pixelart

GitHub / PyPI

A simple pixel art helper for Minecraft.

Installation

Generally, the installation procedure is basically the same for all platforms. You can install pixelart directly using pip, which should come with modern Python versions. You need Python 3 in order to run this script.

Windows

  • Install Python 3. Be sure to install Tcl and Tk, if this appears in the installation, and to add Python to your PATH. (there should be a checkbox)
  • Open cmd. This can be done with the Start menu in modern Windows versions, or with the Run... menu.
  • Install with pip by executing the command pip install pixelart.
  • To use the gui, use the command pixelart-gui in the python prompt.

Linux

  • Install Python 3, numpy, and pillow, as well as Tcl and Tk if not yet installed.
  • Use pip to install, e.g. pip install pixelart.
  • To use the gui, use the command pixelart-gui in the python prompt. The command pixelart provides an interface usable in the shell.

OS X

  • Follow same instructions as Linux.

Usage

Now that you’ve installed pixelart, you need to also tell it where your Minecraft jar is. Currently, the script has only been tested on jars from Minecraft 1.11.x and 1.12.x. Older versions which put all the textures into one image are currently not supported.

You can also directly use a texture pack made for one of these recent versions of Minecraft, instead of finding the jar. However, this might mean (unless you use the faithful pack) that viewers of your pixel art won’t be able to view it with the right colors!

Finding your Minecraft jar

This really depends on which launcher you use, and the platform you are running on. If using the default launcher, it should be in:

  • %appdata%/.minecraft/versions/VERSION (Windows)
  • ~/.minecraft/versions/VERSION (Linux)

If you are using MultiMC, it should be in the installation directory, or somewhere else if you are using the AUR package.

Using the graphical interface

Now that you’ve found the minecraft jar, you can actually use the script.

  • Run pixelart-gui in the python prompt/shell, wherever you ran the pip command.
  • Click Select textures... and pick your Minecraft jar file or pre-extracted image directory.
  • Click Select image to pixelart... and pick the image you wish to convert.
  • Optionally, scale the image by specifying scaling values and pushing Scale. This will be the size of the image in blocks.
  • Set any desired options by clicking Options. (the defaults are usually ok)
  • Click Start! and enter the file name to save to.
  • Wait until processing is complete. A block report will be shown when the script is done processing the image. If you wish to keep this, currently you must take a screenshot.
  • Build your pixelart!

Using the command-line interface

The pixelart package also provides an interface usable in the system shell. Run pixelart -h to get the options. The same features are supported as in the graphical version, except the block report is saved to a file instead of being shown in the GUI.