Pixel art CRT preview
Preview pixel art through a CRT-style screen and compare raw pixels with scanlines, glow, and soft display blending.
Pixel art input
Pixel art does not behave like a normal photograph under CRT treatment. One softened pixel can change an eye, a mouth, an icon, or the edge of a readable letter. This page exists to help artists and game developers decide whether a CRT look improves the actual art. It is not about making every image look retro. It is about comparing raw pixels with a filtered screen output before the style becomes part of a project or a published screenshot.
The raw preview preserves the hard grid and exact color placement. The CRT preview adds scanlines, mask texture, softness, and glow. Seeing both at once is important because memory is unreliable when judging small details. A sprite can look charming in isolation and lose its expression once softened. A dithered shadow can look harsh raw and richer after light blending. The comparison turns that argument into something visible.
Pixel zoom helps you inspect small art without changing the original file. It is useful for catching whether eyes, item icons, tiny UI glyphs, or one-pixel highlights still read after filtering. Zoom should not be mistaken for the final audience view. After inspecting the details, judge the CRT version at the size where players or viewers will actually see it. A filter that looks dramatic at high zoom may be too loud at real size.
Softness can make pixel art feel closer to an analog display, but it also has the highest risk of erasing shape language. Small sprites need a lighter touch than full scenes. If a character face, weapon silhouette, cursor, or UI symbol starts to blur into nearby colors, reduce softness before changing the other settings. Scanlines and mask texture can be adjusted after the core shapes still read.
Scanlines add vertical rhythm and can make a scene feel like it is being viewed on a screen instead of as raw asset data. Mask strength adds phosphor-like texture. These settings should be judged against the art's final size and contrast. A strong mask can look attractive on a large screenshot but make a 16x16 item icon noisy. Treat the controls as display simulation, not as a universal improvement layer.
A side-by-side export is useful for review because it keeps the decision visible. You can share it with a teammate, attach it to an issue, or compare a new preset against an older one. The exported comparison should include the current pixel zoom, softness, scanline, and mask values. That makes the file a record of a choice, not just a pretty filtered image.
Pixel art decisions should be made at the scale where the art will be seen. A 16x16 icon may look charming when enlarged in the browser, but the final game might show it much smaller. A large background scene may tolerate stronger scanlines because the important forms are bigger. After using zoom to inspect details, mentally return to the player or viewer's final distance and decide from there.
Dithering is one of the reasons CRT treatment can help pixel art. Alternating colors may blend into a smoother shadow or gradient. The risk is that the same blending can flatten intentional texture or make two materials look too similar. Compare areas with dithered shadows, water, fog, and skin tones. If the CRT view creates useful intermediate color, keep it. If it erases material difference, reduce softness or mask strength.
For game teams, the comparison export is useful because it keeps the discussion concrete. Instead of saying a filter is too strong, a teammate can point to the exact sprite, icon, or background area that changed. Keep a few exports with different settings and compare them beside gameplay footage. The right preset is usually the one that causes the fewest readability objections while still supporting the art direction.
A good result preserves the identity of the art. The character should still read, UI symbols should still be recognizable, and important color groupings should not collapse into a single glow. The CRT layer can change the feeling of the display, but it should not rewrite the drawing. If the raw version communicates better, keep the raw version or make the CRT option lighter.
No. The uploaded image is used for browser preview and comparison export only.
Softness, scanlines, and mask texture can visually blend tiny shapes. Reduce softness first when small features stop reading.
No. Use the comparison to decide. Crisp modern pixel art, small UI, and exact asset previews may work better raw.