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Pixel Art Sizes

Common sprite, icon and canvas sizes, the screen resolutions of classic consoles, and how to make pixel art at an exact size.

Updated PixelConvertor

Common sizes and what they are used for

SizeTypical use
8 × 8Tiles, tiny icons and font characters
16 × 16Classic game sprites, items, favicons, Minecraft textures
32 × 32Detailed characters and icons, favicons
64 × 64Portraits, avatars, large characters, the Minecraft skin template
128 × 128Small scenes, detailed avatars, the PICO-8 screen
256 × 256Detailed illustrations and large pieces

Sprite sizes are usually multiples of 8. Consoles like the NES and Game Boy built their graphics from 8 × 8 pixel tiles, and game engines still lay out tile maps on grids like that, so 16, 32 and 64 divide evenly into tiles. Nothing stops you from using 24 × 24 or 48 × 48, but sticking to these sizes makes art easier to reuse.

How the grid size changes the result

Smaller grids force you to drop detail and keep only the shapes that matter. At 16 × 16 a character is a silhouette with a few highlights; at 64 × 64 there is room for a face. Larger grids look closer to the original image and less like pixel art.

Original illustration

Original illustration of a red-capped mushroom with white spots on a transparent background

16 × 16

The mushroom as a 16 × 16 sprite in the PICO-8 palette, shown enlarged

32 × 32

The mushroom as a 32 × 32 sprite in the PICO-8 palette, shown enlarged

64 × 64

The mushroom as a 64 × 64 sprite in the PICO-8 palette, shown enlarged
The mushroom illustration as 16 × 16, 32 × 32 and 64 × 64 sprites (PICO-8 palette, crisp transparency), each shown at 256 × 256.

Classic screen resolutions

If you want a scene to match a specific console, use its screen size as your canvas.

SystemScreen resolution
Game Boy160 × 144
NES256 × 240
SNES256 × 224 (most games)
Sega Genesis (Mega Drive)320 × 224
PICO-8128 × 128

For new games and wallpapers shown on modern screens, pick a canvas that scales to the screen by a whole number. 320 × 180 enlarges 6× to exactly 1920 × 1080, and 640 × 360 enlarges 3× to the same size. Whole-number scaling keeps every pixel the same size on screen.

Make pixel art at an exact size

Every pixel art tool on this site has a Sprite size option with 16 × 16, 32 × 32, 64 × 64, 128 × 128 and 256 × 256. It crops the center of your image to a square, shrinks it to that grid and downloads it at exactly that size by default. The retro game sprite generator adds crisp transparency for sprites with cut-out edges, and the pixel art avatar maker starts with a square crop.

For a rectangular grid, use Pixel size instead. The grid is the image size divided by the pixel size, so a 1,920 × 1,080 photo at pixel size 6 becomes 320 × 180.

Export at a larger size for sharing

A 32 × 32 file is tiny on screen, and many apps blur small images when they enlarge them. Export a copy enlarged by a whole number with Output size (2×, 4×, 8× or 16× the pixel grid), or scale an existing sprite with Resize Pixel Art. A 64 × 64 avatar at 8× is 512 × 512, large enough that most sites shrink it rather than stretch it. The guide to resizing pixel art without blur explains how to keep edges sharp on websites too.

To start from a photo instead of a blank canvas, follow the photo to pixel art guide.

Make pixel art at an exact size

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best size for pixel art?

There isn't one best size. 16 × 16 and 32 × 32 are the most common for game sprites and icons, 64 × 64 works for detailed characters and portraits, and full scenes often use a canvas like 320 × 180 that scales evenly to a 1920 × 1080 screen.

Why are pixel art sizes powers of two?

Older consoles built their graphics from 8 × 8 pixel tiles, so sprites came in multiples of 8. Game engines and tile maps still work on grids like that, and sizes such as 16, 32 and 64 divide evenly into tiles.

What size is a Minecraft texture?

Standard Minecraft block and item textures are 16 × 16 pixels, and the skin template is 64 × 64. Texture packs can use larger sizes such as 32 × 32.

What size should a pixel art profile picture be?

Draw or convert it at a small grid such as 32 × 32 or 64 × 64, then export it enlarged by a whole number, for example 64 × 64 at 8× for 512 × 512. Most sites then shrink the image instead of enlarging it, and the pixels stay sharp.

How do I make pixel art at an exact size from a photo?

Use the Sprite size option in any of our pixel art tools. It crops the center of the image to a square and makes a grid of exactly 16, 32, 64, 128 or 256 pixels, and it downloads at that size unless you pick a larger Output size.