How-to guide

How to make a pixel art character from a photo

This photo

becomes this sprite (164x164)

The right image is the app's Aseprite export, enlarged 4x. The checkerboard is its transparent background.

Make my sprite in the app

4.6 · 880 ratings on the US App Store

Free to start · iPhone / Android

Free plan: the PNG gets a small PIXELME mark. Pro saves without it.

Transparent background
164x164, 14 colors
.aseprite or PNG, 1x to 4x

Pick a photo in the PixelMe app, remove the background, fix stray pixels, then export a transparent PNG or an .aseprite file. Use it as a game sprite or an avatar. One still sprite per photo, not an animation.

What you get

Aseprite file: 164x164 canvas, one layer, indexed color: 14 colors plus transparent. The character itself is 53x155 pixels.
PNG (1x): 164x164 with a transparent background. On the free plan, a small PIXELME mark is added at the bottom right.

The head and shoulders of the exported sprite enlarged 8 times, showing each pixel — The same sprite zoomed 8x: every pixel can be edited in the app.

Check it on your own photo

Make my sprite in the app

Free to start · iPhone / Android

Three steps to the sprite

The red circles show where to tap.

1Convert at Fine with the background removed

On the home screen, tap Create Pixel Art and pick the photo. Set Size to Fine (1) and turn on Remove background (2). Then tap PIXEL EDIT (3).

The app's conversion result with Fine, Remove background and PIXEL EDIT circled — (1) Fine → (2) Remove background → (3) PIXEL EDIT

2Touch up the pixels

The editor shows every pixel on a grid, with the transparent background as a checkerboard. Fix stray pixels with the pen, eraser or fill tool. The editor counts 15 colors here: 14 colors plus transparent. When you are done, tap the save button at the top right.

Pixel editor with the character on a transparent background; the save button is circled — The save button

3Export an Aseprite file or a PNG

For Aseprite: Save → Print / open in pattern apps → Aseprite, then choose where to save the .aseprite file.

For a PNG: Save → Save to Camera Roll. Under Export size, 1x keeps the real size (164x164 here); the other choices (2x to 4x, 512 or 1024 wide or high) enlarge it.

Export sheet with Aseprite circled — Aseprite

The Files save screen with the Save button circled — Save the .aseprite file

Save to Camera Roll sheet with the export size menu and Save circled — (1) Export size → (2) Save

Try these steps in the app

Make my sprite in the app

Free to start · iPhone / Android

Tips

The photo: Use a photo that shows the whole figure. The example is a full-body photo on a plain white background.
Size: Fine kept the face and clothes readable for this full-body photo. Coarse made fewer, bigger pixels and lost most of the face (below: the app's results, cropped).
Style: Try a few styles from the Style row before you start editing.

The app's result at Fine: the face and clothes are readable — Fine

The app's result at Coarse: bigger pixels, the face is mostly lost — Coarse

Make your character in the app

★★★★★
Works wonderfully. Super fun and fast to make cool pixel art out of your images.
mt4946 (App Store review)

Make my sprite in the app

Free to start · iPhone / Android

The free plan shows ads and offers Pro.