Image to Pixel Art Converter

Drop in a photo or any picture and turn it into pixel art. It is free and works right in your browser, so your image never leaves your computer.

    Choose an image to start.

    How to turn a picture into pixel art

    1. Add a picture. Drag it into the box, paste it, or click to pick a file.
    2. Choose the width. That is how many pixels wide the result will be. Around 32 to 64 looks like a game sprite. Go up to 96 or more for faces and scenes.
    3. Pick the colors. Auto takes the colors from your picture. Or try a preset like PICO-8 or Game Boy for a retro look.
    4. Add dithering if smooth gradients look stripy. Leave it off for clean, flat shapes.
    5. Download. Take 1× if you want to keep editing in Aseprite, or 8× to 16× to share it. The pixels stay sharp.

    A good start, not finished pixel art

    To be honest, no converter makes real pixel art. It just averages colors, so you get stray pixels, soft edges and messy shading. Pixel artists place every pixel on purpose. Use the result as a sketch or a base layer, then clean it up by hand.

    If you want to learn to do that by hand, my course goes through it step by step in Aseprite: shapes, outlines, colors, shading and details, all the way to full game art.

    Learn to do it by hand

    Frequently asked questions

    Is it free?

    Yes. No sign-up, no watermark, no limits.

    Is my image uploaded somewhere?

    No. Everything runs in your browser. Your picture never leaves your computer.

    What size should I pick?

    For game sprites, 32 to 64 pixels wide. For faces and scenes, 96 to 160. Smaller looks more retro but keeps less detail.

    How many colors should I use?

    Start with 8 to 16. Fewer colors look bolder and cleaner. Old consoles used 4 to 16.

    What is dithering?

    A pattern of mixed pixels that fakes the colors in between. Floyd-Steinberg looks smooth. Ordered gives the checkerboard pattern you know from retro games. None keeps flat areas clean.

    Can I use the result commercially?

    The result is your own picture, just converted. So the rights are the same as for your original.

    Is the result real pixel art?

    Not yet. It is a good start. Real pixel art gets cleaned up by hand: clear outlines, no stray pixels, shading on purpose.

    Sample photo: scarlet macaw by Adrian Pingstone, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.