pixel-art-generation

name	pixel-art-generation
description	Use when generating pixel art sprites, animations, backgrounds, thumbnails, or processing sprite sheets for games. Triggers on requests like "create a sprite", "generate pixel art", "make game assets", "split sprite sheet", "remove background from sprite".

Pixel Art Generation with PixelForge

Use PixelForge MCP tools to generate and process pixel art game assets.

Tools Overview

Tool	When to Use
forge_sprite	Single sprite — character, item, icon, UI element
forge_animation	Animation frames — walk cycle, idle, attack, effects
forge_background	Full game background/scene — no processing applied
forge_thumbnail	Game thumbnail/screenshot — uses reference sprites
process_sprite	Post-process existing PNG — crop, bg removal, split

Background Removal — IMPORTANT

Always use background: "chromakey" for sprites and animations. This uses HSV-based green screen removal which is far more reliable than the old compositing equation approach.

• chromakey — BEST — pure green #00FF00, HSV-based removal, clean edges, no artifacts
• black / white — legacy compositing equation, can lose dark/light sprite pixels
• Other colors — fallback to compositing equation

Quick Start

Single Sprite

forge_sprite
  description: "green slime enemy with horns and glowing eyes"
  outputPath: "public/assets/games/rpg/slime.png"
  style: "neon"
  background: "chromakey"

Animation Frames (Reference Chain — Default)

forge_animation
  description: "green slime enemy"
  action: "bouncing up and down"
  frames: 4
  frameDescriptions: ["idle resting on ground", "compressing flat", "stretching upward", "at peak of bounce"]
  outputPrefix: "public/assets/games/rpg/slime"
  names: ["idle", "compress", "stretch", "peak"]
  style: "neon"
  background: "chromakey"

Reference chain mode (default): Generates frame 0 first, then uses it as a reference image for all subsequent frames. This ensures consistent proportions, colors, and style across all frames. Each frame is a separate API call.

To use the legacy sprite-sheet mode instead: useReferenceChain: false

Background

forge_background
  description: "deep space with stars, subtle neon grid on horizon, nebula wisps cyan and purple"
  outputPath: "public/assets/games/invaders/bg.png"
  aspect: "3:4"
  style: "neon"

Thumbnail (with style-matching references)

forge_thumbnail
  description: "space shooter, cyan spaceship vs rows of colorful aliens, dark space"
  outputPath: "public/assets/games/invaders/thumbnail.png"
  references: ["public/assets/games/invaders/ship.png", "public/assets/games/invaders/alien.png"]
  aspect: "4:3"

Animation Best Practices

1. Always provide frameDescriptions — explicit per-frame descriptions produce much better results than a generic action
2. Use chromakey background — prevents transparency artifacts
3. Reference chain is default — generates consistent frames by using frame 0 as reference
4. For inconsistent results, try useReferenceChain: false with useTemplate: true — grid template mode as fallback
5. Keep frame count reasonable — 3-4 frames per animation state is ideal

Style Presets

Style	Best For	Look
neon	Arcade, space, cyberpunk	Glowing, vibrant, dark outline
retro	Classic NES/arcade	8-bit, limited palette, chunky
gameboy	Monochrome	4-color green, dithered
snes	RPG, detailed	16-bit, rich colors, detailed shading
clean	Generic/versatile	Solid colors, dark outline

Model Selection

Alias	Speed	Quality	Notes
nano-banana	Fast	Good	Default — best balance
pro	Medium	Best	Best quality, use for hero assets
gemini-flash	Fast	Good	Good for quick iteration

Guidelines

1. Always use chromakey background for sprites and animations
2. forge_sprite and forge_animation auto-process — output is always cropped, transparent, and ready to use
3. forge_background outputs raw — no cropping, full size for game scenes
4. Use references for thumbnails — pass actual game sprites so thumbnail matches the game's look
5. After generating, verify with Read tool — Claude Code can display PNG files natively
6. Phaser sprite sizing — generated images are large (~1000px), always use setDisplaySize() in game code