PixelkinConvert a photo to pixel art, free
This runs in your browser, so the photo stays on your computer. Pick a grid and a palette and download the PNG. There is no upload, no account and no watermark, and I have no plans to add any of them.
Why most “pixelate” filters do not look like pixel art
The usual filter blurs the image into big squares. The squares keep thousands of in-between colours, so what you get is a low-resolution photo, not pixel art. This converter does what a pixel artist would do by hand: reduce the picture to a small fixed palette first, then decide each cell by majority vote, then optionally add ordered dithering with a fixed pattern. Every pixel ends up as one of the palette colours and every edge stays hard.
It is the same code that finishes the AI drafts on the Make page, which is why a converted logo and a generated icon in the same preset look like they came from one place.
Want icons in the same colours?
If you converted a logo or a mascot and want badges or emotes to go with it, make a set with the same palette. Pick the converted picture first and choose “Match my picks”; the palette is read from it.
Questions people ask
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs in your browser with the Canvas API. The file never reaches my server.
Which grid size should I pick?
32 or 48 for icons and avatars, 64 for a face with some detail, 96 to 128 for a portrait or a scene. Smaller grids look more like classic pixel art; larger ones keep more of the photo.
Can I use my own palette?
Yes. Choose “custom” and paste hex colours separated by spaces or commas, or pick one of the built-in palettes.
Is the converted image AI-generated?
No. No model touches it and it gets no AI label. It is your image, reduced to a palette and a grid by a fixed algorithm.