This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by howard hua
Want a quick way to turn a photo or drawing into clean pixel art?
Here’s a tiny workflow that runs 100% in the browser — no installs, no login.
Why this works
The trick is using a fixed, well-balanced palette so your result doesn’t look muddy.
Wplace’s 63/64-color palette keeps edges readable and colors consistent.
3 steps
Upload
Open the converter and drop your image. Tweak size until it reads well at small scale.Quantize with a fixed palette
Use the Wplace palette to constrain colors. This removes the “too many similar shades” problem.Touch up and export
Do tiny fixes (1–2 pixels) and export PNG. Done.
Full walkthrough with examples
I wrote a short guide with before/afters and common gotchas:
How to turn any image into pixel art
If you want to paint small details after converting, try the in-browser editor (32×32 / 64×64):
Why the results look cleaner
- limited, hand-picked colors (63/64)
- fewer muddy mid-tones
- edges remain readable at low resolution
It’s free, runs in your browser, and takes 1–2 minutes end to end. Have fun!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by howard hua