How to turn a photo into pixel art
- Drop a photo; Pixel art is selected.
- Increase the block size until the picture has the chunky look you want.
- Optionally pick a palette such as PICO-8 (16 colours), Game Boy or CGA for an authentic retro feel.
- Download a PNG, which keeps the hard pixel edges.
Tips for better pixel art
Pixel art works best with simple subjects, strong contrast and clean backgrounds: portraits, pets, logos and objects. The converter averages each block of pixels into one colour, then optionally replaces it with the nearest colour from the chosen palette (weighted by how sensitive our eyes are to red, green and blue). Limited palettes give a cohesive, game-like look; "Original colours" keeps the photo's own tones.
Use the result as an avatar, a game sprite reference, a cross-stitch or bead pattern, or a starting point to clean up by hand in a pixel editor. The output is upscaled with nearest-neighbour so each pixel stays a sharp square. Everything runs in your browser.
FAQ
What block size should I use?
Start around 8–16 px on a 1600 px photo; bigger blocks look more retro.
Can I edit the result pixel by pixel?
Yes, open the PNG in the pixel art editor.
Why does it look blurry in some apps?
They smooth images when scaling. Use nearest-neighbour scaling to keep it crisp.