Reference
Pixel art guides
Each guide answers one question: a size, a palette, an export, or a chart. They link to the tool that does the job. None of them is a second copy of the homepage.
What is pixel art?Pixel art is a picture on a coarse grid where every square is one solid color. Here is how a 32×32 icon differs from a blur filter.How to turn a photo into pixel artUpload a photo, set the width in cells, cut the colors, then export a small PNG. A 1200px photo at width 48 is a practical start.Sprite sizes: 16, 32, and 6416×16 fits an icon, 32×32 fits a character, 64×64 fits a portrait. Pick the grid before you pick the palette.Discord and Twitch pixel sizesDiscord custom emoji lands at 128×128. Twitch emotes need 28, 56, and 112. Start from those grids on the sprite converter; export the small PNG.How many colors should pixel art use?Use 4 colors for a handheld look, 8 to 16 for a sprite, and stop at 32 for a photo study. More colors make a smaller grid look muddy.Floyd–Steinberg vs Atkinson ditheringFloyd–Steinberg spreads quantization error to four neighbors. Atkinson spreads less of it, so flat areas stay flatter. Here is when to use each.Pico-8 and the handheld green palettePico-8 is 16 fixed colors. The handheld green palette is 4. Here is when a photo still reads after you snap to them.Actual size PNG vs big previewFormat PNG is the real pixel grid, such as 32×32. Preview draws those same cells as crisp squares. Do not mix them up.Transparent backgrounds for pixel spritesPNG keeps transparency. Drop the corner color when the backdrop is flat. Do not key out the subject, and do not export JPG.Turn a photo into a cross-stitch patternA stitch chart is a pixel grid plus floss numbers. Start near 40 cells wide and 12 colors, then read the symbol table before you buy thread.How to read a symbol chartEach letter is one color in the legend. The most common color is A. Count stitches from the legend before you buy thread or beads.Turn a photo into a fuse bead patternA square pegboard is often 29 pegs wide, 841 beads if you fill every peg. Start there, 8 colors, dithering off, and match hex values to your own beads.How many fuse beads do you need?Add the legend counts. A full 29×29 board is 841 beads. Buy extra for the colors you spill, not a second copy of every color.Turn an image into Nonogram cluesA Nonogram needs a grid and an empty color. Clues from a photo are the picture's runs. They are not checked for a unique logical solution.Pixel art vs a pixelate filterA pixelate filter softens blocks and scales them up. A pixel grid gives each cell one hex you can count. The download size tells you which you got.Fix a muddy pixel conversionIf the result looks like dirt, raise contrast, then change width, then cut colors. Dithering is the fourth knob, not the first.Extract a color palette from an imageMedian cut picks a fixed number of colors from the grid. Copy them as hex or as CSS variables. Five colors for a UI, sixteen for a study.Make a block grid from a photoOne cell is one block. Export the large PNG with a grid, and read the cell count from the meta line. This is a reference, not a game file.Copy pixel art onto a grid by handExport a large PNG with grid lines, print or zoom it, and copy one row at a time. The meta line is how many cells you owe, not the PNG's pixel size.Cross-stitch fabric size chartDivide stitch count by fabric count to get inches. 40 stitches on 14-count is about 2.9 inches. Use the Make plan box on the converter for live numbers.Fuse bead pegboard sizesA common square pegboard is 29 pegs on a side, 841 pegs if filled. Join boards for larger patterns. Pixelate Tools counts how many you need.How many floss skeins do you need?Add the stitch counts, then guess skeins at about 1800 stitches per skein for 2 strands on 14-count. Pixelate Tools prints that guess on the shopping list.Turn a photo into a diamond painting chartStart at 50 cells and 16 drill colors, dithering off. Use the shopping list and A4 PDF to order bags. Codes follow a published floss list many kits also print.Perler, Hama, and Artkal palettesBrand bead codes come from the MIT beadcolors community measurements. They are approximate. Switch brands in the Palette menu, then match a real bead before you buy.
If you want the control itself, open image to pixel art. Raise width and turn on Floyd–Steinberg for photo studies. Sprites, stitch, beads, diamond, and Nonogram each have their own tool with different defaults.
If a conversion looks wrong, start with fix a muddy conversion before you add colors. For what a counted grid is, read what is pixel art. Craft shopping and fabric math live in the stitch, bead, and diamond guides below.