Clean Up the Pixels
Make every pixel earn its place before you export.
Your result
A polished sprite with connected clusters, deliberate curves and a transparent border.
01What you will learn
- Spot isolated pixels and accidental edge bumps.
- Check readability at both working zoom and actual size.
- Protect transparency while cleaning the outline.
Start with: Your shaded slime. The optional starter deliberately includes stray pixels for cleanup practice.
02See the technique
Stray pixels and edge bumps
16 × 16 pixels
Every pixel has a reason
16 × 16 pixels
03Follow the steps
- 1
Inspect the empty space
Scan the checkerboard around the character. Erase any disconnected marks unless they are an intentional effect. For this first asset, keep the space around the slime completely empty.
No floating pixels outside the silhouette.
- 2
Walk around the edge
Follow the contour one pixel at a time. Remove accidental spikes and avoid pairs of touching diagonal pixels that make a curve look heavier in one spot. Compare the left and right sides without forcing perfect symmetry.
A smooth rhythm of stepped edges.
- 3
Remove unnecessary detail
Look at the sprite at a small zoom. If a highlight or dark dot no longer has a clear job, erase it or return it to the body color. Keep the eyes distinct from the highlight.
A face and body that read together at game size.
- 4
Save your clean version
Check that you did not paint a background while fixing the contour. Save and return to the lesson so the final export uses your latest pixels.
A clean, saved sprite ready to leave the editor.
04Practice in Pikanim
Polish your own shaded slime, or open the deliberately rough starter and find the stray pixels shown above.
Opens a 16 × 16 canvas with the lesson's starting pixels. Your work saves in the Workspace.
05Check your result
Compare your own work with these checkpoints. Check each one when your result is ready.
Progress saves in this browser. No account needed.
06Continue learning
Keep these references handy
Pixel Perfect Drawing
What 'pixel perfect' means in practice: clean corners, consistent pixel runs, no orphan pixels — the cleanup pass that separates amateur from crisp pixel art.
Pixel Art Shading Guide
Pixel art shading that reads: one light direction, connected shadow clusters, selective outlines and highlights placed where they tell a story.