Pixel Joint Forum: What program people use to pixel now ?

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spookydog21
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 21 November 2016
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Topic: What program people use to pixel now ?
Posted: 30 December 2016 at 12:52pm

I'm kinda curious about this

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cycoclash25
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 30 January 2017
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Posts: 3

Posted: 26 January 2017 at 3:01am

I only have been doing pixel art more recently but I have been using Piskelapp which is an online program. I can make stuff in my free time at work without having to download anything since its a work laptop.

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MadMage
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Joined: 02 September 2021
Location: Brazil
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Posts: 112

Posted: 10 March 2017 at 4:12am

Photoshop. I am too lazy for Paint or to download anything else. It can make animations and its very easy to use for pixel purposes. =)

This is not a signature.

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adscomics
Midshipman

Joined: 20 January 2024
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Posts: 15

Posted: 01 April 2017 at 5:32pm

I typically use Pixen. It's a nice piece of software where you have color palettes, color counts, animation, whatever. The user interface is a little annoying to work with though sometimes.

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mccoyed
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 21 February 2017
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Posts: 6

Posted: 02 April 2017 at 6:13pm

I use Piskel app on windows. It isn't the best for QoL stuff but it seems like the developer is always trying to improve it. I like its UI and feel like it is more accessible than Aseprite.

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MHarm
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 29 August 2023
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Posts: 3

Posted: 04 April 2017 at 12:03pm

I am using Aseprite, I picked up quickly coming from GIMP, and pixeling is way more fun now

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nikanaut
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 22 January 2019
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Posts: 7

Posted: 05 April 2017 at 7:29am

I use Aseprite too, it's perfect :)

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mccoyed
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 21 February 2017
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Posts: 6

Posted: 05 April 2017 at 11:28am

Can anyone who's used both Piskel and Aseprite comment on how they compare? I haven't really been able to find useful comparison information but I am considering buying Aseprite.

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showtime
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Joined: 14 May 2020
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Posts: 105

Posted: 07 April 2017 at 10:59am

Oh man, I use all kinds of stuff!! I mainly use Photoshop for still, standalone pixel pieces and for figuring out colours since it has great colour manipulation tools, unlike most software I've tried that is geared towards pixel art. For tiles, Pyxel Edit is amazing, although a little buggy. But I'd say definitely worth buying if you are doing any significant amount of tile work.

For animation I'm into Graphics Gale, although I wish its onion skinning was more advanced.

And sometimes I whip out Aseprite JUST to use the rotsprite rotation algorithm to speed things up! Cleaning up is still necessary, but it's soooo much better than standard rotation in anything else I've used.

I've wanted to try out Pro Motion for a while but the UI looks too scary. And I know loads of people swear by Grafx2 but never got past that UI either.

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Frost
Midshipman

Joined: 02 June 2021
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Posts: 32

Posted: 07 April 2017 at 2:38pm

GrafX2.

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bmkorkut
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 09 April 2021
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Posts: 4

Posted: 10 April 2017 at 12:57am

I use Paint.net free, fast, useful, layer support, support of plug-ins.
But not any-good for animation, better in static images.

I started to try Aseprite for animations, looks very good.

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abominable_snowflake
Midshipman

Joined: 24 July 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 05 May 2017 at 2:16pm

I moved from Photoshop to ASEprite a few years ago and never looked back.

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ndnNinja
Midshipman

Joined: 25 August 2017
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Posts: 33

Posted: 18 May 2017 at 3:59pm

I use photoshop for all art things including animation

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lunarhiro
Midshipman

Joined: 19 June 2017
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Posts: 10

Posted: 26 June 2017 at 1:11pm

I use Graphics Gale, Pyxel, and Aseprite (depending on what mood I'm in).

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StoneStephenT
Commander

Joined: 08 April 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 252

Posted: 26 June 2017 at 5:20pm

I pixelled in Paint Shop Pro for the longest time, then I switched over to GIMP and have worked with that ever since. I haven’t made any pixel art in a while, though seeing Graphics Gale go freeware inspired me to check that out. I may switch between the two depending on how I feel about GG once I’ve worked with it more.

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Theoden
Rear Admiral

Joined: 16 December 2022
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Posts: 115

Posted: 14 September 2017 at 2:43am

Aseprite is my favorite by far.

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angelababy526400
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 15 January 2018
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Posts: 1

Posted: 21 September 2017 at 7:08am

I use Aseprite too

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berdates
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 02 July 2025
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5

Posted: 29 September 2017 at 8:25pm

i've stuck with Paint Tool SAI for a couple years now, but that's just because i'm too comfortable with it, lol. photoshop comes in when i need transparency or animation.

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NancyGold
Commander

Joined: 27 October 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 526

Posted: 01 October 2017 at 2:58am

I had been using Pixen and GIMP, but since my MacBook Pro was seized by Putin's FSB, I now use cheapest Asus Windows 10 laptop, which is very slows and capable of running only Aseprite. I heard they made GraphicsGale freeware, but I haven't tried ever, dunno if it is that good. I've used Photoshop too - it is nice, but costs too much, requires high end PC and doesn't have that much of pixelart capability.

