What features does PyDPainter offer for pixel art creation?

Updated

PyDPainter is a free, open-source pixel art program written in Python with PyGame, inspired by the Commodore Amiga version of Deluxe Paint. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux and is aimed at artists who want a Deluxe Paint-style workflow on modern computers. If you need classic pixel art tools plus animation and symmetry features, PyDPainter covers those areas; if you need advanced photo editing or vector tools, it is not that kind of program.

Core painting tools

PyDPainter provides a complete set of paint tools, so you can do standard pixel-by-pixel work without leaving the program. Beyond basic drawing, it includes several painting modes that change how color is applied:

  • Smear – pushes and drags existing pixels
  • Blend – mixes colors where you paint
  • Smooth – softens transitions between pixels
  • Additional painting modes are listed on the site as part of the complete tool set

These modes matter for shading, dithering, and blending limited palettes, which are common tasks in pixel art.

Animation and color features

  • Color Cycling Animation – animate by shifting palette colors rather than redrawing frames, a technique associated with Deluxe Paint-era art
  • Color gradient fills – fill areas with graded color transitions
  • Symmetry: mirror, tile, and cyclic – draw once and have the result repeated across axes or tiles, useful for patterns, sprites, and seamless textures

Workflow and usability

  • 256 levels of undo – enough history to experiment without losing earlier work
  • Easy-to-use interface with tooltips – the UI follows the toolbar-and-menu style that Deluxe Paint helped define, with hover hints for controls
  • Deluxe Paint III compatible – files and behavior align with that lineage, which helps if you are coming from the original tool

File format support

PyDPainter reads and writes a range of formats, including:

Format Notes
IFF Amiga-era interchange format
ANIM Amiga animation format
GIF Widely used for animated and static images
BMP Standard bitmap format
PNG Modern lossless format
and more Additional formats are supported per the site

This mix lets you import legacy Amiga artwork and export to formats usable on current systems.

Platform, licensing, and community

  • Runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux
  • Open source under GPLv3 (or later)
  • Community and updates are available through a Facebook group, GitHub, Twitter, Mastodon, and a Ko-fi donation page
  • Documentation, a gallery, downloads, and a forum are linked from the site
  • Video resources include a quick demo, version trailers (2.0, 2.1.0, 2.2.0), and a tutorial playlist

Who it is for

Choose PyDPainter if you want a Deluxe Paint-style pixel art tool with color cycling, symmetry, and broad file format support, and you prefer open-source software that runs on modern systems. Look elsewhere if your work depends mainly on high-resolution photo editing or vector graphics, since PyDPainter is built specifically for low-resolution pixel art and limited palettes.