# Pixel Art Maker — Pixel Editor & Animator

> Pixel art creation and animation tool with photo import and export options. (iPhone/iPad app by Nekomimimi.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-maker/id897806469 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Nekomimimi](https://appshunter.io/developer/382809814)
- Category: Lifestyle, Developer Tools
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 10,372 App Store ratings · 368 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.5 · 15 MB
- Languages: Russian, American English, Japanese, European Portuguese
- Released: 2014-07-20
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-maker/id897806469/reviews.md

## What is Pixel Art Maker?

"Pixel Art Maker" is a drawing tool for pixel art like retro games.

◇ Easy to use
You can start drawing pixel art immediately after launching the app.
The canvas can also be resized while drawing.

◇ Import a photo
Convert photos into pixel art.

◇ Create animated pixel art
Draw one pixel art image, duplicate it, and create animations.

Features:

- Draw pixel art on canvases from 1×1 up to 256×256 pixels.

- Change the color palette (up to 256 colors).
The basic palette includes 32 colors.
The free version supports up to 65 colors.
*Each palette color can be set to transparent or opaque.

- Save your color palettes and reuse them in other artworks or when importing photos.

- Watch an ad to temporarily unlock:
  • 256-color palette
  • Canvas size up to 1024×1024

- Premium
Removes ads and permanently unlocks the full 256-color palette and canvas sizes up to 1024×1024.

- Zoom in and out with two-finger pinch.

- Save, load, and delete your drawings.

- Import photos and animated GIFs.
APNG animation is not supported; only the first frame is imported.

- Import photos with built-in retro-style palettes and adjustable dithering.
Indexed PNG files keep their original palette.

- Import images from other apps via the Share sheet.

- Export with transparency.

- Scale your artwork on export from 1× to 64×, depending on canvas size, up to 4096×4096.

- Save to Photos.

- Share with other apps.

- Create and export animated GIFs.
*GIFs may not animate in Photos.

- Finger Mode
Draw directly with your finger.

- Cursor Mode
Move a cursor and place pixels with the "PIXEL" button.
(Menu → Settings → Change Drawing Mode)

* On Apple Silicon Macs (iPad version), animated image import may be limited, and photos may be imported at reduced resolution.

## Key features

- Pixel art drawing up to 256x256
- Photo to pixel art conversion
- Animated pixel art creation
- Customizable color palettes
- Export as animated GIF
- Scalable artwork export

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Pixel Art Maker?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for making mods
- 🚀 Great for pixel art and animations
- 🚀 Intuitive and practical
- 🚀 Lots of customization options

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or save issues
- 🐛 Difficulty moving or selecting specific pixels
- 🐛 Limited color palette options

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Exported images not retaining transparency
- Color picker not working as expected

**Most requested features**

- Add a redo button
- Implement layers and better color management
- Increase maximum canvas size
- Add a paint bucket tool
- Allow importing/exporting of animations

## Recent user reviews (10 of 368)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-maker/id897806469/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Pretty good

*2026-08-16, version 3.0.2*

I have enjoyed using this app, it’s simple and fun. However, there are a couple things I would add, such as the ability to move groups of pixels, or sort designs

### 5/5 — Love the app!

*2026-08-08, version 3.0.1*

So, I really only use this app for melon playground and it works AMAZINGLY the only change they should make it when I import a image it only uses colors FROM that image and the zooming in feature could use a bit more work and images are blurry in photos

### 5/5 — It's fun if you make maods

*2026-08-08, version 3.0.1*

It's very usfull for making mods for melon sandbox

### 5/5 — 本当にいいアプリ

*2026-08-07*

シンプルで使いやすく広告もない。もっと有名になってほしい。

### 5/5 — The best!!!

*2026-08-07, version 3.0.1*

Is my favourite the arts!!

### 5/5 — Pixelent

*2026-08-07, version 3.0.1*

This thing is so good. I will use it in melon sandbox I can draw any character I like :)

### 5/5 — Super Useful And Good! Appreciate the Effort!

*2026-08-07, version 3.0.1*

This app Is Very useful, I use it For Melon Playground and I can Make Good stuff in it. 