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NancyGold
Commander

Joined: 27 October 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 526

Posted: 26 October 2017 at 5:29am

Tried grafx2.

Pros:
- A ton of pixelart functionality, missing even from Photoshop, like palette editing and optimization, color cycling, grid tiling, animation, brush preview, layers, different views at the same picture, etc..
- Shortcuts are really short: right-click color picking, `U` for undo, instead of `ctrl-z`, etc...
- Open source, so you can modify it to suit your needs.
- Very fast, compared to GIMP or Photoshop.

Cons:
- Can't open more than two files at time.
- Copy-pasting between images with different palettes doesn't adapt palette very well.
- UI is very cryptic, similarly to Blender.
- No pixel-perfect lines, scaling or rotation.
- No support for loading JPGs, so you can't paint over your sketch.
- You have to compile it from source code, because official release wasn't updated for ages.

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dyp
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 10 March 2019
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1

Posted: 18 November 2017 at 12:44am

Clip Studio Paint + Graphics Gale

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AlixPix
Midshipman

Joined: 28 November 2017
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Posts: 10

Posted: 27 November 2017 at 6:20am

Deluxe Paint 4.5 on Amiga 1200.

Screen mode: 320x256, 64 colours.

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Tenebrae
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 13 January 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3

Posted: 14 January 2018 at 4:00am

Legendary program, keeping it real!

I'm using Clip Studio and aseprite.

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vampireslug
Commander

Joined: 16 February 2009
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 187

Posted: 28 February 2018 at 4:50am

I use Windows 7 Paint, with irfanview to set transparency.

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CritiqueMyWork
Midshipman

Joined: 12 May 2025
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 56

Posted: 02 March 2018 at 12:52pm

Paint.net and (mostly) Grafx2. I just wish they uploaded an updated binary, it's been like 3 years without a new release. Why!

I'd like to use aseprite, but something about the interface bugs me.

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PixelMart
Midshipman

Joined: 03 August 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 18

Posted: 15 August 2018 at 1:22am

aseprite and photoshop

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Pikaychu
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 22 August 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5

Posted: 23 August 2018 at 9:25am

I use aseprite. I find it very gratifying that there are programs that have been specially programmed for pixel art.

I've also recently read of the tool Pro Motion NG, which looks interesting. Defenitely gonna look up GrafX2 after reading this thread!

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Diversions
Pixel Joint Forum : The Lounge : Diversions

Author	Message
spookydog21 Seaman Joined: 21 November 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Topic: What program people use to pixel now ? Posted: 30 December 2016 at 12:52pm
	I'm kinda curious about this
	IP Logged

cycoclash25 Seaman Joined: 30 January 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Posted: 26 January 2017 at 3:01am
	I only have been doing pixel art more recently but I have been using Piskelapp which is an online program. I can make stuff in my free time at work without having to download anything since its a work laptop.
	IP Logged

MadMage Commander Joined: 02 September 2021 Location: Brazil Online Status: Offline Posts: 112	Posted: 10 March 2017 at 4:12am
	Photoshop. I am too lazy for Paint or to download anything else. It can make animations and its very easy to use for pixel purposes. =)
	This is not a signature.
	IP Logged

adscomics Midshipman Joined: 20 January 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Posted: 01 April 2017 at 5:32pm
	I typically use Pixen. It's a nice piece of software where you have color palettes, color counts, animation, whatever. The user interface is a little annoying to work with though sometimes.
	IP Logged

mccoyed Seaman Joined: 21 February 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 02 April 2017 at 6:13pm
	I use Piskel app on windows. It isn't the best for QoL stuff but it seems like the developer is always trying to improve it. I like its UI and feel like it is more accessible than Aseprite.
	IP Logged

MHarm Seaman Joined: 29 August 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Posted: 04 April 2017 at 12:03pm
	I am using Aseprite, I picked up quickly coming from GIMP, and pixeling is way more fun now
	IP Logged

nikanaut Seaman Joined: 22 January 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Posted: 05 April 2017 at 7:29am
	I use Aseprite too, it's perfect :)
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mccoyed Seaman Joined: 21 February 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Posted: 05 April 2017 at 11:28am
	Can anyone who's used both Piskel and Aseprite comment on how they compare? I haven't really been able to find useful comparison information but I am considering buying Aseprite.
	IP Logged

showtime Commander Joined: 14 May 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 105	Posted: 07 April 2017 at 10:59am
	Oh man, I use all kinds of stuff!! I mainly use Photoshop for still, standalone pixel pieces and for figuring out colours since it has great colour manipulation tools, unlike most software I've tried that is geared towards pixel art. For tiles, Pyxel Edit is amazing, although a little buggy. But I'd say definitely worth buying if you are doing any significant amount of tile work. For animation I'm into Graphics Gale, although I wish its onion skinning was more advanced. And sometimes I whip out Aseprite JUST to use the rotsprite rotation algorithm to speed things up! Cleaning up is still necessary, but it's soooo much better than standard rotation in anything else I've used. I've wanted to try out Pro Motion for a while but the UI looks too scary. And I know loads of people swear by Grafx2 but never got past that UI either.
	IP Logged

