Pixelorama
Unleash your creativity with Pixelorama, a powerful and accessible open-source pixel art multitool. Whether you want to create sprites, tiles, animations, or just express yourself in the language of pixel art, this software will realize your pixel-perfect dreams with a vast toolbox of features. Available on Windows, Linux, macOS and the Web!
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Quick Overview
Pixelorama is a free and open-source 2D sprite editor, designed for creating and animating pixel art. It offers a user-friendly interface with a wide range of tools and features, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced pixel artists. Pixelorama is built using the Godot Engine, ensuring cross-platform compatibility.
Pros
- Completely free and open-source
- Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Rich feature set including animation tools, multiple layers, and various drawing tools
- Active development and community support
Cons
- May have a steeper learning curve compared to some simpler pixel art tools
- Performance can be slower on older hardware due to being built with the Godot Engine
- Limited documentation and tutorials compared to more established software
Getting Started
To get started with Pixelorama:
- Visit the Pixelorama releases page on GitHub.
- Download the appropriate version for your operating system.
- Extract the downloaded file and run the executable.
- Start creating pixel art using the various tools and features available in the interface.
For more detailed instructions and tutorials, refer to the Pixelorama wiki on GitHub.
Competitor Comparisons
Animated sprite editor & pixel art tool (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Pros of Aseprite
- More mature and feature-rich, with a longer development history
- Extensive documentation and community support
- Optimized performance for large projects and complex animations
Cons of Aseprite
- Closed-source and paid software, limiting customization options
- Less frequent updates compared to open-source alternatives
- Limited platform support (primarily Windows, macOS, and Linux)
Code Comparison
Pixelorama (GDScript):
func _on_Tool_selected(tool: Tool) -> void:
Global.current_project.selected_tool = tool
tool.update_hint()
update_tool_buttons()
Aseprite (C++):
void Editor::setActiveTool(tools::Tool* tool)
{
m_activeTool = tool;
updateStatusBar();
app_refresh_screen();
}
Both projects use object-oriented programming for tool management, but Pixelorama uses GDScript (Godot's scripting language), while Aseprite uses C++. Aseprite's implementation may offer better performance, while Pixelorama's GDScript code is more accessible for beginners.
A simple web-based tool for Spriting and Pixel art.
Pros of Piskel
- Web-based application, accessible from any browser without installation
- Simpler interface, potentially easier for beginners
- Supports direct export to various image formats and sprite sheets
Cons of Piskel
- Limited advanced features compared to Pixelorama
- Less frequent updates and maintenance
- Lacks some tools like symmetry and perspective guides
Code Comparison
Pixelorama (GDScript):
func _on_Tool_changed(tool: Tool) -> void:
Global.current_project.selected_tool = tool
for t in tools:
t.button.pressed = t.name == tool.name
Piskel (JavaScript):
ns.PiskelController.prototype.setCurrentToolBehavior = function (toolId) {
this.currentToolBehavior = this.toolController.getToolById(toolId);
this.overlayFrame.setCurrentToolBehavior(this.currentToolBehavior);
};
Both examples show tool selection functionality, but Pixelorama uses GDScript (Godot's scripting language) while Piskel uses JavaScript. Pixelorama's code appears more object-oriented, while Piskel's code is prototype-based.
Animated sprite editor & pixel art tool -- Fork of the last GPLv2 commit of Aseprite
Pros of LibreSprite
- More mature and established project with a longer history
- Larger community and more extensive documentation
- Better support for advanced features like scripting and extensions
Cons of LibreSprite
- Less frequent updates and slower development cycle
- Older codebase, which may be more challenging to maintain
- Limited support for modern operating systems and hardware
Code Comparison
LibreSprite (C++):
void Editor::setZoom(render::Zoom zoom) {
m_zoom = zoom;
m_proj.setZoom(zoom);
notifyZoomChanged();
}
Pixelorama (GDScript):
func set_zoom(value: float) -> void:
zoom = clamp(value, 0.1, 100)
camera.zoom = Vector2.ONE * zoom
Global.canvas.update()
Both projects use different programming languages, with LibreSprite utilizing C++ and Pixelorama using GDScript. LibreSprite's code appears more low-level and performance-oriented, while Pixelorama's code is more concise and higher-level due to the use of GDScript and the Godot engine.
