RunLocalTools

Pixel Art Converter — Turn Any Photo into Retro Pixel Art

Convert any photo into pixel art free, right in your browser. Choose your grid size, reduce colors to a real palette (Game Boy, NES, CGA, or your own), add dithering, and export crisp, upscaled PNGs. Nothing uploads anywhere.

What it does

This tool takes a photo and turns it into genuine pixel art: a small, blocky grid of flat-colored squares, not just a blurred-out thumbnail. You control the grid width, the exact color palette (or a fixed number of colors), and whether to dither the result for smoother gradients — then export it at its true pixel size or scaled up with hard, crisp edges.

How it works

The image is first downsampled to your chosen grid width using averaged color sampling, so each output “pixel” reflects the true average color of that block rather than a single sampled point — this is what keeps small details from disappearing randomly. From there, one of four palette modes decides the final colors:

  • Original colors — no color reduction, just the blocky grid.
  • Reduce to N colors — a median-cut quantization pass (the same family of algorithm used by classic GIF converters) finds the N colors that best represent the image, then maps every block to its nearest match.
  • Preset palettes — fixed, era-accurate palettes like a 4-tone Game Boy green, an 8-color NES-inspired set, 4-color CGA, 1-bit black and white, or a sepia duotone.
  • Custom palette — pick your own colors and every block snaps to the nearest one.

When reducing to a small palette, optional dithering (ordered/Bayer or Floyd–Steinberg error diffusion) breaks up hard color bands into a textured blend, which is what gives limited-palette pixel art its classic look instead of ugly posterization. The final image is then re-drawn with nearest-neighbor scaling — never blurred — so every edge stays sharp at any zoom level.

How to use it

  1. Drop in or upload a photo.
  2. Set the grid width — smaller numbers give a chunkier, more abstract look; larger numbers keep more detail.
  3. Pick a palette mode. For a classic retro look, try a preset; for full control, use Reduce to N colors or build a custom palette.
  4. Turn on dithering if flat color bands look too harsh.
  5. Toggle the grid overlay to check block alignment (it’s for preview only and isn’t included in the export).
  6. Download at native pixel size for editing elsewhere, or pick an upscale factor and download a larger, still perfectly crisp version.

Choosing a palette mode

  • Use Preset palettes for instant retro-console aesthetics without any tinkering.
  • Use Reduce to N colors when you want the image’s own colors simplified rather than forced into someone else’s palette — good for portraits and photos.
  • Use Custom when you’re matching a brand palette or a specific game’s color set.

FAQ

Why does my pixel art look muddy or banded? Try turning on dithering, or increase the number of colors slightly. Very low color counts (2–4) on photos with smooth gradients (skies, skin tones) band the most.

What’s the difference between this and a simple “pixelate” filter? A pixelate filter just blurs and blocks the existing colors. This tool also lets you constrain the output to a real, limited palette — the same constraint that gives actual pixel art (and old game sprites) their distinct look, plus preset console palettes and dithering.

What size should I make my sprite? For game-style sprites, common sizes are 16, 32, or 64 pixels wide — set the grid width to match, then use the upscale export to get a larger file that still displays crisply.

Can I use this for a game asset or icon? Yes — export at native pixel size for the actual game asset, or use the upscaled export for a preview image. If you need it as a favicon afterward, convert it into a proper favicon set once you’re happy with the result.

Does it support transparent images? Yes, transparency is preserved — transparent areas are left untouched by palette mapping so you don’t get a solid color where there should be empty space.

How is this different from your dither/retro filter tool? The dither and retro filter tool applies stylized color-reduction effects across the full image resolution — good for a quick retro look. This tool is built specifically for structured, tile-based pixel art: you set an exact block grid, choose or build a real palette, and export at true pixel-art resolution for sprite work, not just a filtered photo.

Privacy

Your image is processed entirely in your browser and is saved locally (via your browser’s storage) only so an accidental refresh doesn’t lose your work — it’s never uploaded anywhere. Use the “Clear saved image” button any time to remove it, especially on a shared or public computer.