I love how you can import and paint too!

My only problems are that your paintbrush is locked to a 1 pixel at a time, which is annoying for bigger arts. Maybe a scale tool?

### 5/5 — Incredible

*2026-08-06, version 3.0.0*

This is the greatest Pixle drawing app EVER it perfect for making things in melon sandbox

### 5/5 — This is the best thing ever

*2026-08-05*

Play some really cool sandbox, mods, and the thing you have to do to get it in there is that you have to go download the app and then you got to draw something in the size you want you can change the size 2 when you’re done click on the menu button, click export and then if you have library that you can get stuff on click save as a file not export OK and then then go to sandbox and go to the edit thing and then you click on and create you then create, and then go to a bar or brick and then get your thing on there and then go to the colitis and then go to the collides on the settings that you and then click and then click polygon so it matches your thing

### 5/5 — Awesome I spend most of my time on this app!

*2026-08-01, version 3.0.0*

Awesome!

## Frequently asked questions about Pixel Art Maker

### What is Pixel Art Maker?

Pixel Art Maker is a drawing application designed for creating pixel art, similar to retro video games. It allows users to draw pixel art from scratch, convert photos into pixel art, and create animations by duplicating and modifying frames.

### What are the key features of Pixel Art Maker?

Key features include drawing on canvases up to 256x256 pixels, changing color palettes (up to 256 colors with premium), converting photos to pixel art, creating and exporting animated GIFs, and scaling artwork on export.

### How does the app make money?

The app is free to download and use, offering basic features. It includes ads that can be temporarily removed by watching them to unlock premium features. A premium subscription permanently removes ads and unlocks the full 256-color palette and larger canvas sizes.

### What devices is Pixel Art Maker compatible with?

The app is available for mobile devices. Specific compatibility details, such as performance on Apple Silicon Macs (iPad version), are mentioned, noting potential limitations with animated image import and photo resolution on those devices.

### What are common use cases for Pixel Art Maker?

Common use cases include designing characters and assets for retro-style games, creating animated icons or banners, transforming personal photos into a unique pixel art style, and experimenting with digital art creation.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.0.3 — 2026-08-24

• More control over the number of colors used when importing photos
With Custom, you can set the final palette size from 2 to 256 colors. See how many colors are available for the photo and adjust the colors left free for drawing later.

• Improved the UI and app behavior, including project organization and clearer messages.

### 3.0.2 — 2026-08-15

• Photo import now lets you choose a downscaling method: Pixel, Art, or Photo. Pixel is now the default, helping colors stay vibrant. (This partially restores the processing method used in earlier v2 releases.)
• We made minor adjustments and improvements to the UI and processing.

### 3.0.1 — 2026-08-07

• Resume your pixel art in progress — this isn't always possible, so save your important work often
• Improved the Load screen: scroll without accidentally opening your pixel art, and jump anywhere quickly with the new side rail
• Simpler photo import: choose a size and tap OK to turn your photo into pixel art right away; the Colors screen opens only when you tap its button
• Improved reliability around saving, better performance with large pixel art, and other minor fixes
• Fixed GIF import losing some colors — thank you for the bug report!

### 3.0.0 — 2026-07-05

• Better photo import — built-in retro-style palettes, adjustable dithering (fine-dot color blending), and indexed PNG files keep their original palette
• Save your color palettes — keep palettes you've made and reuse them in other artworks or when importing photos
• Import from other apps — tap Share on an image in Photos or other apps and choose PixelArt to turn it into pixel art
• Transparency on/off — choose for each palette color whether it's transparent; fully opaque artworks are now possible
• Bug fixes and small improvements

### 2.6.3 — 2026-06-15

Added a Redo button — finally, almost 12 years after the first release.

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## More apps by Nekomimimi

- [Shake a photo H.D.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shake-a-photo-hd/id480652048)
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- [読み上げ「ゆっくり棒読みトーク」](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id542600107)
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All apps by Nekomimimi: https://appshunter.io/developer/382809814

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*