Create stunning pixel art, animations, and game sprites with the most powerful free pixel art maker. Better than Pixilart, Piskel, and other online pixel editors. Professional pixel art creator with advanced tools - 100% free, open source, cross-platform. Trusted by indie developers and artists worldwide.
Everything you need to create stunning pixel art and animations with professional tools designed specifically for artists and game developers. Advanced pixel art maker with more features than online editors like Pixilart, Piskel, or place pixel tools. Free forever with no limitations.
Aseprite is the professional choice for pixel art creation and animation. With dedicated tools for RGBA and Indexed color modes, real-time animation preview, and comprehensive export options including GIF animations and sprite sheets, Aseprite delivers everything needed for game development and digital art creation.
Create, copy, move, drag & drop layers
Create, copy, move, link, drag & drop frames or cels
Include several animations in the same file tagging sections
Loop a section in forward, reverse, ping-pong modes. Change preview speed
See other frames as reference to animate
Choose different onion skin modes
Copy & paste. Drag & drop. Resize palette
Palette entries with alpha value
Select color harmonies
Create light and shadows with the shading ink
Create perfect strokes for pixel-art
Avoid extreme pixel distortions when rotating tiny sprites
Create patterns repeating the image in a 3x3 grid
Create custom brushes for dithering
Composite layers to create color effects
Open or save a sequence of images
Create animations and save them as .gif files
Export your work to sprite sheets in .png and .json files
Recover your sprites in case of a crash
Integrate Aseprite in your assets pipeline with the command-line interface (CLI)
Store several animations in one texture atlas
See what amazing projects have been created with Aseprite and what our community has to say
"Perfect for pixel art! I've been using Aseprite for years and it keeps getting better. The animation timeline is amazing and the export options are exactly what I need for game development."
"This is THE tool for pixel art. Clean interface, powerful features, and constantly updated. The sprite sheet export feature alone is worth the price. 10/10 would recommend!"
"I switched from other pixel art tools and never looked back. Aseprite has everything - great brush tools, perfect animation features, and excellent GIF export. Worth every penny!"
Join millions of artists, developers, and creators who chose Aseprite to bring their visions to life
Free & Open
Artists Worldwide
Games Created
Years Strong
"Every pixel tells a story. Every frame brings life. Every creation starts with a single click."
Learn how to create professional pixel art and animations with the most powerful free pixel art maker available
Learn the fundamentals of creating pixel art with Aseprite
Pixel art is a digital art form where images are created and edited at the pixel level. Unlike traditional digital art tools, pixel art requires precision and deliberate placement of each individual pixel to create detailed sprites, characters, and environments.
Aseprite stands out as the premier free pixel art maker because it's specifically designed for this art form, offering specialized tools that online editors like Pixilart or Piskel simply cannot match.
Begin by creating a new sprite with appropriate dimensions. For character sprites, common sizes include 16x16, 32x32, or 64x64 pixels. Aseprite's canvas setup is more flexible than online pixel editors.
Master frame-by-frame animation and bring your pixel art to life
Create smooth animations by drawing each frame individually. Aseprite's timeline interface makes it easy to add, duplicate, and modify frames. The onion skinning feature allows you to see previous and next frames as semi-transparent overlays.
When complete, export as animated GIFs for web use, sprite sheets for game engines, or PNG sequences for video editing. The export dialog offers compression settings and timing controls.
See how Aseprite compares to popular alternatives
Aseprite Advantages: Desktop app with offline functionality, advanced animation tools, custom brush creation, and professional export options. No ads or limitations.
Aseprite Advantages: Superior layer management, tilemap editing, custom color modes, command-line integration, and professional sprite sheet generation.
Professional workflows for indie game developers
Modern game engines require sprite sheets for efficient rendering. Aseprite's export feature automatically arranges animation frames into optimized layouts and generates corresponding data files (JSON, XML).
Create seamless tile-based backgrounds and levels. Design individual tiles, test tiling patterns, and export complete tilesets ready for Unity, Godot, or GameMaker Studio.
Use Aseprite's command-line interface to integrate art creation into automated build processes, batch convert files, and maintain consistent output formats across your project.
Professional techniques used by experienced pixel artists
Use Aseprite's color wheel and harmony tools to create cohesive color schemes. Start with 8-16 colors and expand gradually. Consider lighting conditions and mood to guide the viewer's eye.
Set up custom keyboard shortcuts, organize workspace with docked panels, and use layer groups for complex projects. Take advantage of symmetry tools and reference layers.
Connect with artists and developers worldwide
The pixel art community is vibrant and supportive, with thousands of artists sharing techniques, providing feedback, and collaborating on projects. Aseprite's popularity means extensive tutorials and asset libraries.
Connect through online forums, social media groups, and game development communities. Share your work, get feedback, and learn from experienced artists who use Aseprite professionally.
Whether you're creating art for personal projects, indie games, or commercial products, Aseprite provides the professional tools and community support needed to bring your pixel art visions to life.
Get answers to common questions about pixel art creation, Aseprite features, and getting started
Yes, Aseprite is completely free to download and use. Unlike some pixel art makers that have subscription fees or premium features, Aseprite provides all its professional tools at no cost. You get full access to animation features, export options, scripting capabilities, and all other features without any limitations or watermarks on your creations.
Aseprite offers significant advantages over browser-based pixel art tools. While online editors like Pixilart and Piskel are convenient for quick edits, they lack the advanced features needed for professional work. Aseprite provides superior animation tools, custom brush creation, advanced export options, offline functionality, and integration capabilities that online tools cannot match. For serious pixel art projects, Aseprite's desktop application offers better performance and more comprehensive features.
Absolutely! Aseprite is specifically designed with game developers in mind. It includes features like sprite sheet generation, tilemap editing, animation export, and command-line integration that make it perfect for game asset creation. Many successful indie games have used Aseprite for their pixel art assets, and the software integrates well with popular game engines like Unity, Godot, and GameMaker Studio.
Aseprite is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it truly cross-platform. The software runs consistently across all supported operating systems, so you can work on your pixel art projects regardless of your preferred platform. System requirements are minimal - you just need 128MB of RAM and 80MB of storage space.
Not at all! While Aseprite is powerful enough for professional artists, it's also beginner-friendly. The interface is intuitive, and there are extensive tutorials and community resources available to help you learn. Start with simple projects and gradually explore more advanced features as you become comfortable with the basics of pixel art creation.
Yes, animation is one of Aseprite's strongest features. You can create frame-by-frame animations, use onion skinning for smooth motion, organize animations with timeline tags, and export your work as animated GIFs, sprite sheets, or video files. The animation tools are far more advanced than what you'll find in basic online pixel editors.
Aseprite supports a wide range of file formats including PNG, GIF, JPEG, BMP, TGA, and its native .ase/.aseprite format. For animations, you can export as animated GIFs, PNG sequences, or sprite sheets with accompanying data files in JSON or XML format. This flexibility makes it easy to integrate your pixel art into any project or workflow.
Yes, Aseprite has a thriving community of artists, game developers, and enthusiasts. You can find help through the official documentation, community forums, Discord servers, Reddit communities, and numerous tutorial resources. The open-source nature of the project also means that community contributions help improve the software continuously.
Best free pixel art maker and creator - Better than Pixilart, Piskel, and online pixel editors. Professional pixel art generator with no cost, no limitations, no watermarks.
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