Introducing PIXEL FORGE — a Pixel Art Converter PWA
PIXEL FORGE, a browser-based tool for converting photos and illustrations into pixel art, is now available. No installation needed — all image processing runs entirely in the browser.
What It Does
The layout puts the conversion preview on the left and the settings panel on the right. When the Illustrate option is enabled, you can watch the image transform step by step: Original → Illustrated → Pixel Art, all in a three-panel view.
Key Features
Output size ranges from 16×16 to 256×256 across 7 presets. Small sizes give you game-sprite vibes; larger sizes preserve fine detail in dot form.
Palette presets come in 7 flavors:
| Preset | Colors | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 4 | Classic green-tint retro |
| GB Pocket | 4 | Monochrome 4-shade |
| NES (Famicom) | 54 | Real PPU palette |
| CGA / PC-88 | 16 | Early-PC standard colors |
| MSX | 16 | TMS9918 chip palette |
| PICO-8 | 16 | Vivid indie-game look |
| GBC Pastel | 32 | Game Boy Color style |
Illustration mode pre-processes the image before downscaling using one of three styles — Anime, Flat, or Sketch. Sobel edge detection combined with posterization produces much crisper outlines than going straight from photo to pixel art.
Dithering applies Floyd-Steinberg error diffusion, reproducing smooth gradients even with a limited palette.
How to Use
- Drag and drop an image onto the canvas (or click to select a file)
- Choose output size, palette, and options
- Press CONVERT
- Hit PNG Download when you’re happy with the result
The downloaded file is saved at the selected output resolution — the preview zoom level has no effect on the export.