Upscale Pixel Art Without Blurring

nearest-neighbour · 2× to 32× · perfectly crisp squares · batch

Every normal image resizer blurs pixel art, because interpolation is exactly the wrong idea when each pixel is a deliberate decision. This one duplicates pixels instead of blending them — a 32×32 sprite at 16× becomes a clean 512×512 image where every original pixel is a perfect square.

Why integer factors only

At a whole-number factor every source pixel maps to an exact block of output pixels — 4× gives each one a 4×4 square, and the grid stays perfectly regular. At a fractional factor like 2.5× some pixels would get a 2-wide block and others 3-wide, producing visibly uneven rows and columns. That unevenness is far more noticeable in pixel art than in a photograph, so this tool only offers integers.

If you need a specific output width that isn't a clean multiple, upscale to the next factor up and then pad or crop with Canvas size, rather than scaling to the awkward number directly.

What this is for

Sprite sheets and tilesets you want to inspect or present at a usable size. Game assets going into a store listing or a press kit. Small icons that need to appear in a slide deck without turning to mush. Retro screenshots for an article. Anywhere the pixel grid is part of the point.

Note that display is often the real fix: in CSS, image-rendering: pixelated makes a browser scale a small PNG this exact way with no new file at all. Upscaling to a file matters when you're handing the image to something that doesn't offer that control — a print workflow, a slide deck, a social platform, an app store.

For photographs and other continuous-tone images this is the wrong tool: the output will look blocky and harsh. Use Upscale, which interpolates smoothly.

FAQ