About this tool
Pixelate a photo into retro art: the image is shrunk so each block of pixels becomes one, the colors are reduced to a limited palette, and the result is scaled back up with hard edges. Pick a palette taken from the image itself, or classic hardware palettes like the Game Boy's four greens, PICO-8's sixteen colors, or CGA.
Dithering trades smooth gradients for a grainy, authentic 8-bit texture; leave it off for clean flat areas. Output at the original size for sharing, or at the true pixel dimensions if you want a sprite to edit further, and pair it with the pixel art upscaler when you need it bigger again.
How to use it
- Drop your PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF files into the box above, or click to browse. Nothing is uploaded.
- Adjust the options if you want; the defaults suit most files.
- Click the button and wait a moment.
- Download the results individually or all at once as a ZIP.
Questions
What pixel size should I use?
8 for a portrait or a detailed photo, 16 or larger for a bold, chunky look. Smaller blocks keep more detail.
How do I make a sprite for a game?
Choose a small block size, a palette, and the true pixel size output, then clean it up in a pixel editor.
Is transparency preserved?
Yes. Transparent areas of a PNG stay transparent.
Is it free, are files uploaded, which browsers work: the general questions are answered once for the whole site.