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pixel-art

Convert images into retro pixel art PNGs and animated MP4 or GIF scenes.

Updated Jun 5, 2026
Search Tags:#animation#mp4#pixel art#dithering#retro#palettes#image conversion
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/xu1713/openhorse --skill pixel-art-xu1713
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: pixel-art
Source: https://github.com/xu1713/openhorse/tree/main/openhorse/openhorse/skills/creative/pixel-art
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/xu1713/openhorse --skill pixel-art-xu1713

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires Pillow, ffmpeg, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Turning ordinary photos or images into era-accurate retro pixel art normally requires manual palette work and frame-by-frame animation; this Skill automates both conversion and animation with hardware-accurate palettes and procedural effects. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Image to Pixel Art: Convert any image to a pixel-art PNG using Floyd-Steinberg dithering with 14 presets (arcade, NES, Game Boy, PICO-8, C64, SNES, and more) and 28 named palettes. - Animated Scenes: Overlay procedural effects like rain, snow, fireflies, embers, and lightning onto the pixel art and encode the result as an MP4 or looping GIF via ffmpeg. - Use Case: A game developer needs a Game Boy-style avatar for a profile page and a short animated night-scene banner for social media; they convert a photo with the gameboy preset, then animate it with the night scene in one workflow. ## Quick Start Convert my photo portrait.jpg into NES-style pixel art and animate it as a 6-second night scene MP4 with a GIF export.

Frequently Asked Questions about pixel-art

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I convert an image to pixel art in Python?▼

Call pixel_art(input_path, output_path, preset="nes") from the pixel_art.py script, or run it from the CLI with python pixel_art.py in.jpg out.png --preset nes. It enhances contrast, downscales with nearest-neighbor, quantizes with Floyd-Steinberg dithering, and upscales back.

How do I animate a pixel art image into an MP4 or GIF?▼

Use pixel_art_video(base_image, output_path, scene="night", duration=6, export_gif=True) to overlay procedural effects like stars, rain, or snowflakes and encode via ffmpeg. Setting export_gif=True also writes a looping GIF alongside the MP4.

What retro palettes and presets are available for pixel art conversion?▼

There are 14 presets including arcade, snes, nes, gameboy, pico8, c64, and mspaint, backed by 28 named palettes such as NES, GAMEBOY_ORIGINAL, PICO_8, and ZX_SPECTRUM. Any preset's palette, block size, or enhancement values can be overridden per call.

Does pixel art video generation require ffmpeg?▼

Yes, ffmpeg must be on PATH for video encoding; the script raises a RuntimeError if it is missing. Still-image conversion with pixel_art() only needs Pillow and works without ffmpeg.

Why does my pixel art look wrong with very small source images?▼

Sources under about 100 pixels wide collapse under 8-10px block sizes, destroying detail. Upscale the source image first, or choose a preset with a smaller block size such as snes (4px) or pico8 (6px).

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