Editing Pixel art (section)

==Techniques==
Pixel art typically involves more careful and deliberate placement of pixels compared to other forms of digital art.<ref name=":9"/> Artists use different brush sizes (e.g. 1x1 or 2x2 pixels) and a variety of tools, such as free-hand/pencil, lines, and rectangles.<ref>Silber, D. (2015). ''Pixel art for game developers''. CRC Press.</ref> One key difference between pixel art and other digital art is that pixel artists tend to apply a single color at a time, avoiding tools such as soft edges, smudging, and blurring.<ref name=":8"/> Agreeing on which tools and techniques are considered non-pixel art (NPA) is something that has caused considerable disagreement in the past. For example, applying layers with different filters that adjust hue or light values is considered a non-pixel art technique, but the resulting art may still be considered pixel art if there's a clear foundation of deliberate placement of pixels.<ref name=":8"/> To preserve the careful pixel placement, pixel art is preferably stored in a file format utilizing lossless data compression. The JPEG format, for example, is often avoided because of its compression, as it introduces visible artifacts in the image.

Different restrictions are central to pixel art, and these are often traced back to technical limitations of hardware such as Amiga, Commodore 64, NES, and early computers. The two most common restrictions are resolution and palette, and pixel artists often work with a significantly reduced canvas size and number of colors compared to other digital artists. (Lee, p.&nbsp;276){{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} Examples include Commodore 64 restrictions (320x200 resolution, 16 colors), original ZX Spectrum restrictions (256x192 pixels, 15 colors), and [[Game Boy|GameBoy]] restrictions (160x144 pixels, 4 colors).

Some artists start the process of pixelling by drawing line art, while others begin by blocking in simple shapes and big clusters. Traditionally, pixel art was done on a single layer, similar to painting on a canvas, but modern software permits work with multiple layers, potentially adding animation or transparency to the foreground while keeping a static background.
[[File:Pixel Art Anti Aliasing in Clusters Bigx4.png|thumb|Without (left) and with (right) anti-aliasing]]
To deal with the various restrictions of pixel art, such as reduced resolution or colors, pixel artists have traditionally employed several techniques specific to the art form. One widely used technique is [[Dither|dithering]], commonly using noise or a repeating pattern such as a checkerboard or lines to create a third color when seen from a distance. Other common techniques include anti-aliasing (AA) where strong edges are softened by manually placing pixels, and sub-pixelling, changing the colors of pixels to create an illusion of movement.<ref name=":8"/>

===Styles===
Because pixel art is a flexible medium, pixel artists can often imitate styles from traditional media, such as impressionism or pointillism in oil painting or cross-hatching in embroidery.<ref name=":8"/> Pixel art is not a style itself, but a broad artistic medium.<ref name=":6"/> However, there are different styles within pixel art that revolve around pixel placement. One common distinction in style is the use of clusters. A cluster is a field of connected pixels with the same color. The opposite of a cluster is an isolated pixel (1x1) surrounded by pixels of other colors. Cluster size has become an important marker of pixel art styles, where some pixel art uses large clusters and avoids isolated (orphan) pixels, whereas other works use clusters of all sizes in combination with isolated pixels, or even rely primarily on isolated pixels and small clusters for a more grainy, noisy texture. Styles that rely more on small clusters and isolated pixels often have similarities with pointillism and impressionism, whereas pixel art with larger clusters and geometric shapes has similarities with cubism and [[suprematism]]. Although some artists have been known for championing a particular style, many pixel artists alternate between different styles in their works.
[[File:Xcom2.png|thumb|Isometric pixel art graphics in ''[[X-COM: UFO Defense]]'' (1994)]]

===Genres and subjects===
Pixel art is a flexible medium and shares traditions of figure drawing, landscapes, and abstract with traditional media. However, certain genres have emerged as particularly popular. These genres often overlap, but include:
[[File:50x50x1b.svg|thumb|200px|[[binary image|1-bit]] pixel art combining sprites with text. The text says: "''If it is to be, it is up to me!''"]]
* ''[[Isometric video game graphics|Isometric]]'': Pixel art drawn in a near-isometric dimetric projection. Originally used in games to provide a three-dimensional view without using any real three-dimensional processing. Normally drawn with a 1:2 pixel ratio along the X and Y-axis.
* ''[[Sprite (computer graphics)|Sprites]]'': Characters and game assets typically drawn in the fashion of platformer games and fighting games such as Streets of Rage or Street Fighter II or JRPGs (Japanese Roleplaying Game) such as Final Fantasy.<ref name=":8"/>
* ''Pixel dolls'': Also known as dollz. Sets of pixel art characters, usually with customizable appearance and sets of clothing. Often used as avatars for chatting and forums, or in dress-up games.
* ''Mock-ups'': Concepts for non-existing pixel art games, including a user interface and other game elements. Retro-style mock-ups based on modern games are called 'demakes'.<ref name=":11"/>