Pixel Art
Pixel Art samples one source pixel per square cell, then maps its color to a chosen palette. Optional ordered dithering uses neighboring palette colors to suggest intermediate shades.
Explore Pixel ArtPixel / An Artfkt collection
Pixel art, one cell at a time
Explore crisp cells, limited palettes, and ordered texture with the Pixel collection. Convert an image in the free browser editor, or take these effects into layered compositions in Artfkt.
Seven effects from the Artfkt desktop studio, with a free browser converter.
Start with an image
Find the picture inside the pixels.
Open a PNG, JPG, or WebP. Pixel Art combines square cells with a chosen palette and optional ordered dithering. Keep the result, or stack another Pixel effect and keep exploring.
Export is included. For all collections and multiple image layers, explore Artfkt for Mac →
Inside the collection
Seven ways to rethink an image.
Start with Pixel Art for a grid and a limited palette. Explore the other guides for independent color reduction, irregular mosaics, stretched strips, and sorted spans.
Pixelate
Turns fine detail into a mosaic of solid color blocks.
Explore Pixelate
Posterize
Breaks smooth gradients into distinct bands of color.
Explore Posterize
Mosaic
Rebuild the image from irregular cells of sampled color.
Explore Mosaic
Pixel Stretch
Extend a narrow image strip across a selected band.
Explore Pixel Stretch
Palette Map
Map every source color to the closest active palette entry without adding a dither pattern.
Explore Palette Map
Pixel Sort
Colors inside the brightness window are ranked and written back along the span. Pixels outside the window stay put. Each span is 16 samples.
Explore Pixel SortShape, color, texture
Make each cell count.
A readable pixel treatment starts with a clear silhouette. Then choose how much detail and color to keep.
Choose the cell size.
Small cells preserve facial features and fine edges. Larger cells simplify the image into a few stronger shapes. Review at the size you plan to share.
Give colors a shared vocabulary.
Use Original Colors, Monochrome, Green 4, Retro 16, or Color 32. A fixed palette creates consistent color boundaries across the picture.
Suggest the shades between.
Ordered dithering alternates nearby palette colors across a repeating grid. Start at zero and increase it when flat areas need more tonal detail.
Worked examples
See what each choice changes.
Download the source images and follow real processed examples, with separate comparisons for cell size and color reduction.
Convert a photo into pixel art
Choose a cell size that keeps the subject readable, compare palettes, and introduce dithering.
Pixelation versus palette reduction
See spatial sampling and color mapping separately, then combine both in Pixel Art.
A collection inside a studio
Bring more layers into the picture.
The browser converter works with one image layer. Artfkt for Mac brings every collection and multiple layers into one composition.
| Capability | Free demo | Artfkt desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Effects | Pixel collection | All collections |
| Composition | One image layer | Multiple layers |
| Procedural animation | Included | Included |
| Export your work | Included | Included |
| Catalog search & favorites | Not included | Included |
Make something unexpected
Keep exploring in Artfkt.
Bring all collections and multiple image layers together in one Mac studio. Build a look, shape its motion, and save your next starting point.