Does this pixel art converter dither?

Yes. Choose Floyd–Steinberg for a soft, photographic grain that preserves gradients, or ordered Bayer for the crosshatch pattern of retro game graphics. Turn dithering off for clean flat color regions — best for logos and cel-shaded art.

Is the image uploaded anywhere?

No. Like every BlurThat tool, conversion happens in your browser with the HTML5 canvas. The image never leaves your device.

FREE · IN-BROWSER · NO UPLOADS

Turn any image into pixel art.

Q: How do I turn an image into pixel art?

Open the image in the converter, choose how many pixels wide the result should be (32–64 is the classic look), optionally limit the palette to 8 or 16 colors, and download the PNG. Lower resolution and fewer colors read more like hand-made pixel art.

Q: What resolution should pixel art be?

Character sprites are usually 16–64 pixels wide; scene-sized pixel art commonly lands between 64 and 256. If you want the result to be readable as pixel art at a glance, try 48–96 wide with a 16-color palette.

Pick a resolution, limit the palette, download a crisp PNG. The same downsampling engine as our censor tool, pointed at a nicer goal.

8–256 px wide Palettes: GB · gray · 8/16/32 FS + Bayer dithering 0 uploads

Drop an image here

or click to browse · or paste with CTRL+V

· Nothing uploads. Processing happens in this tab.

Image to pixel art, in three decisions

Resolution

The WIDTH slider sets how many pixels wide the result is. 32–64 reads as a sprite; 96–160 keeps more detail while staying clearly "pixel art."

Palette

Fewer colors is most of the aesthetic. 16 colors is the sweet spot for photos. Game Boy mode maps everything to the original four greens.

Dither, or don't

Floyd–Steinberg keeps photo gradients smooth inside a tiny palette; Bayer gives the retro crosshatch; off gives clean flat regions for logos.

What it's good for

Avatars and PFPs — a 64-wide, 16-color version of your photo is instantly more interesting than the photo.
Game dev placeholders — rough real images into sprite-sized mockups before an artist replaces them.
Minecraft and cross-stitch planning — or use the dedicated Minecraft generator with real block palettes and material counts.
Thumbnails and banners — the Game Boy palette on a modern photo is a cheap, reliable way to look deliberate.

Questions people ask

How do I turn an image into pixel art?

Open it above, set the WIDTH slider (start at 64), pick 16 colors, and download. That's genuinely all of it. Lower width and fewer colors = more "hand-made" look.

What resolution should pixel art be?

Sprites: 16–64 wide. Scenes: 64–256. If the result just looks like a blurry photo, your width is too high — drop it until shapes simplify into blocks.

Does it dither?

Yes — Floyd–Steinberg (soft, photographic; keeps gradients alive in small palettes) or ordered Bayer (the retro crosshatch look). Leave it off for logos and flat art.

Is my image uploaded?

No — conversion runs in your browser, same as every BlurThat tool. Load the page, go offline, it still works.

Take it further

LEGO Mosaic Generator Same idea, physical bricks: real LEGO colors, a build grid, and the exact piece count to order. OPEN TOOL → Minecraft Pixel Art Generator Wool or concrete palettes with a block-by-block plan and material counts for your build. OPEN TOOL →

Need the opposite? Hide something instead.

The censor tool pixelates, blurs, or black-bars any region of an image — faces, plates, addresses.

OPEN CENSOR TOOL