# Pixel art cleaner: snap AI art to its true grid

This page: https://www.teleplay.ai/tools/pixel-art-cleaner
Updated: 2026-11-04

## Quick answer

Image models draw something that looks like pixel art but isn't: soft edges, thousands of colors and a grid that wanders. This tool finds the grid the picture was meant to sit on, reads each block as one color, cuts the palette to the size you choose and gives you a clean PNG. It all happens in your browser.

## Games made on Teleplay

- [Moonlit Acorns](https://www.teleplay.ai/play/moonlit-acorns-7fefc83a): Platformer
- [Spellbump Skies](https://www.teleplay.ai/play/spellbump-skies-c0537617): Platformer
- [The Lost Relic of Aethelgard](https://www.teleplay.ai/play/the-lost-relic-of-aethelgard-7684a977): Platformer

## Clean a picture

This tool runs on the page itself: https://www.teleplay.ai/tools/pixel-art-cleaner

## How to use it

1. **Add a picture** Drop a PNG, JPEG or WebP. Sprites and small scenes work best. A photo has no grid to find.
2. **Check the grid** If the status says the grid was found, the block size is set for you. If it wasn't, move the block slider until the blocks line up with the drawing.
3. **Choose how many colors** Sixteen is a good start. Go lower for a harder, more retro look; go higher if shading disappears.
4. **Download** The PNG is enlarged by a whole number, so every art pixel stays a clean square.

## What it does to your picture

| Problem in AI pixel art | What the tool does |
| --- | --- |
| Blocks that aren't the same size | Finds the block size along both axes, band by band |
| A grid that drifts across the picture | Lets each band of rows or columns shift a little |
| Soft edges between blocks | Reads one color per block, so edges become hard |
| Thousands of near-identical colors | Picks a palette in Lab color space and maps every block to it |
| Half-transparent fringes | Makes each block either clear or solid |

This is the same code that cleans the drawings in Teleplay's pixel-art games, running here on your machine.

## Questions

**Is my image uploaded?**

No. The picture is read and cleaned by code running in this tab. Nothing about it is sent to us or stored.

**Why was no grid found?**

The picture may not be pixel art at all, or its blocks may be too small or too uneven. Set the block size by hand and judge the result by eye.

**What is the largest image it takes?**

4,096 pixels on the longest side. A larger one is refused, because shrinking it first would blur the grid the tool is trying to find.

**Does it work on photos?**

It will turn a photo into blocks, but that is pixelation, not a cleanup. A good result depends on the art being drawn on a grid.

**Can I keep transparency?**

Yes. A block that is mostly clear stays clear, and the PNG keeps its transparency.

## Read next

- [GLB viewer: open a model, see what is in it](https://www.teleplay.ai/tools/glb-viewer)
- [Free game art tools that run in your browser](https://www.teleplay.ai/tools)
- [AI platformer game maker: from a sentence to a level you can jump through](https://www.teleplay.ai/guides/ai-platformer-game-maker)
- [AI game making glossary](https://www.teleplay.ai/glossary)
- [Teleplay Studio](https://www.teleplay.ai/studio)