How to turn an image into pixel art
Choose an image, reduce the grid until the main shapes still read, then lower the palette. More contrast can separate forms before export.
Image to pixel art converter
Lose the detail.
Keep the character.
Reduce a photo to a deliberate grid and compact palette, then export a crisp PNG.
Preview
48 × 32 pixel gridNearest-neighbor output
What grid size should I use?
Try 24–48 pixels wide for a sprite-like result and 64–128 for more recognizable detail. The image's aspect ratio stays intact.
What gets uploaded?
Nothing. Decoding, color reduction, preview, and PNG export happen inside this browser. JPEG, PNG and WebP work in current browsers; AVIF decoding depends on browser support.
Real browser output
From smooth shapes to a deliberate grid
The sample uses a 48 × 32 grid, a maximum of 16 opaque RGB colors, +8 contrast, and 8× export. The same settings always produce the same pixels.
What the controls actually change
Pixel Press downsamples the source to your chosen grid, reduces its colors with deterministic median-cut quantization, then enlarges the result without smoothing.
- Grid
- Sets horizontal pixel count while preserving aspect ratio.
- Palette
- Caps opaque RGB colors from 2 to 64; alpha transparency stays intact.
- Scale
- Enlarges each grid pixel into a crisp square in the downloaded PNG.
Reviewed September 22, 2026. Output is capped by pixel count and dimensions to prevent excessive browser memory use.
Image to pixel art questions
Which settings make an image look more like pixel art?
Start with a 24–48 pixel grid and 8–16 colors. Lower the grid before lowering the palette so the silhouette remains recognizable.
Does Pixel Press preserve transparency?
Yes. Transparent and partially transparent pixels remain transparent. The palette limit applies to opaque RGB colors.
Why might an AVIF image fail?
AVIF input depends on the browser's built-in decoder. If it fails, convert the source to PNG, JPEG, or WebP and try again.