Article first published on my personal blog at HIVE. (Spanish Original)
Hello friends and all the artists and lovers of #pixelart. A few months ago, when I decided to learn pixel art, I was looking for a tool that was easy, simple, and, above all, that I could use on my phone. To learn and follow tutorials, I still use Aseprite, which in my opinion is one of the best alternatives for desktop environments. After trying several applications, I decided on Pixel Studio, an app that I have loved for its lightness and fluidity. Today, I want to share with you a small review and why I think it stands out above the rest.
The first thing that caught my attention about Pixel Studio is that it is an indie project, developed in Unity practically by a single person, which is another reason to download it and support the creator.
Polished Interface
Without a doubt, the simplicity and care of the user interface catch your eye from the first moment. It doesn't overwhelm us with an endless array of tools but allows us to adapt it to our taste and workflow. However, this apparent simplicity does not sacrifice functionality at any time; everything is in its proper place with a myriad of tools common to other programs of this style and perfectly sized for touch devices. Perhaps the weak point is in the order and distribution, which do not follow a logical sequence, but it doesn't detract from the app because, after a few minutes, we get used to this arrangement. The options for navigating the canvas are very well achieved, allowing us to use buttons or our fingers.
It Has Everything
As I mentioned, Pixel Studio has all the tools to create pixel art professionally and that are common to this type of application. We are not missing tools like configurable brushes, color selectors, reflections, and basic shapes. A separate point is the layer management, something I found unintuitive in other alternatives, but here it is solved excellently, making the work and navigation between them very easy. Creating animations and sprite sheets is where the work gets a bit complicated, but nothing that makes it impossible or non-functional; it simply requires more advanced knowledge and practice. Exporting our results gives us a wide variety of formats, as well as the possibility to re-select dimensions, something I have found in few applications of this type.
UX
In one word, I could describe the user experience in this application as smooth. It does not present any type of lag or stuttering, responding quickly to user actions. The save and sync option is a marvel that will prevent us from losing hours of work. We can also visit its community, which is rich in guides and useful resources if you are starting in this world.
Recommendation
Without a doubt, this is an application I recommend: an easy, fast, and professional way to carry the possibility of creating pixel art with a high level of quality in your pocket. You can even work offline, so you have no excuse not to get creative and make true works of art.
Some of the pixel art created using the app
I sincerely want to thank you for taking the time to read this article. Your support means a lot to me and motivates me to continue sharing content that can be useful and interesting for you. If you found this article useful or enjoyed reading it, I would greatly appreciate your comments. Best wishes.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
I apologize if there are any grammatical errors, English is not my native language, I have tried to be as careful as possible.
I regularly create images on Pixabay, which are free of copyright. Access my gallery by clicking here.
All assets, illustrations and banners have been created by me and are original content, unless otherwise specified.
All screenshots and GIFs have been created by me. The app logo was obtained from its page on the app store.
