Plan a Grid That Scales

Lesson 5 of 6 · Intermediate · 6 min

What you will make
A sheet laid out as a row or a grid, chosen deliberately, with the arithmetic checked.

Your progress0 / 6

Lesson checklist

Compare your own work with these checkpoints. Check each one when your result is ready.

I can state the width and height of both layouts without guessing.Every cell is 16 by 16, whichever layout I use.I chose a row or a grid on purpose, not by accident.

0 of 3 checked

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This lesson's project

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Recalculate your sheet for a row and for a two-by-two grid, and confirm both give the same four frames.

Practice in the editor

Open a 64 × 16 practice canvas with lesson examples and onion skin enabled. Your work saves automatically to My projects.

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Starter files and backup import

Follow the steps

Move between sheet layouts: rows, columns, and when each one wins.

Start with: A finished four-cell strip.

1
Work out both totals
For four frames of 16 by 16: a row is 64 by 16, and a two-by-two grid is 32 by 32. Both are 1024 pixels total, which is a useful sanity check.
Two valid layouts, same pixel count.
2
Prefer a row for short loops
A row of four is the easiest layout to read by eye, and it matches how most engines slice a single strip. Use it for walks, hops and idles.
A row chosen for this loop.
3
Prefer a grid for large sets
Eight or sixteen frames get tall as a row. A four-by-four grid of 16 by 16 cells keeps the file closer to a square, which many tools handle better.
A grid chosen for anything past about six frames.
4
Never change the cell size
You may rearrange cells freely, but the cell itself must stay 16 by 16 in every position. A single 17-pixel cell makes the whole sheet unslicable.
A fixed 16 by 16 cell across the sheet.

See the technique

Four flat cells

The same four, finished

A sheet is cell size times frame count, on whichever axis you choose. Four 16 by 16 frames fit a 64 by 16 row or a 32 by 32 two-by-two grid, and both slice back to the same four sprites.

Learning notes and references

Multiply cell size by frame count for both axes to size a sheet.
Choose a single row, a grid, or a long strip for a given frame count.
Keep the cell size constant, since the engine slices by that number.

8×8 vs 16×16 vs 32×32 Pixel Art Sprite Sheet Guide

Follow the steps

Move between sheet layouts: rows, columns, and when each one wins.

Start with: A finished four-cell strip.

Work out both totals

For four frames of 16 by 16: a row is 64 by 16, and a two-by-two grid is 32 by 32. Both are 1024 pixels total, which is a useful sanity check.

Two valid layouts, same pixel count.

Prefer a row for short loops

A row of four is the easiest layout to read by eye, and it matches how most engines slice a single strip. Use it for walks, hops and idles.

A row chosen for this loop.

Prefer a grid for large sets

Eight or sixteen frames get tall as a row. A four-by-four grid of 16 by 16 cells keeps the file closer to a square, which many tools handle better.

A grid chosen for anything past about six frames.

Never change the cell size

You may rearrange cells freely, but the cell itself must stay 16 by 16 in every position. A single 17-pixel cell makes the whole sheet unslicable.

A fixed 16 by 16 cell across the sheet.