makemysketchPixel Art Converter
Photo to Pixel Art

Convert any photo to authentic retro pixel art. Control pixel size and colour palette. Free, instant, no upload.

Nearest-neighbor resampling
200K searches/month
0€ · no account
01 — UploadJPG · PNG · WEBP
Drop photo or click to browse
Choose your photo
Up to 20MB · stays in your browser
🔒 Never uploaded to any server
02 — ResultWaiting for photo
Result appears here
Pixelating…

How the Pixel Art Converter Works

The converter downscales your photo to a tiny canvas — dimensions determined by your pixel size setting — then scales it back up using nearest-neighbor interpolation (imageSmoothingEnabled = false). This is the same technique used in retro video games and creates the characteristic hard, blocky pixel edges. The colour levels slider posterises the miniature canvas, limiting the palette exactly as old game hardware did.

Pixel Size Guide

4–8px: Detailed sprites, mosaic tile effect. 12–20px: Classic 16-bit look. 24–32px: Bold 8-bit NES style. 40–48px: Atari-era minimal.

Fewer colour levels increases the retro feel. Combine large pixel size with low colour levels for maximum nostalgia.

Other Effects
Try these
Questions
FAQ
What pixel size for a classic 8-bit look?+
Use 16–24px pixel size with 8–12 colour levels for a classic NES/Game Boy aesthetic.
Can I use the output for game sprites?+
Yes. The PNG output contains full-resolution pixel art — each logical pixel is [pixel-size]² display pixels.
Is there a size limit?+
Up to 20MB. Images are scaled to 1200px max before processing.