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Pixelorama - pixelate your dreams!
Unleash your creativity with Pixelorama, a powerful and accessible open-source pixel art multitool. Whether you want to create sprites, tiles, animations, or just express yourself in the language of pixel art, this software will realize your pixel-perfect dreams with a vast toolbox of features.
Join our Discord community server where we can discuss about Pixelorama and all our other projects! https://discord.gg/GTMtr8s
If you like, consider helping us by sponsoring this project! It would enable us to focus more on Pixelorama, and make more projects in the future!
Download
Stable versions:
- Steam (Windows & Linux)
- Itch.io (Windows, Linux, Mac & Web)
- GitHub Releases (Windows, Linux & Mac)
- GitHub Pages (Web)
- Flathub (Linux)
- Snap Store (Linux)
- WinGet (Windows) -
winget install pixelorama
You can also find early access builds in the GitHub Actions page. There's also a Web version available. Keep in mind that these versions will have bugs and are unstable. Unless you're interested in testing the main branch of Pixelorama, it's recommended that you stick to a stable version.
Documentation
You can find online Documentation for Pixelorama here: https://orama-interactive.github.io/Pixelorama-Docs
It's still work in progress so there are some pages missing. If you want to contribute, you can do so in Pixelorama-Docs' GitHub Repository.
Cloning Instructions
Pixelorama uses Godot 4.3, so you will need to have it in order to run the project. Older versions will not work. As of right now, most of the code is written using GDScript, so the mono version of Godot is not required, but Pixelorama should also work with it.
Features:
- A variety of different tools to help you create, with the ability to dynamically map each one on the left and the right mouse buttons with a single click.
- Animation support with a timeline composed of layers and frames, with onion skinning, frame tags and the ability to draw while the animation is playing.
- Pixel perfect mode for perfect pixel lines.
- Clipping masks.
- Pre-made palettes as well as many palette importing options.
- Multiple image manipulation effects.
- Non-destructive and fully customizable layer effects, such as outline, gradient map, drop shadow and palettize.
- A powerful drawing canvas with guides, a rectangular and an isometric grid, and tile mode for easier seamless pattern creation.
- Autosave support, with data recovery in case of a software crash.
- Comprehensive user interface with many customizability options.
- Export to PNG and other image and video formats, as well as spritesheets, GIFs, animated PNGs etc.
- Import spritesheets, multiple images as separate frames, as well as GIFs and videos.
- Various rotation and scaling algorithms tailored for pixel art, such as cleanEdge, OmniScale and rotxel.
- 3D layers that allow you to bring 3D shapes and models into your 2D canvas.
- A command line interface for automated file exporting.
- Custom user data for projects, layers, frames, frame tags and cels, allowing you to attach metadata for game development.
- Various free community-made extensions, such as tools that automatically convert your 2D pixels into 3D voxels.
- Fully open source with free updates, forever!
- Multi-language localization support! See our Crowdin page for more details.
Special thanks to
- All Godot contributors! Without Godot, Pixelorama would not exist.
- https://github.com/gilzoide/godot-dockable-container - the plugin Pixelorama's UI system uses for dockable containers.
- https://github.com/Orama-Interactive/Keychain - the plugin Pixelorama's shortcut system uses for extensive customizability.
- https://github.com/jegor377/godot-gdgifexporter - the gif exporter Pixelorama uses.
- https://github.com/Pukkah/HTML5-File-Exchange-for-Godot - responsible for file exchange in Pixelorama's HTML5 (Web) version.
- https://github.com/aBARICHELLO/godot-ci - for creating a Godot Docker image that lets us export Pixelorama automatically using GitHub Actions.
- The entire Pixelorama community! Contributors, donors, translators, users, you all have a special place in our hearts! <3
Top Related Projects
Animated sprite editor & pixel art tool (Windows, macOS, Linux)
A simple web-based tool for Spriting and Pixel art.
Animated sprite editor & pixel art tool -- Fork of the last GPLv2 commit of Aseprite
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot