How to Make Pixel Art? A Beginner's Guide to Retro Creativity

Being a fascinating digital art form, pixel hacks back to the early days of video games and is still popular nowadays, Minecraft is a good example. We're meeting here, possibly for your interest in it. So instead of standing by and watching, why not create your own 8-bit graphics and bring pixel creativity to life?

Here we deliver you a tutorial guide on how to make pixel art, plus with some best AI pixel art generators from text or image. Pick any tool you like and embark on a pixel art adventure. In just a few simple steps, you can generate your own quirky characters and vibrant landscapes that will make any retro game designer proud. Let’s get started!

On This Page

• What is Pixel Art?
• How to Make Pixel Art? [Step-by-Step Guide]
• Visualize Pixel Art Ideas with AI-Powered Tool
• Create Dynamic Pixel Video Art from Image/Text 

What is Pixel Art?

Originating from the early video games, pixel art has a charming retro vibe that evokes nostalgia for many. It is characterized by a blocky, grid-like appearance that often resembles the graphics of classic games from the 70s and 80s. Although developers now know how to make pixel art that looks far more realistic than before, plenty of people still appreciate this digital art form. 

Each pixel is like a tiny building block, and when combined, they form a complete picture from adorable characters to whimsical landscapes. 

How to Make Pixel Art? [Step-by-Step Guide]

Creating pixel art is like playing with digital LEGO. You get to decide what each little square will be, and the best part? There are no messy pieces to step on. All you need is some basic ideas and professional computer programs, now follow this simple step-by-step guide to get started:

Step 1. Choose a Pixel art tool

A powerful tool is a good start. You can try out a few different options before jumping into pixel artwork creation. Some popular options include:

1. Aseprite: A feature-rich tool for pixel art.
2. Piskel: A pixel art free online editor.
3. Pixilart: A free online pixel art community and tool. 
4. Photoshop: A powerful image editor plus with a steep learning curve.

Here we take Piskel as an example considering device friendly. 

Step 2. Set up your Canvas

• Go to Piskel site, click on Create Sprite to open a new canvas for your artwork.
• Click Resize on the right tool row and modify parameters if you want (32x32 pixels is default). Smaller sizes are easier for beginners.
• Use layers to separate different elements of your artwork if needed.
• Get yourself familiar with the interface and tools on the left side.  

Step 3. Choose your color palette

• Click the color picker to select colors. You can create your own palette by clicking on the color swatches.
• Remember to pick a small number of colors to keep your pixel art cohesive.

Step 4. Sketch your Pixel design

• Use the Pencil tool to outline your basic shapes. Don’t worry about details, focus on the overall form. 
• Each pixel counts. Enable the grid view on Settings for better precision. 

Step 5. Refine your Pixel drawing

• Once your draft is set, refine the shapes with pencil tool. 
• Use the bucket tool to fill your shapes with color from your palette.

Step 6. Add shading and highlights if necessary

• Use lighter colors for highlights and darker colors for shadows to deliver a more 3D appearance Pixel artwork. 
• Review your work for any missing areas or color inconsistencies.

Step 7. Save the Pixel artwork

• Click on Save on the right toolbar to save offline as a file or in the browser. 
• Click on Export on the right toolbar to download as PNG, GIF, ZIP or others.

The pixel art creations above are just a simple start and it will take a long time to get full on. However, the more you create, the better you will be at it. So embrace a learning mindset and dedicate time to learn more, you'll get closer to your ultimate goal of becoming a skilled pixel artist. For those who find it difficult to get used to traditional pixel art tools, the next section is customized just for them. Scroll down now to learn more.

Also Read: What Nationality Do I Look Like? Find out with Quizzes, Apps, and Filters >>

Visualize Pixel Art Ideas with AI-Powered Tool

Apart from generating pixel art from zero, you can also choose an energy-saving and simple-to-operate approach to transform pixel art ideas into reality with AI Pixel Art Generator. 

Tools like AI Ease, Fotor, Pixelme could turn art into pixel art with ease, while Veed, OpenArt, Perchance helps you to generate pixel art from text in seconds. All supported by AI tech, simply enter text prompts or upload images, preset some settings, it is easy for you to create enchanting pixel images like Minecreaft in just a few clicks. Here we take Pixelme as a step-by-step reference to create pixel art online. 

So how to make pixel art from a photo? Here it is:

Step 1. Head to Pixelme to click Get Started.  

Step 2. Drag and drop the image you want to convert. 

Step 3. Select pixel size and click on the right mouse button to download. 

Create Dynamic Pixel Video Art from Image/Text 

Is that the end of making Pixel art? No, AI can take you a step further by allowing you to create Pixel art from image/text in motion. Vidwud Image to Video is one such great helper to simplify your pixel art creation process and offer you high-quality pixel artwork at the same time. It also equips a text to video feature to bring your pixel ideas to life. 

Powered by state-of-the-art AI technology, simply upload your pixelate image or input text prompts, select aspect ratio and presentation style, you will receive a stunning pixel video in one click. Who knew making art could be as easy as counting squares? Best of all, this tool is completely free. You can trial any possibility at no cost, so fully unleash your imagination, and dive into the pixelated fun. 

Free AI Image to Video Generator

• Best free online image to video generator
• Turn any text/image to vivid video with high quality
• Clean and intuitive interface design

Turn Image to Video Now

Follow the steps below on how to make 3D Pixel art with Vidwud:

Step 1. Access Vidwud Image to Video. 

Step 2. Upload an image or switch to Text to Video, input text, select aspect ratio and click Pixel Art style, then click Generate Video to start.  

Step 3. Click Share or Download as you need. 

Conclusion

Whether you're a doodler, a gamer, or just someone who appreciates the charm of 8, 16, or 32-bit graphics, pixel art is the perfect playground for your imagination. As you may know how to make pixel art with manual painting programs or AI-driven pixel art generators, it’s time to take the theory into practice by diving into the colorful world of pixel art and make your artistic ambitions shine one tiny square at a time. And we are glad and wait here if you would like to share your artworks.