Drop Images on Canvas

Got a screenshot, reference, or existing sprite? Drag a PNG, JPEG, or WebP file directly onto the canvas. PixelZ adds it as a new layer in the current project.

How to do it

Open a project, then drag any image file from your file manager onto the editor canvas. A drop overlay appears while you hover. Release to import. Or choose File → Import → Import Image as Layer. A smaller image lands centered on the canvas.

Pixel-grid auto-detection

Most pixel art on the internet is upscaled — a 32×32 sprite saved as a 512×512 PNG so it looks crisp on screen. PixelZ detects this. When you drop an image, it analyzes the file and recovers the original pixel dimensions, then imports at the true resolution. A 512×512 upscaled sprite comes in as 32×32 pixels, not 512×512 of mush.

Each detected pixel becomes one cel pixel — clean and editable from the start. No manual downscaling, no Photoshop trip.

If the image is bigger than your canvas

PixelZ shows a dialog with two options:

• Resize to fit — scales the image down to your current canvas size and adds it as a layer
• Create new project — opens a brand-new project at the detected pixel dimensions (up to 1024×1024) and places the image inside

Limits

• Formats: PNG, JPEG, WebP
• Max 150 layers per project — extra drops are rejected once you hit the limit

For importing whole projects (.pixelz, .aseprite), see Import a Project.