Pixel Upscaler
Enlarge pixel art the correct way. Nearest-neighbor only. No blur. Ever.
About the Pixel Upscaler
Most image scaling algorithms — bilinear, bicubic, Lanczos — sample surrounding pixels and blend them together. For photographs this produces smooth results. For pixel art, it produces blurry, anti-aliased mush that destroys the hard edges that make pixel art look like pixel art.
The Pixel Upscaler uses nearest-neighbor interpolation only: each source pixel becomes a perfect rectangle of N×N output pixels, with no blending whatsoever. This is the same rendering mode used by hardware emulators (RetroArch's integer scaling), modern pixel-art games, and every pixel-art editor when you zoom in. It's the correct way to enlarge pixel art.
Workflow tip: Demake or Dithering Studio a photo first to make it true pixel art, then upscale here to your final output resolution.
When to use which scale
2× — doubles resolution while keeping the file manageable. Good for sprite sheets you'll process further.
3× — useful for 8×8 sprites that need to be 24×24, or 16×16 → 48×48.
4× — the most common choice for sharing. 16×16 sprites → 64×64 px; 32×32 → 128×128 px. Clearly pixel-art at any viewport size.
6× or 8× — print-ready exports, large display banners, conference visuals. An 8× upscale of a 64×64 tile becomes a 512×512 px image suitable for print at 72 dpi.
Use cases
Sprite export — enlarge individual sprites or tile sets to a size usable in game engines, UI kits, or asset packs.
Profile pictures & avatars — pixel-art PFPs need to be at least 200–400px to display clearly on social platforms. Upscale a 32×32 sprite 8× for a 256px PNG that stays crisp.
Print & merch — stickers, badges, and t-shirts need pixel art at high resolution. 4× or 8× scaling gives you a file large enough for most print-on-demand services.
Web display — browser scaling of small pixel art images via CSS can blur due to the rendering engine. Export a pre-scaled PNG instead for guaranteed crisp display.
FAQ
Why not scale2x, hqx, or xBR? Those algorithms modify pixels to smooth diagonal edges — great for emulators that want to hide pixel art's origin, but they fundamentally alter the art. Nearest-neighbor never adds or blends pixels.
What's the maximum output size? The tool warns if output exceeds 6000px on either dimension. Canvas operations at that size can be slow on lower-end hardware.
Can I use this on photographs? You can, but nearest-neighbor on photos looks jagged and blocky. It's designed for pixel art. Use a conventional image editor for photo enlargement.
Is my image uploaded? No. Everything runs locally in your browser.