Pixel Joint Forum: Which Pixelart Software?

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Robster
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 03 September 2012
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Posts: 4

Topic: Which Pixelart Software?
Posted: 14 November 2012 at 11:30pm

Hi people.
Which software do you use for your pixelarts?
I already tried Aseprite, Gimp, Pro Motion and GrafX2.
Since Pro Motion isn't free I need to know if it's worth to buy it? I like to use it but maybe there is better software out there.

Greetings, Robster.

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lavago
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 25 November 2012
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Posts: 6

Posted: 27 November 2012 at 1:42pm

Personally I use a program called Pixen, but it's only for mac.
Though if you have a mac a strongly recommend it, and it's FREE!

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dragonheartman
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 28 July 2009
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Posts: 1

Posted: 30 November 2012 at 11:12am

I use a program for windows called iDraw.

It supports 256 colors or less with a manipulatable palette, animations, remapping hotkeys, and more.

It's fairly robust for less than half a mb in size.

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Schoening
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 31 October 2012
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Posts: 9

Posted: 03 December 2012 at 2:05am

I followed one of the Tutorials and decided for GrafX2, it's GNU GPL v2 licenced = free.
And I love the dDos Look :D

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1337B337
Midshipman

Joined: 21 September 2012
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Posts: 40

Posted: 03 December 2012 at 7:53pm

Try a few of 'em.

I've tried GraphicsGale, GrafX2, Aseprite; I've even used Paint Tool Sai at one point.

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Daimoth
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Joined: 26 August 2024
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Posts: 33

Posted: 21 December 2012 at 6:22am

Graphics Gale is great, but it lacks .gif support on the non-Japanese version. You supposedly have to convert .avi's to .gif with that one.

I recommend GIMP, since it will serve your needs beyond the just pixel art.

But yeah, if you use mac, Pixen is very good. My iMac died, though.

Edited by Daimoth - 21 December 2012 at 6:22am

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blackstrip
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 19 April 2016
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Posts: 6

Posted: 26 December 2012 at 9:45am

I use my own "PaintCAD 4Windows" software (it is free) - http://blackstrip.ru/pcw.rar =) You can draw images with it, assemble animations (GIF, AVI), 3D images (MPO), create your own fonts (PCF) e.t.c.

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Sajextryus
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 15 August 2012
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Posts: 5

Posted: 27 December 2012 at 9:21pm

I usually use Pixen, though it's only on Mac. There's not really any special features in it (other than layers and alpha and stuff), but it's really well designed and has a lot of useful functions most pixel artists can really make use of (like exporting animations to GIF, custom upscaling, easy access to color palette of project, and saving animations to spritesheets).

Though I don't see a lot of work being made in Pixen, you can definitely make some great things with it! Pretty much all the stuff I've uploaded here has been made in it.

Currently I'm trying to get used to GraphicsGale on Windows, but I'm not quite so familiar with how to do much in it, yet.

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HugoZanin
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Joined: 18 June 2018
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Posts: 14

Posted: 10 January 2013 at 8:00pm

From my little experience with Pixel Art I can only quote GraFX2, as already mentioned, Photoshop and a web tool - Make Pixel Art - which is a extremely simple tool that has few features and a interesting color picker.

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BossGalaga
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 20 November 2015
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2

Posted: 13 January 2013 at 3:44pm

I used to use Idraw (v3) a lot. It's still a great simple tool but GraphicsGale is awesome and what I currently use for most of my pixel projects.

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paler123
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 20 January 2013
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Posts: 18

Posted: 24 January 2013 at 3:00am

i just posted in the other "which pixelart software thread and then saw this more recent one

just curious, no mention\interest in Deluxe paint 2? for pure pixelling i found it excellent, simple uncluttered menu, no distractions, nice. run it in 320x200, nice and low res

it runs only on 32 bit pcs i think but id definitely try it if you havent. also liked promotion quite a bit. i really dont like trying to pixel stuff in photoshop or gimp, too many popup menus that distract

havent tried some of the above mentioned software so i dunno about those

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DawnBringer
Commander

Joined: 11 August 2024
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Posts: 568

Posted: 24 January 2013 at 4:09am

@paler: If you're of the Amiga persuasion you should really try out GrafX2, I think you'll like it.

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AtskaHeart
Commander

Joined: 06 June 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 114

Posted: 24 January 2013 at 4:16am

Grafx2 is an awesome software if you get used to it (which is pretty hard for new pixel artists tbh). DawnBringer's Toolbox is also pretty useful and can be run on Grafx2, it's very nice for palette analisys.

