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Image to 8-Bit

Your Photo. A Retro World.

Trade smooth gradients for bold pixels and a small palette. Turn your photo into retro-inspired pixel art in a few clicks.

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JPG, PNG, WEBP · Up to 10 MB · Paste with Ctrl+V / ⌘V
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Original sample portrait
Original8-bit style
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Small palette. Big pixel energy.Slide to compare
Quick looks
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PNG keeps the exact palette and crisp pixel edges. Dither algorithm takes effect when Dithering is above 0%. Export scale enlarges each pixel without smoothing. “8-bit” describes the retro style, not an indexed file format.

Turn Your Photos into Retro Pixel Art

Give outfit shots and travel portraits a retro-inspired look. Adjust the pixel width to keep your subject recognizable, then choose a limited palette for bold, simplified color.

Try it on your photo
Travel portrait beside an illustrated retro pixel-art version.
Style illustration. Your result depends on the photo, palette, and pixel settings.

Try the Classic Game Boy Look

Try Game Boy greens for a four-tone portrait or avatar. Adjust contrast to separate light and shadow, and add dithering to suggest softer shading with the same four colors.

Try it on your photo
Portrait beside a green retro pixel-style illustration and four green swatches.
Style illustration. Your result depends on the photo, palette, and pixel settings.

Give Your Travel Photos a Retro Look

Turn coastlines, sunsets, and favorite views into retro-inspired backgrounds. Start with a scene that has clear shapes, then choose your pixel width and export scale for the size you need.

Try it on your photo
Sunset coast and red car in a pixel-style landscape illustration, with a comparison inset.
Style illustration. Your result depends on the photo, palette, and pixel settings.

Turn Everyday Objects into Pixel Art

Try a controller, a favorite gadget, or another object with a recognizable outline. A simple background and clear lighting help the subject read well after reducing detail and colors.

Try it on your photo
Orange game controller photo beside an illustrated pixel-style version.
Style illustration. Your result depends on the photo, palette, and pixel settings.

More Than a Pixelation Filter

A simple pixelation filter only makes blocks larger. An image to 8-bit converter also limits which colors those blocks can use. That smaller palette is what gives retro game-inspired artwork its distinctive color relationships and simplified shading.

This tool first reduces the photo to your chosen pixel width, then maps it to the nearest colors in a fixed palette. Choose smooth downsampling for photos or nearest-neighbor sampling for existing pixel art. Add Floyd–Steinberg, Atkinson, or Bayer dithering to suggest shading with the same small set of colors. Integer export scaling enlarges the final pixels without interpolating new colors.

Pick a palette with a personality

PICO-8 uses its familiar 16-color palette. Game Boy greens uses four green tones, while the 16-color Arcade option is a custom palette inspired by classic games.

Control the pixel grid

Lower Pixel width for larger visible blocks and simpler shapes. Raise it for more detail. Export scale changes the file dimensions without changing the underlying pixel grid.

Keep the palette intact

For sharp, palette-limited artwork, download PNG. WEBP and JPG may introduce colors outside the selected palette; PNG is the most reliable choice for exact colors.

How to Use Image to 8-Bit

1

Upload a photo

Try a clear portrait or a scene with recognizable shapes.

2

Choose your retro look

Pick a palette, adjust pixel width and contrast, then optionally add dithering.

3

Export crisp pixel art

Choose an integer scale and download PNG to retain the exact colors and edges.

Try Image to 8-Bit

Image to 8-Bit: Your Questions, Answered

How do I convert an image to 8-bit style?

Upload your image, choose a palette such as PICO-8 or Game Boy greens, and set the pixel width. Adjust contrast or dithering, then download the retro-style result.

Is this an actual 8-bit indexed PNG?

No. The tool creates a limited-color, retro-inspired appearance and exports a regular image. It does not write an indexed PNG, a ROM, a game-ready tileset, or an emulator-compatible asset format.

What is the difference between pixelation and 8-bit conversion?

Pixelation reduces spatial detail by creating larger blocks. This converter also maps every visible pixel to a fixed color palette, changing the colors as well as the pixel grid.

Which palettes are available?

PICO-8 has 16 colors, Game Boy greens has four, and Grayscale has four. Arcade-inspired is a custom 16-color palette; it is not an exact NES or other console specification.

What does export scale do?

A 4× scale makes each logical pixel four pixels wide and tall using nearest-neighbor scaling. This keeps square edges sharp. The visible pixel grid and palette remain the same.

Your Photo. A Retro World.

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