Import & export

Open Export

Use Ctrl + Shift + E. Choose the format, scope, crop and scale before exporting. Current Animation is the natural scope when you are inside an animation; Selected Frames and All Frames are useful for other tasks.

PNG and JPEG

PNG is useful for lossless artwork and transparency. JPEG is lossy and does not preserve alpha; choose an intentional background for transparent regions. Save your .pxst master separately.

GIF and animated GIF

Choose GIF animation and include multiple frames to export a moving image. The exported frame sequence follows the chosen range and per-frame timing. GIF uses a limited color table and one-bit transparency, so it cannot preserve all RGBA colors or partial alpha exactly.

GIF timing is expressed in hundredths of a second. Verify very short holds in the viewer where the image will be used, because viewers can impose their own minimum delay.

WebP

Use the still or animated WebP export as appropriate. Animated WebP can retain transparent regions and frame timing. Confirm that the destination application supports animated WebP before choosing it over GIF or a PNG sequence.

MP4 video

MP4 uses intra-frame H.264 and the animation’s actual frame durations. It does not include audio or transparency. Choose an output background and add audio separately in a video editor. Intra-frame encoding can produce large files.

Output dimensions must be even and at least 16 pixels. The build limits MP4 to 2,048 frames and 512 MiB, with additional size and rate checks. Use integer enlargement for pixel art and retain a lossless image sequence when exact pixel values matter.

Sprite sheets and PNG sequences

A sprite sheet puts multiple frames into one image and can include timing/layout metadata. A PNG sequence writes separate frame images. Check the selected animation or frame set and the output naming before exporting.

Layer and frame export

Export controls can target the current animation, selected frames or all frames, and can export layer-based output. Confirm visibility, the intended layers and grouping options before the export. Masks participate in the visible composite.

Crop and scale

Crop defines the exported region. Scale changes its output resolution. Integer enlargement preserves a sharp pixel grid. Preview the region and confirm the final dimensions so that an off-center subject is not unintentionally cut off.

Image → Pixel Art

Use File → Image → Pixel Art to convert an image using pixel and palette settings. Compare the source and converted result side by side. Configure target pixel dimensions, palette source, maximum colors, dithering, transparency and brightness/contrast/saturation as needed.

The current-project palette can constrain the result, or you can extract a palette from the image. Save a reusable preset when you have settings you want to repeat. Apply to a new file or appropriate layer using the available action.

GIF import

Use Import GIF Animation to bring a GIF into a Pixel Studio animation. The importer carries frame timing into the native animation. Review playback, then save a native file so later edits keep Pixel Studio’s layer and animation data.

Other output formats

The export dialog also lists BMP, TGA, QOI, Windows icon and animated PNG. These outputs do not retain the complete editable project. Keep your native .pxst file alongside exports.

SVG import becomes pixels

Open an SVG and choose the output pixel dimensions in Rasterize SVG. The result is raster artwork, not editable vector paths. SVG import requires Windows 10 version 1703 or newer and is limited to 16 MiB UTF-8 input.

The renderer accepts a restricted subset of shapes, paths, gradients and local references. Convert text to paths and simplify unsupported effects first. External images, stylesheets, scripts, DTDs and entities are not supported. Embedded PNG/JPEG images have a 4 MiB limit; external resources are not fetched. SVG export is not offered in the current export dialog.