Open the editor
Start a fresh canvas, drop in a PNG, or pick a sprite from your gallery.
Online sprite editor and pixel art editor
A sprite editor that runs in a browser tab. Draw frame by frame, flip on onion skin to see the previous frame ghosted underneath, and scrub the timeline until the walk cycle actually reads. Nothing to install and no account to make.
Frames and onion skin
This is the difference between a sprite editor and a drawing app. Add a frame, and the one before it sits faintly behind your canvas so you can line up the next pose against it. Play it back, spot the leg that pops a pixel too far, fix it, play again.
Four frames is usually enough for an idle. Walk cycles want eight. You'll know when it's right because it stops looking like it's sliding.
Fifteen tools, no menu diving
Pen, eraser, fill, and colour picker cover most of it. Then shapes (line, rectangle, circle), transforms (mirror, move), and three selection tools when you need to grab a region: rectangle, lasso, and magic wand.
The three worth knowing about: mirror draws both halves at once, which halves the work on anything symmetrical. Dither lays down a checker pattern for gradients that stay in palette. Lighten nudges a colour brighter without making you go pick a new one, which is how you shade quickly.
What it doesn't do
There are no layers. You get frames instead, and for sprite work at 32 or 64 pixels that trade is usually fine, because at that scale you're placing individual pixels rather than compositing passes. But it is a real limitation, and if layers are load-bearing in your process then Piskel or Aseprite will suit you better.
Unity's Sprite Editor is a different thing
Worth clearing up, because the names collide. Unity ships a window called Sprite Editor, and it slices an already-imported sheet into regions and sets pivot points. It draws nothing. This tool is where the art gets made. Export a PNG here, import it there.
Export
PNG for anything you're dropping into Unity, Godot, GameMaker, or a web build. SVG when you want the art to scale cleanly without turning to mush, which is handy for icons and UI.
Canvas runs from 1×1 to 512×512, with presets at 16, 32, 64, and 128. Undo and redo carry full history, so experimenting costs you nothing.
More free pixel art tools
ToolSprite sheet pivot editor
Preview a sprite sheet frame by frame and set the pivot point, frame rate, and loop. Export a ready-to-use manifest.
ToolNoise generator
Generate pixel noise patterns and textures — Perlin, checkers, bricks, random.
ToolPixel font generator
Type text and render it in pixel font styles. Multiple sizes, colors, and scales.
FAQ
Yes, completely free with no account required. Create, edit, and export as many sprites as you want.
Yes. Add frames along the timeline, turn on onion skin to see the previous frame ghosted under the one you're drawing, and scrub or play the sequence back at whatever speed you want. That's the part that makes it a sprite editor and not just a drawing canvas.
No. You get frames, not layers. For most sprite work at 32 or 64 pixels that turns out to be fine, because at that size you're pushing individual pixels rather than compositing passes. If your workflow genuinely depends on layers, Piskel and Aseprite both have them and we'd rather tell you that up front.
Any size from 1×1 up to 512×512 pixels. Use presets (16, 32, 64, 128) or enter custom dimensions.
Yes, upload any PNG, JPG, or WebP image up to 512×512 pixels and 10MB to edit it as pixel art.
No, and it's a common mix-up. Unity's Sprite Editor is a built-in window for slicing an imported sheet into regions and setting pivots. It doesn't draw anything. This is where you make the art in the first place, then export a PNG and import that into Unity.
No. It runs in the browser on desktop and mobile. Nothing to download, no account, and your work stays on your machine.