About Pixel Art to CSS

What is this site?

pixelartcss.com is a free, open-source, and online tool that converts your pixel art designs directly into pure CSS code. Instead of relying on traditional image files (.png or .jpg), it uses CSS properties, primarily the box-shadow property, to render the artwork entirely within the browser.

This means your art is created entirely by the browser, resulting in:

Lightning Fast Loading: Zero HTTP requests for the image file, speeding up your page load time.
Scalability: The CSS art can be scaled crisply without the blur or distortion of traditional bitmap images.
Minimal File Size: The code is lightweight and efficient for small graphics.

Core Features & Flexibility

Animation Support (Frame-Based)

Beyond static images, this tool is a powerful animation creator. You can use the built-in frame editor to easily design movement or looping effects. The tool generates optimized CSS keyframes to bring your pixel art to life!

Input and Output Options

While the main purpose is to generate CSS, pixelartcss.com offers maximum flexibility:

Import Images: You can kickstart your project by importing a small image file, which the editor automatically translates into an editable pixel grid.
Export as PNG: Download your finished static pixel art as a traditional .png file.
Export as GIF: Download your frame-based animations as an animated .gif file.

How Does it Work?

The core magic lies in the box-shadow property. A pixel art grid is mapped, and each colored square is treated as a distinct box-shadow layer.

The tool generates a comma-separated list of shadows. Each entry in the list defines a single colored "pixel" by specifying its horizontal offset, vertical offset, and color, effectively painting the entire design using one CSS property.

Efficiency Trade-Offs: When to Use CSS vs an Image

While the CSS method is innovative, there"s a trade-off between Network Cost and Rendering Cost.

CSS Image (box-shadow) Advantages: Zero Network Requests: The code is already loaded, eliminating the need for the browser to fetch a separate image file from the server. This is a massive speed win for small icons and assets.
CSS Image (box-shadow) Disadvantages: High Rendering Cost: The browser"s CPU/GPU must calculate and draw thousands of individual box-shadow layers. For large pixel art, this computational load can cause significant rendering lag and is less efficient than loading one optimized image file.
Actual Image (PNG/WebP) Efficiency: Actual image files have a network cost (they must be downloaded), but their rendering cost is low. Once downloaded, the browser can quickly draw a pre-calculated image bitmap. Therefore, for large or complex pixel art, an optimized image file is usually faster to display than generating it with complex CSS.

In short: Use CSS for small icons and images for large assets. This tool enables you to create both types of output, giving you all the possibilities.

Who is this for?

Web Developers: Quickly add retro, 8-bit style icons, loading spinners, or small artistic flourishes.
Pixel Artists: Easily prototype and translate your creations into a web-friendly, non-image format for online portfolios, or quickly generate GIF animations.
Students & Hobbyists: A fun way to explore the capabilities of pure CSS and the power of the box-shadow property or just have fun unleashing their creativity.

More Info

Author: jvalen
Contributors: Amazing contributions have been provided along the time. You can check the full contributors list here.
Source Code: GitHub
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