying and curing the coating liquid. The coating liquid is obtained by dispersing a binder and at least two kinds of resin particles which have a mean particle diameter of 6 to 15 m and different swelling ratios when dispersed in a dispersion solvent. The resin particle is formed of (a) at least one kind of resin particle having a swelling ratio of 25% and (b) at least one kind of resin particle having a swelling ratio of 25 to 80%. Swelling ratio difference between the resin particle (a) and the resin particle (b) is 15 to 70%. Thickness of the anti-glare layer is 1 to 2 times the mean particle diameter of the largest resin particle when not swollen.