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paler123
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 20 January 2013
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 18

Posted: 24 January 2013 at 10:53am

thanks guys,

i might check out those programmes, as for using amigas, i prefer dpaint2 on the pc mostly cos my amiga monitor sucked, i think DP2 is free now, not 100% sure on that tho.

Edited by paler123 - 24 January 2013 at 10:54am

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DawnBringer
Commander

Joined: 11 August 2024
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Posts: 568

Posted: 24 January 2013 at 11:00am

To clarify; GrafX2 is available for PC and it's 100% free. GrafX2 Homepage

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adamSrgnt
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 18 August 2020
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Posts: 16

Posted: 27 January 2013 at 8:58pm

Can you animate in Grafx?

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DawnBringer
Commander

Joined: 11 August 2024
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Posts: 568

Posted: 03 February 2013 at 1:29pm

@adamSrgnt: Yes (it's a fairly recent addition)

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moondrome
Commander

Joined: 07 June 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 164

Posted: 04 February 2013 at 8:06am

grafx rules !

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torguen
Midshipman

Joined: 26 January 2016
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 59

Posted: 04 February 2013 at 10:15am

Try also aseprite, is a graphics program like gale, I have not tried a lot but seems to be good.

www.aseprite.org

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pixotica
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 05 April 2022
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4

Posted: 10 February 2013 at 11:37am

mtPaint is the best I have found, has textures, is easy to use , and was made by a pixel/isometric artist.
it can be found here

mtPaint free iso pixel painter

I also use Photofiltre, which I like for certain things.

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Catghost
Midshipman

Joined: 13 December 2022
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 41

Posted: 26 February 2013 at 1:19pm

Surprised to see Sai listed in here! Seems like more of a painting program, but I know it's possible to disable anti aliasing for the brushes.

I use Paint Shop pro 8 for my pixel art, personally. It's a very powerful program(layers, pallets, custom brushes, guides, etc.), yet very simple to use. It'll be turning 10 years old soon too, and even though there are newer version by corel, I've found them to be very buggy and poor.
But it's more of a preference really, due to being so familiar with it, as it's what I use for nearly everything - except painting. Photoshop is a lot easier for that.

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Etheric_Shock
Midshipman

Joined: 25 February 2013
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 62

Posted: 26 February 2013 at 10:11pm

Grafx2 sounds pretty good. I've been looking for an animation program. I don't know if I can part with MsPaint.

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Resources and Support
Pixel Joint Forum : The Lounge : Resources and Support

Author	Message
Robster Seaman Joined: 03 September 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Topic: Which Pixelart Software? Posted: 14 November 2012 at 11:30pm
	Hi people. Which software do you use for your pixelarts? I already tried Aseprite, Gimp, Pro Motion and GrafX2. Since Pro Motion isn't free I need to know if it's worth to buy it? I like to use it but maybe there is better software out there. Greetings, Robster.
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lavago Seaman Joined: 25 November 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 27 November 2012 at 1:42pm
	Personally I use a program called Pixen, but it's only for mac. Though if you have a mac a strongly recommend it, and it's FREE!
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dragonheartman Seaman Joined: 28 July 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Posted: 30 November 2012 at 11:12am
	I use a program for windows called iDraw. It supports 256 colors or less with a manipulatable palette, animations, remapping hotkeys, and more. It's fairly robust for less than half a mb in size.
	IP Logged

Schoening Seaman Joined: 31 October 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 9	Posted: 03 December 2012 at 2:05am
	I followed one of the Tutorials and decided for GrafX2, it's GNU GPL v2 licenced = free. And I love the dDos Look :D
	IP Logged

1337B337 Midshipman Joined: 21 September 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 40	Posted: 03 December 2012 at 7:53pm
	Try a few of 'em. I've tried GraphicsGale, GrafX2, Aseprite; I've even used Paint Tool Sai at one point.
	IP Logged

Daimoth Midshipman Joined: 26 August 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 33	Posted: 21 December 2012 at 6:22am
	Graphics Gale is great, but it lacks .gif support on the non-Japanese version. You supposedly have to convert .avi's to .gif with that one. I recommend GIMP, since it will serve your needs beyond the just pixel art. But yeah, if you use mac, Pixen is very good. My iMac died, though. Edited by Daimoth - 21 December 2012 at 6:22am
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blackstrip Seaman Joined: 19 April 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 26 December 2012 at 9:45am
	I use my own "PaintCAD 4Windows" software (it is free) - http://blackstrip.ru/pcw.rar =) You can draw images with it, assemble animations (GIF, AVI), 3D images (MPO), create your own fonts (PCF) e.t.c.
	IP Logged

