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Photo to Pixel Art

Turn photos or drawings into pixel art at any resolution. Choose a color count, retro palettes, dithering and outlines, then save it scaled up.

Upload a photoChoose files
Original
Pixel art
Colors used

Settings

Your photos never leave this device

How to use

1Upload a photoPortraits, landscapes, character drawings, anything works. Simpler backgrounds give cleaner results.
2Tune the lookWidth in pixels sets how chunky it looks, and the palette and color count set the mood.
3SaveDownload as a PNG at original pixel size (1×) or scaled up.

When it helps

When you need a placeholder character for a game prototype, a pixel avatar for social media, or source art with a retro vibe, turning a photo into pixel art is a quick way to set the mood.

This tool shrinks the photo to a small resolution and groups its colors into a fixed number. The auto palette picks the main colors from your photo, while retro palettes give it the feel of an old game console. With dithering on, gradients are shown as dot patterns even with few colors.

Exports are scaled with nearest neighbor, so the pixels stay crisp. For game assets, download at 1× and scale up in the engine. For sharing, download at 8× or more.

FAQ

The result looks too messy.

Try a width of 32 to 48 pixels and 6 to 10 colors. For busy photos, removing the background first with the background remover makes it much cleaner.

When should I use dithering?

Turn it on when smooth gradients like skies or skin show banding. For illustrations with clear flat areas, it usually looks cleaner off.

Can I use the results in my game?

If you own the rights to the photo or drawing, you can use the result freely. Results made from other people's photos or characters keep the original copyright.

Will it look like hand-made pixel art?

It is an automatic conversion, so it will not be as refined as hand-placed pixels. Use it as a base or mood sketch and touch up details in a pixel editor.