Wallpapers & backgrounds
A favorite photo becomes a chunky retro wallpaper for your phone or desktop — match the palette to your setup.
ORIGINAL
PIXEL ART · AUTO
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Drop image to convert
PNG · JPG · WEBP · GIF
or drag & drop, or paste from clipboard
no photo? try 
How it works
Converting a photo to pixel art takes four steps and a few seconds — no signup, nothing to upload.
1
Upload or paste a photo — drag it in, click upload, or Ctrl/Cmd+V.
2
Set the Pixel Size — small for fine detail, large for chunky mosaic blocks.
3
Pick a palette — a retro style like Pico-8 or Game Boy, or an auto palette with your own color count.
4
Export a crisp, upscaled PNG — or copy it straight to your clipboard.
Pixel art ideas
Turn a photo into a blueprint you can actually build — in a game, on a pegboard, or in thread.
Chat stickers
Export a small, high-contrast pixel portrait for WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord stickers — bold blocks stay readable even tiny.
Perler / Hama beads
Each block becomes one bead — set a small Pixel Size, pick a limited palette, and rebuild your design on a pegboard, square by square.
Cross-stitch charts
Low color counts become stitch charts: one square per stitch, the palette as your thread list.
Framed prints & wall art
Turn a pet, family, or travel photo into a retro print worth framing — a gift no one else will have.
Avatars & emotes
Make crunchy pixel profile pictures, Discord emotes, or stream badges from any selfie.
FAQ
What is pixel art?
New to pixel art? It is the look of classic 8-bit and 16-bit games like the NES, Game Boy, and Commodore 64 — an image drawn on a small grid of square pixels using only a handful of colors. Converting a photo means shrinking it to a low-resolution grid, mapping each block to the nearest palette color, and upscaling with nearest-neighbor sampling, so it reads as clean, deliberate pixels instead of a blurry mosaic — the same hand-made, retro feel without placing a single pixel by hand.
How do I turn an image into pixel art?
Upload or paste a photo, then drag the Pixel Size slider to control how chunky the mosaic looks — a small Pixel Size keeps fine detail, a large one gives bold, retro blocks. Pick an auto palette built from the colors in your own image, or a classic retro palette like Pico-8, Game Boy, NES, Commodore 64, or Minecraft. Fine-tune brightness, contrast, and saturation, use the before/after slider to compare, then export a crisp PNG — all in your browser, no signup.
How do I pixelate an image without blurring it?
We downscale, snap each block to a palette color, then upscale with nearest-neighbor sampling, so edges stay hard instead of smudged.
Can I convert a photo to Game Boy or Minecraft style?
Yes — pick the Game Boy palette for the classic 4-shade green, or Minecraft for block-inspired colors. You can also convert a photo to Pico-8, NES, or Commodore 64 style, drop to a mono palette, or let the auto palette pull colors straight from your own image for a custom retro look.
Are my images uploaded?
No. Your image never leaves your device — the converter runs 100% in-browser, so uploads, adjustments, palette matching, preview, and export all happen locally.
Is it really free with no watermark?
Yes — it is completely free, with no signup, no watermark, and nothing to install. The whole image to pixel art converter runs in your browser, so every step from reading the file to rendering the final PNG happens on your own device, and your photo never leaves your computer or phone.
Can I convert a JPG or PNG to pixel art?
Yes — the image to pixel art converter accepts JPG, PNG, WebP, and GIF. Drop the file in and it is converted right on your device, with nothing uploaded to a server.
How do I turn a photo into pixel art for Minecraft?
Pick the Minecraft palette and set a small Pixel Size, then rebuild the resulting blocks in-game, one block per pixel. The same approach turns a photo into a blueprint for Perler beads, a cross-stitch chart, a retro game sprite, or a chunky pixel avatar — just match the palette and grid to whatever you are building.
Does the image to pixel art converter work on a phone?
Yes — it is a web app that runs in any modern mobile browser. Upload a photo from your camera roll and export the pixel art straight to your device.
What Pixel Size should I use?
A lower Pixel Size keeps more detail; a higher one makes chunkier, more retro blocks. Start around 2 and drag the slider until it looks right — pair it with the before/after slider to compare against the original photo, and turn on the grid overlay when you want to see each block clearly.
Can I make a pixel art avatar or profile picture?
Yes — upload a selfie or headshot, raise the Pixel Size for a chunkier, more retro look, pick a palette you like, and export the PNG. The result works well as a profile picture, Discord avatar, or stream badge, and because everything runs in your browser the original photo never leaves your device.
How do I make a pixel art pattern for perler beads or cross-stitch?
Use a small grid and a low Max Colors count so each block maps cleanly to a single bead or stitch, then turn on the grid overlay to see the block boundaries. Pick a palette that matches the beads or thread you have on hand, and read each block off the preview as you place it, one square at a time.