Pixel Paint Studio
Create pixel artwork directly on a small grid. Each frame keeps independent painted cells for every layer, while layer order, visibility and opacity apply across the project. Draw with a brush, erase or fill an area, preview the frames, and keep an editable JSON project alongside the exported PNG artwork.
Key features
- Draw, erase, flood fill and pick the composited color using a pointer or an accessible keyboard grid.
- Use up to six layers with names, visibility, opacity and stacking order shared across frames.
- Create, duplicate, reorder and remove up to eight independently editable frames with individual durations.
- Keep up to 24 palette colors; brush alpha adds semitransparent pixels without changing existing art.
- Undo and redo bounded project changes, including strokes, layers, frames and palette edits.
- Save a nearest-neighbor current-frame PNG, horizontal sprite sheet and strict versioned project JSON.
How to use
- Choose a square grid and select New canvas, or load the three-frame example.
- Select a layer and frame. Set a color, alpha and brush mode, then draw or fill the grid.
- Add or reorder layers and frames. Check the preview and adjust frame duration or layer opacity.
- Choose an integer export scale. Save the current frame or sprite PNG and a JSON project for later editing.
Use cases
- Create a small transparent icon by placing detail above a separate background layer.
- Draw several character poses and export them as a horizontal sprite sheet.
- Teach pixel coordinates and compositing with keyboard-accessible cells and visible layer controls.
- Try palette colors, undo a stroke and retain an editable project without creating an account.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the pixel-art converter?
The converter turns an existing photo into averaged blocks and a limited palette. This studio starts with an editable grid and stores your own marks in separate layers and frames. It does not import photos or automatically convert them.
How do layers, transparency and fill work?
Higher-numbered layers appear above lower ones. Visibility and layer opacity apply to all frames; painted cells remain independent in each frame. Brush alpha combines with layer opacity using source-over blending. Fill changes four-connected cells with exactly the same stored RGBA color in the active layer, and hidden layers cannot be painted.
How do I draw without a mouse?
Tab into the grid once, then use arrow keys to move. Home/End move within a row, and Ctrl+Home/End go to the first or last cell. Enter or Space applies the selected tool; Delete or Backspace erases a cell. Ctrl/Command+Z undoes and Shift+Ctrl/Command+Z redoes outside text fields. Escape cancels an unfinished stroke or export and stops playback.
What is preserved in PNG and project files?
PNG keeps the visible composite and alpha at an integer scale. A sprite sheet places frames left to right in their listed order; it is not an animated GIF and does not carry timing. Project JSON preserves grid size, palette, all cells, layer settings and frame durations, including hidden layers. Only this tool’s version 1 schema is accepted on import.
What limits apply, and can I undo a new canvas?
The grid is 8–64 pixels per side, with at most 6 layers, 8 frames and 24 colors. Frame durations are 40–2,000 ms and PNG scales are 1–8. Undo stores up to 20 steps within a total 500,000-cell snapshot budget, so large projects retain fewer steps. New canvas and import are undoable while their earlier snapshot remains; starting a new edit clears redo.
Is the project saved automatically or uploaded?
No. Artwork and settings stay in page memory and are lost when the page is closed or reloaded unless you download a project. The tool does not upload drawings or use browser storage. Import is limited to 4 MiB and strictly checks shapes, counts, values and allowed fields. A malformed import leaves the current artwork intact.
Privacy
Artwork, project JSON, layer names and settings are kept only in this page’s memory. This tool does not upload them or save them automatically in browser storage. Download the project yourself before leaving. Playback timers and temporary download URLs are cleared when they are replaced or the tool is closed.
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