Frost Midshipman Joined: 02 June 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 32	Posted: 07 April 2017 at 2:38pm
	GrafX2.
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bmkorkut Seaman Joined: 09 April 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 10 April 2017 at 12:57am
	I use Paint.net free, fast, useful, layer support, support of plug-ins. But not any-good for animation, better in static images. I started to try Aseprite for animations, looks very good.
	IP Logged

abominable_snowflake Midshipman Joined: 24 July 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Posted: 05 May 2017 at 2:16pm
	I moved from Photoshop to ASEprite a few years ago and never looked back.
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ndnNinja Midshipman Joined: 25 August 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 33	Posted: 18 May 2017 at 3:59pm
	I use photoshop for all art things including animation
	IP Logged

lunarhiro Midshipman Joined: 19 June 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 10	Posted: 26 June 2017 at 1:11pm
	I use Graphics Gale, Pyxel, and Aseprite (depending on what mood I'm in).
	IP Logged

StoneStephenT Commander Joined: 08 April 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 252	Posted: 26 June 2017 at 5:20pm
	I pixelled in Paint Shop Pro for the longest time, then I switched over to GIMP and have worked with that ever since. I haven’t made any pixel art in a while, though seeing Graphics Gale go freeware inspired me to check that out. I may switch between the two depending on how I feel about GG once I’ve worked with it more.
	IP Logged

Theoden Rear Admiral Joined: 16 December 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 115	Posted: 14 September 2017 at 2:43am
	Aseprite is my favorite by far.
	IP Logged

angelababy526400 Seaman Joined: 15 January 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Posted: 21 September 2017 at 7:08am
	I use Aseprite too
	IP Logged

berdates Seaman Joined: 02 July 2025 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Posted: 29 September 2017 at 8:25pm
	i've stuck with Paint Tool SAI for a couple years now, but that's just because i'm too comfortable with it, lol. photoshop comes in when i need transparency or animation.
	IP Logged

NancyGold Commander Joined: 27 October 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 526	Posted: 01 October 2017 at 2:58am
	I had been using Pixen and GIMP, but since my MacBook Pro was seized by Putin's FSB, I now use cheapest Asus Windows 10 laptop, which is very slows and capable of running only Aseprite. I heard they made GraphicsGale freeware, but I haven't tried ever, dunno if it is that good. I've used Photoshop too - it is nice, but costs too much, requires high end PC and doesn't have that much of pixelart capability.
	IP Logged

NancyGold Commander Joined: 27 October 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 526	Posted: 26 October 2017 at 5:29am
	Tried grafx2. Pros: - A ton of pixelart functionality, missing even from Photoshop, like palette editing and optimization, color cycling, grid tiling, animation, brush preview, layers, different views at the same picture, etc.. - Shortcuts are really short: right-click color picking, `U` for undo, instead of `ctrl-z`, etc... - Open source, so you can modify it to suit your needs. - Very fast, compared to GIMP or Photoshop. Cons: - Can't open more than two files at time. - Copy-pasting between images with different palettes doesn't adapt palette very well. - UI is very cryptic, similarly to Blender. - No pixel-perfect lines, scaling or rotation. - No support for loading JPGs, so you can't paint over your sketch. - You have to compile it from source code, because official release wasn't updated for ages.
	IP Logged

dyp Seaman Joined: 10 March 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Posted: 18 November 2017 at 12:44am
	Clip Studio Paint + Graphics Gale
	IP Logged

AlixPix Midshipman Joined: 28 November 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 10	Posted: 27 November 2017 at 6:20am
	Deluxe Paint 4.5 on Amiga 1200. Screen mode: 320x256, 64 colours.
	IP Logged

Tenebrae Seaman Joined: 13 January 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Posted: 14 January 2018 at 4:00am
	Legendary program, keeping it real! I'm using Clip Studio and aseprite.
	IP Logged

vampireslug Commander Joined: 16 February 2009 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 187	Posted: 28 February 2018 at 4:50am
	I use Windows 7 Paint, with irfanview to set transparency.
	"The Earth starts to rumble, world powers fall. A 'warring for the heavens, a peaceful man stands tall...." - Mustaine. ©1992 Screen Gems/EMI
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CritiqueMyWork Midshipman Joined: 12 May 2025 Online Status: Offline Posts: 56	Posted: 02 March 2018 at 12:52pm
	Paint.net and (mostly) Grafx2. I just wish they uploaded an updated binary, it's been like 3 years without a new release. Why! I'd like to use aseprite, but something about the interface bugs me.
	IP Logged

PixelMart Midshipman Joined: 03 August 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Posted: 15 August 2018 at 1:22am
	aseprite and photoshop
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Pikaychu Seaman Joined: 22 August 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Posted: 23 August 2018 at 9:25am
	I use aseprite. I find it very gratifying that there are programs that have been specially programmed for pixel art. I've also recently read of the tool Pro Motion NG, which looks interesting. Defenitely gonna look up GrafX2 after reading this thread!
	IP Logged