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Pixel Art Maker: Free Online Pixel Art Editor & GIF Creator

Dinopixel is a free pixel art maker that runs in your browser. Draw on a small, medium or large grid (canvases up to 2400x2400 px), animate frames into a GIF and export a PNG with a transparent background. No download and no account needed, online since 2019.

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What is a pixel art maker?

A pixel art maker is a drawing tool built around a grid. Instead of freehand strokes, you place individual square pixels one at a time. That limit is the whole charm of the style: game sprites, retro icons, avatars and 8-bit illustrations are all made by choosing every pixel on purpose.

Dinopixel is a free online pixel art maker that runs directly in your browser. You get the classic toolkit (pencil, line, circle, eraser, fill bucket, color picker and selection), plus layers, mirror mode and a GIF module for animation. You can start drawing in seconds, on desktop or on your phone.

Artists have shared more than 69,181 pixel art creations in the Dinopixel gallery, so you can also browse ideas, vote and get inspired before you draw.

In short: pick a grid, draw pixel by pixel, animate frames if you want, then export a PNG, a GIF or a .dino project file.

What you can do with Dinopixel

Drawing tools

Pencil, line, circle, eraser, fill bucket and color picker, plus a selection tool to move or copy an area of your drawing.

Layers and mirror mode

Work on separate layers and turn on mirror mode to draw symmetrical characters, faces and icons in half the time.

Colors and shading

Use the palette, then make any color darker or lighter with the shading slider. You can also replace one color with another across the whole canvas.

Three grid sizes, canvases up to 2400x2400

Pick a small, medium or large grid and a canvas size that fits your project, from tiny 16x16 sprites to drawings of 300x300 pixels. Zoom in to place every pixel precisely.

Animated GIF maker

Build animations frame by frame (up to 80 frames), preview them, and export an animated GIF for chat, social media or your website.

PNG, GIF and .dino export

Download a PNG with transparency, an animated GIF, or a .dino project file that keeps your layers and undo history.

Made for touch screens

A dedicated mobile toolbar, zoom buttons and a pan mode let you draw comfortably on a phone or tablet.

Gallery, contests and leaderboard

Publish your artwork, collect votes, take part in contests and climb from Recent to the top of the homepage.

How to make pixel art online, step by step

Pick a grid size

Open the Dimensions window and start small: the large grid with a 512x512 canvas gives a 16x16 drawing, and 1024x1024 gives 32x32. Small drawing areas push you toward simple, readable shapes. Choose your size before you draw, because a new grid starts a blank canvas (you can still enlarge an existing drawing from the same window).
Block in the silhouette

Use the pencil, line and circle tools to draw the outline in one color, then fill large areas with the bucket. Get the overall shape right before adding details.
Shade with a small palette

Choose a base color, a highlight and a shadow for each material. The darker/lighter slider helps you find matching shades quickly.
Refine with mirror mode and layers

Turn on mirror mode for symmetrical subjects and put details such as outlines or accessories on their own layer, so you can fix them without touching the rest.
Animate and export

Optional: add frames in the GIF panel and preview your animation. When you are happy, download a PNG or GIF, save a .dino file to keep editing later, or send it to the gallery.

Pixel art quick reference

Dinopixel offers three grid sizes. The canvas size is measured in screen pixels, and each drawing pixel is a square of 8, 16 or 32 px. Divide one by the other to get your drawing area.

Show canvas sizes and export formatsHide canvas sizes and export formats

Grid	Square size	Largest canvas	Drawing area	Best for
Small grid	8 px	2400x2400	up to 300x300 pixels	Detailed scenes, portraits, large artwork
Medium grid	16 px	1280x1024	up to 80x64 pixels	Characters, scenes, wallpapers
Large grid	32 px	1280x1024	up to 40x32 pixels	Icons, sprites, first drawings

A few examples of what the canvas sizes give you:

Canvas	Grid	Drawing area
512x512	Large	16x16 pixels
1024x1024	Large	32x32 pixels
512x512	Medium	32x32 pixels
1024x1024	Medium	64x64 pixels
512x512	Small	64x64 pixels
1024x800	Small	128x100 pixels
2400x2400	Small	300x300 pixels

And the export formats:

Format	Best for	Notes
PNG	Avatars, stickers, game assets	Keeps a transparent background.
Animated GIF	Chat, social media, websites	Made from the frames of the GIF panel.
.dino file	Continue a project later	Keeps layers and undo history.