Sajextryus Seaman Joined: 15 August 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Posted: 27 December 2012 at 9:21pm
	I usually use Pixen, though it's only on Mac. There's not really any special features in it (other than layers and alpha and stuff), but it's really well designed and has a lot of useful functions most pixel artists can really make use of (like exporting animations to GIF, custom upscaling, easy access to color palette of project, and saving animations to spritesheets). Though I don't see a lot of work being made in Pixen, you can definitely make some great things with it! Pretty much all the stuff I've uploaded here has been made in it. Currently I'm trying to get used to GraphicsGale on Windows, but I'm not quite so familiar with how to do much in it, yet.
	IP Logged

HugoZanin Midshipman Joined: 18 June 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 14	Posted: 10 January 2013 at 8:00pm
	From my little experience with Pixel Art I can only quote GraFX2, as already mentioned, Photoshop and a web tool - Make Pixel Art - which is a extremely simple tool that has few features and a interesting color picker.
	IP Logged

BossGalaga Seaman Joined: 20 November 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Posted: 13 January 2013 at 3:44pm
	I used to use Idraw (v3) a lot. It's still a great simple tool but GraphicsGale is awesome and what I currently use for most of my pixel projects.
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paler123 Seaman Joined: 20 January 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Posted: 24 January 2013 at 3:00am
	i just posted in the other "which pixelart software thread and then saw this more recent one just curious, no mention\interest in Deluxe paint 2? for pure pixelling i found it excellent, simple uncluttered menu, no distractions, nice. run it in 320x200, nice and low res it runs only on 32 bit pcs i think but id definitely try it if you havent. also liked promotion quite a bit. i really dont like trying to pixel stuff in photoshop or gimp, too many popup menus that distract havent tried some of the above mentioned software so i dunno about those
	IP Logged

DawnBringer Commander Joined: 11 August 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 568	Posted: 24 January 2013 at 4:09am
	@paler: If you're of the Amiga persuasion you should really try out GrafX2, I think you'll like it.
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AtskaHeart Commander Joined: 06 June 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 114	Posted: 24 January 2013 at 4:16am
	Grafx2 is an awesome software if you get used to it (which is pretty hard for new pixel artists tbh). DawnBringer's Toolbox is also pretty useful and can be run on Grafx2, it's very nice for palette analisys.
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paler123 Seaman Joined: 20 January 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Posted: 24 January 2013 at 10:53am
	thanks guys, i might check out those programmes, as for using amigas, i prefer dpaint2 on the pc mostly cos my amiga monitor sucked, i think DP2 is free now, not 100% sure on that tho. Edited by paler123 - 24 January 2013 at 10:54am
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DawnBringer Commander Joined: 11 August 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 568	Posted: 24 January 2013 at 11:00am
	To clarify; GrafX2 is available for PC and it's 100% free. GrafX2 Homepage
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adamSrgnt Seaman Joined: 18 August 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Posted: 27 January 2013 at 8:58pm
	Can you animate in Grafx?
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DawnBringer Commander Joined: 11 August 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 568	Posted: 03 February 2013 at 1:29pm
	@adamSrgnt: Yes (it's a fairly recent addition)
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moondrome Commander Joined: 07 June 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 164	Posted: 04 February 2013 at 8:06am
	grafx rules !
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torguen Midshipman Joined: 26 January 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 59	Posted: 04 February 2013 at 10:15am
	Try also aseprite, is a graphics program like gale, I have not tried a lot but seems to be good. www.aseprite.org
	IP Logged

pixotica Seaman Joined: 05 April 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 10 February 2013 at 11:37am
	mtPaint is the best I have found, has textures, is easy to use , and was made by a pixel/isometric artist. it can be found here mtPaint free iso pixel painter I also use Photofiltre, which I like for certain things.
	IP Logged

Catghost Midshipman Joined: 13 December 2022 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 41	Posted: 26 February 2013 at 1:19pm
	Surprised to see Sai listed in here! Seems like more of a painting program, but I know it's possible to disable anti aliasing for the brushes. I use Paint Shop pro 8 for my pixel art, personally. It's a very powerful program(layers, pallets, custom brushes, guides, etc.), yet very simple to use. It'll be turning 10 years old soon too, and even though there are newer version by corel, I've found them to be very buggy and poor. But it's more of a preference really, due to being so familiar with it, as it's what I use for nearly everything - except painting. Photoshop is a lot easier for that.
	IP Logged

Etheric_Shock Midshipman Joined: 25 February 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 62	Posted: 26 February 2013 at 10:11pm
	Grafx2 sounds pretty good. I've been looking for an animation program. I don't know if I can part with MsPaint.
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