Pixel Art Maker: Turn Any Image into Pixel Art

1. Image

Choose an image

You can also drop an image on the preview or paste one. It is read on your device and never uploaded.

Crop to a square (center) Remove the background (cells joined to the edge that match the corner color)

2. Size and colors

Width (pixels)Most colors

Grid: 48 × 36 pixels (height follows the image)

Palette

Use only the colors I have

Codes, separated by commas or spaces. Leave empty to use the whole palette.

Dithering (smoother gradients, more scattered single cells)

Adjust the image

Brightness Contrast Saturation Shrinking method

3. Fix cells by hand

Paint color

4. Save and print

Pattern title (for the printout)

Grid lines Symbols

PNG size

Showing the sample image. Choose your own image to convert it.

Grid: 48 × 36 (1,728 pixels)
Colors: 16

Symbol	Color	Count
A	#378c3b	502
B	#ff9c6c	192
C	#7ab242	187
D	#ffaa72	179
E	#ff8f67	144
F	#feb878	122
G	#fef076	104
H	#ffcf83	89
J	#ffc67d	77
K	#ffd48c	56
L	#b8c463	23
M	#ceb76d	15
N	#706d43	12
P	#708d48	9
Q	#957255	9
R	#6d4c41	8

Your image is read and converted in this browser. It is not uploaded, saved or used for ads or analytics, and closing the page clears it, so download the PNG or print the pattern before you leave. Bead, floss and block colors on screen are approximations; check them against your own supplies.

How to make pixel art from a picture

The converter shrinks your image to a small grid and then limits it to a set number of colors. Both choices change the look more than anything else.

Width: 32 to 64 pixels gives the classic game-sprite look; 80 to 128 keeps more detail for portraits and landscapes.
Colors: 8 to 16 colors usually reads best. Fewer colors give flat, poster-like areas; more colors keep shading.
Palette: “Any colors” picks the colors from your image. A fixed palette such as PICO-8, Game Boy greens or grayscale gives a retro look, and the bead, floss and block palettes match real supplies.
Dithering mixes two colors in a checker pattern to fake a third. It helps gradients like skies and hurts small sprites, so try it on and off.

Editing pixels by hand

Automatic conversion is a first draft. Choose Paint and click or drag on the grid to change pixels, Fill to recolor a connected area, Erase to make pixels transparent and Pick to copy a color from the grid. Undo and Redo keep the last 60 steps. In the color list, Swap replaces a color everywhere with the paint color, and Merge folds a rarely used color into its closest neighbour.

Saving your pixel art

Download PNG saves the image with each pixel drawn as a solid square, from 4 to 32 screen pixels per pixel, with a transparent background where you erased or removed it. Turn grid lines on to save a chart instead. Print or save PDF gives an overview, the color list and numbered chart pages you can follow cell by cell.

Common questions

Is this pixel art maker free?

Yes. Converting, editing, PNG downloads and printable charts are free, with no sign-up and no watermark.

Are my images uploaded?

No. The image is decoded and converted by your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server, so it also works for private photos.

What size should pixel art be?

Common sprite sizes are 16, 32 and 64 pixels across. For converting photos, start at 48 to 64 pixels wide and go up only if the subject is not recognizable.

Can I turn pixel art into a bead or cross stitch pattern?

Yes. Open the Perler, Hama, cross stitch, C2C or diamond painting page and choose the same image. Each page matches colors to that craft’s supplies and adds a materials list.

One image, many crafts

Every craft on this site starts the same way: a picture becomes a grid with a limited set of colors. What changes is the material each cell stands for. A cell is a fuse bead on a Perler or Hama pattern, a cross stitch on Aida, a tile in corner-to-corner crochet, a drill in diamond painting or a block in a Minecraft build. Each page uses the palette and counting that craft needs.

Pixel art basics

Good pixel art comes from deliberate limits. Keep the subject large in the frame, choose the smallest width where it is still recognizable, and use as few colors as the picture allows. After converting, clean up by hand: remove stray single pixels, close gaps in outlines and make eyes and edges crisp. Two minutes of editing makes a bigger difference than any setting.

Patterns for every craft

Turn the same image into a pattern.

Perler Bead Pattern Generator

Turn a photo or pixel art into a Perler bead pattern: matched to Perler bead colors, split into 29 × 29 pegboards, with a bead count for every color and a printable chart.

Hama Bead Pattern Maker

Make a Hama bead pattern from any picture: colors matched to Hama midi beads, square 29 × 29 pegboards marked on the chart, and a count of every bead color you need.

Cross Stitch Pattern Generator: Image to Cross Stitch

Turn an image into a cross stitch pattern with DMC floss colors, symbols, a grid with every tenth line in bold, finished size by Aida count and an estimate of skeins per color.

C2C Graph Generator for Corner-to-Corner Crochet

Make a C2C crochet graph from any image, with yarn colors lettered A, B, C, the number of tiles per color and written row-by-row instructions for corner-to-corner blankets.

Tapestry Crochet Graph Generator

Turn a picture into a tapestry crochet graph with two to six yarn colors and written row-by-row color changes for right-handed or left-handed crocheters.

Diamond Painting Converter: Photo to Pattern

Convert a photo into a diamond painting pattern with DMC-numbered drill colors, symbols, the canvas size for square or round drills and a drill count with spares for every color.

Paint by Number Maker: Photo to Paint by Numbers

Turn your photo into a printable paint by numbers outline: choose the number of paint colors and the level of detail, then print the numbered outline and a color key.

Minecraft Pixel Art Generator: Image to Blocks

Turn any image into Minecraft pixel art: matched to concrete, wool and terracotta block colors, with a block count, stacks and shulker boxes for every block and a numbered build chart.

The studio notebook

A useful place to begin.

Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.

How to Turn a Photo Into Pixel Art (Grid, Crop and Cleanup)

Pick a photo that survives low resolution, crop it tight, choose a grid width that fits your craft, and clean up stray cells by hand for a pattern you can actually make.

How Many Colors Should Pixel Art Have? Palette Size and Dithering

How to pick a color count for pixel art, why fewer colors often look better at small sizes, and when to turn dithering on or off for beads, stitching and crochet.

How to Iron Perler Beads (Fuse Beads) Without Warping

Step-by-step guide to ironing Perler and Hama fuse beads with ironing paper, plus fixes for holes that stay open, warped boards and beads that stick to paper.

Cross Stitch Fabric Count and Size Chart (Aida 11, 14, 16, 18)

How Aida fabric count controls finished cross stitch size, with a simple formula, a worked example, framing margins and how many strands of floss to use.

How to Read a C2C Crochet Graph (Corner to Corner)

Learn how corner-to-corner crochet graphs work: what each square means, where to start, how diagonal rows grow and shrink, and how to follow color changes.

Minecraft Pixel Art Building Tips: Walls, Blocks and Planning

Plan Minecraft pixel art on a grid, choose between wool, concrete and terracotta, count stacks and shulker boxes, and build row by row without losing your place.

A few helpful answers

Before you begin.

Do I need an account or an app?

No. Everything runs in your web browser on a computer, tablet or phone.

Which image formats work?

PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP and BMP work in every modern browser; AVIF works in most. Transparent areas of a PNG stay empty in the pattern.

Can I sell what I make?

You can sell things you make from your own images. If you convert someone else’s artwork or a character you do not own, their copyright still applies.