Common pixel art mistakes to avoid

Starting on a huge canvas. Big drawing areas hide weak shapes. Learn on a large grid with a 16x16 or 32x32 area, where each pixel is a decision.
Using too many colors. Pick a small ramp per material (base, highlight, shadow) and stick to it. A limited palette gives your art a style.
Enlarging with smoothing. Pixel art must be scaled with nearest-neighbor interpolation, or the squares turn into a blur.
Exporting sprites on a solid background. Keep the transparent background for anything that will go into a game or on top of other content.
Animating with too many frames. Two to four well-chosen frames give a better feel than many nearly identical ones.

Pixel art maker FAQ

How do I make pixel art online?

Open Dinopixel, choose a grid (small, medium or large squares) and a canvas size, pick a color and click on the grid to place pixels. Use the fill bucket, line, circle, mirror mode and layers for bigger designs, then download your artwork as a PNG or an animated GIF. Nothing to install and no account needed.

What canvas sizes and grid sizes are available?

You choose between three grid sizes: small (8 px squares), medium (16 px squares) and large (32 px squares). Each one comes with its own list of canvas sizes, from 512x256 pixels up to 2400x2400 pixels on the small grid. Divide the canvas size by the square size to get the number of pixels you draw on. For example, a 1024x800 canvas on the small grid gives a 128x100 pixel drawing area, and 512x512 on the large grid gives 16x16.

Can I make my canvas bigger without losing my drawing?

Yes. Choosing a new grid from the dimension window starts a blank drawing, but the same window has a shortcut to increase the dimensions while keeping your artwork. Save a .dino file first if you want a backup.

What is the best canvas size for pixel art?

Start with a large grid: it gives you big, chunky pixels and a small drawing area such as 16x16 or 32x32 cells, which forces clean shapes and makes every pixel a decision. It is the classic size for icons, game characters and avatars. Switch to the medium or small grid when you need more detail, for example for scenes, portraits or large artwork.

Is Dinopixel free? Do I need an account?

Drawing, saving a .dino file and downloading your art is free and does not require an account. A free account lets you publish artwork in the gallery, join contests and appear on the leaderboard.

Can I make animated pixel art GIFs?

Yes. Open the GIF panel, add your frames (up to 80), preview the animation and export it as an animated GIF. It is a quick way to make a blink, a bounce, a walk cycle or an animated avatar for chat apps and websites.

What file formats can I export?

PNG with a transparent background, animated GIF for frame-by-frame animations, and .dino project files that keep your layers and undo history so you can continue editing later.

What is a .dino file?

A .dino file is Dinopixel's project format. It stores your drawing with its layers and undo history, so you can close the browser and resume exactly where you stopped by opening the file again.

Does the pixel art maker work on mobile?

Yes. Dinopixel is touch-optimized and runs in your phone or tablet browser, with a dedicated toolbar, zoom controls and a pan mode to move around the canvas without drawing by accident.

How do I keep my pixel art sharp when I enlarge it?

Always scale pixel art with nearest-neighbor interpolation (no smoothing) in whatever tool you use next. Smooth scaling blurs the squares. Export a PNG and enlarge it by whole multiples such as 4x, 8x or 16x.

Can I use my pixel art in a game?

Yes. Export your drawing as a PNG with a transparent background and import it into your game engine or any image editor. For animations, export each version of your drawing or use the animated GIF as a preview.

How do I get featured on the homepage?

Publish your artwork to the gallery. Community votes move it from Recent to Close to Top and then to the Homepage. Quality and engagement drive your rank.

What does Dinopixel mean?

It is a mix of "dinosaur", our mascot, and "pixel". Dinopixel has been a free pixel art platform for artists since 2019.