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TOOLS › IMAGE TO PIXEL ART
FREE · NO SIGN-UP · NO WATERMARK

Image to Pixel Art Converter

Drop in a photo, logo, drawing or off-grid AI pixel art and get it back on a true pixel grid. Snaps to the native size by default, or pick any width, then download the PNG.

1 · YOUR IMAGE

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DROP, PASTE OR BROWSE
PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF · up to 6 MB

2 · SETTINGS

AUTO finds the image's own pixel grid and snaps to it, so AI pixel art and upscaled sprites come back at their true size. Move the slider to pick a width instead.
0 keeps the original colours. Lower counts give a cleaner, more retro palette.
Output size Same as input
Same as input keeps the size you dropped in, snapped to a whole multiple of the pixel grid so every pixel stays a crisp square. Native is one image pixel per art pixel, the smallest file.
Removes the solid colour around the subject. Best on plain backdrops.
Want it redrawn as a proper sprite, with an outline and a clean silhouette? That's Quick Convert in the app (3 credits, 25 free to start).
Result appears here
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NOTHING HERE YETDrop an image on the left. The conversion runs as soon as it lands, and every slider change re-runs it.

How it works

Drop in any image

Photos, logos, renders, screenshots, drawings. Paste from the clipboard or drag a file onto the page.

Choose width and colours

The width sets how many pixels wide the result is. The colour slider snaps everything to a small palette, which is what makes it read as pixel art instead of a blurry thumbnail.

Download, or keep going

Save the PNG at native size or at 1×, 2×, 4× zoom. Or hand it to the app to animate it, reskin it, or have it redrawn as a proper sprite.

Pixelate vs redraw

This tool is a pixelator. It lays a pixel grid over your image, picks one colour per cell and optionally reduces the palette. Shapes stay exactly where they were, which is what you want for logos, portraits and anything that has to stay recognisable.

It will not invent an outline, clean up a busy background or make a photo look hand-drawn. For that, the Quick Convert mode in SpriteLab redraws the subject as a sprite with a 1px outline, limited palette and transparent background, then gives you free sliders to tune it. Try the free tool first, then the app when you need a game-ready asset.

FAQ

Is the converter free?

Yes. No account, no watermark, no cap on conversions. Each image takes under a second.

How is this different from Quick Convert in the app?

This resamples the image onto a pixel grid and reduces colours, keeping the original shapes exactly. Quick Convert uses AI to redraw the subject as a sprite with a clean outline and transparent background. Faithful pixelation here, game-ready sprite there.

What width should I pick?

Leave it on AUTO for anything that is already pixel art: the tool finds the native grid and returns the true size, so a 1024 px AI render comes back as the 64 or 128 px sprite it really is. For photos and drawings pick a width: 32 to 64 for icons, 96 to 128 for characters and objects, 192 to 256 for portraits and scenes.

Can I get a transparent background?

Turn on Transparent background. It removes the solid colour around the subject, so it works best on a plain backdrop. For busy photos, use the app.

Is my image stored?

It is sent to our server for the conversion and discarded immediately after. Nothing is saved and nothing is tied to an account.

More free tools

FIX PIXEL ART

Already pixel art but blurry, upscaled or off-grid? Recover the native pixels.

BACKGROUND REMOVER

Key out a solid background from any sprite, with halo cleanup.

COLOUR REDUCER

Snap any image to 2 to 64 colours, with optional dithering.

In the app

Open SpriteLab to keep building with your sprites.