Sprite sheet generator
Create animation sprite sheets for your games. Generate individual sprites with AI, arrange them into sheets, and export for Unity, Godot, GameMaker, or any engine that reads sprite sheets — which is all of them.
What is a sprite sheet?
A sprite sheet is a single image containing multiple sprites arranged in a grid. Instead of loading 12 separate images for a walk cycle, your game loads one image and displays different regions of it. Fewer file operations, fewer texture swaps, better frame rates.
Every game engine recommends sprite sheets over individual images. Loading one 512x512 texture is faster than loading 64 separate 64x64 files. It's the standard format for a reason — use it.
Sprite sheet formats
Grid-based (uniform)
All frames are the same size in a regular grid. Simple to create, simple to parse. Every engine supports this.
Best for: Character animations, simple effects, walk cycles
Packed (non-uniform)
Frames packed tightly with varying positions, plus a JSON or XML metadata file. Maximum space efficiency.
Best for: Large projects, mobile games where memory matters
Strip format
Single horizontal row of frames. Dead simple — one row, one animation. Most tools can import these with zero config.
Best for: Single animations, quick prototypes, game jams
How to create sprite sheets with AI
Generate your base sprite
Use Sprite AI to generate a character or object. Keep your style keywords consistent — same prompt patterns across all frames keeps them looking like they belong together.
Create animation variants
Generate frames for each animation state: idle, walk, run, attack. Vary the pose in each prompt while keeping the character description identical.
Arrange into a sheet
Place frames in a grid — same cell size for all frames. Export as a single PNG. Your engine slices it back into individual frames using the grid dimensions.
How many frames do you need?
More frames means smoother animation, but also more work and bigger files. Here's what actually works for pixel art games — these are the ranges you'll see in most shipped titles.
| Animation | Frames | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Idle | 2–4 | Subtle breathing or blinking |
| Walk cycle | 4–8 | 4 for simple, 8 for smooth |
| Run cycle | 6–8 | Faster cadence, similar frame count |
| Jump | 3–5 | Anticipation, rise, fall, land |
| Attack | 3–6 | Wind-up, strike, recovery |
| Death | 4–6 | Can be longer for dramatic effect |
Best practices
Consistent frame sizes
All frames in one animation should be the same size. If idle is 32x32, walk should be 32x32 too — even if some frames have empty space.
Power-of-two dimensions
Not strictly required anymore, but 256x256, 512x512, or 1024x1024 sheets are most compatible across platforms.
Padding between frames
Add 1–2 pixels of transparent padding between frames. Prevents "bleeding" artifacts where adjacent frames leak at sprite edges.
Organize logically
Group related animations together. All idle frames in row 1, walk in row 2, attack in row 3. Makes debugging easier.
Engine setup
Getting sprite sheets into your engine is straightforward. Here's the quick version for each major engine.
Unity
- 1. Import sprite sheet PNG
- 2. Set Texture Type to "Sprite (2D and UI)"
- 3. Set Sprite Mode to "Multiple"
- 4. Open Sprite Editor → Slice → Grid by Cell Size
- 5. Set Filter Mode to "Point (no filter)" for crisp pixels
Godot
- 1. Import sprite sheet to project
- 2. Create AnimatedSprite2D node
- 3. In SpriteFrames, add frames using region selector
- 4. Set Texture Filter to "Nearest" in Project Settings
GameMaker
- 1. Create new sprite → Import Strip Image
- 2. Set number of frames and dimensions
- 3. GameMaker auto-slices the strip
- 4. Adjust origin point if needed
Phaser
- 1. this.load.spritesheet('player', 'sheet.png', { frameWidth: 32, frameHeight: 32 })
- 2. this.anims.create({ key: 'walk', frames: this.anims.generateFrameNumbers(...) })
- 3. Set frameRate and repeat
Start creating sprite sheets
Generate your first sprite, then build from there. Free tokens included.