Pixel art generator for Minecraft

How to use it

1. Choose an image from your device, or press the sample button.
2. Set the longest side in blocks. 32 to 64 is a good start.
3. Tick the block groups you want to use, and try dithering for photos.
4. Download the PNG as a guide and the CSV or copied list as a shopping list.

How the pixel art converter works

The tool does three things. First it shrinks your picture to the number of blocks you chose. The longest side gets that size and the other side follows the original proportions. Large pictures are halved step by step before the final resize, so the details do not break up.

Second, it matches every pixel to the closest block. The closeness is measured in the CIE Lab colour space, which follows how people see colour better than the plain red, green and blue values. A dark red will not be turned into a brown just because the numbers are close.

Third, if dithering is on, the tool uses the Floyd-Steinberg method. The small difference between the real pixel colour and the block colour is passed on to the neighbouring pixels, so the colour you cannot reach with one block is built from two or three that sit next to each other.

About the block colours

BlockShapes uses its own table of about a hundred blocks: the 16 colours of concrete, wool and terracotta plus common stone, wood, ore and decoration blocks. The values are approximate average colours that we entered by hand. They are not taken from the game files and no textures are used or shown. Real blocks have a pattern, so their look depends on the distance and the lighting, and texture packs can change it a lot.

For the cleanest results use concrete or wool. They have flat colours and a wide range, so the result looks like a picture and not like a patchwork. Terracotta adds muted shades that fill the gaps between them.

A worked example

You want a 32 by 32 logo for a wall. That is 1,024 blocks at most, or 16 stacks. If the logo uses four colours, you might need, for instance, 620 white concrete, 280 blue concrete, 90 red concrete and 34 black concrete. The materials list gives the exact numbers sorted by quantity, with a stack and remainder for each. For a 64 by 64 photo with dithering you will see a longer list with 30 or more block types. Remove groups you do not have to shorten it.

The total is always the number of non-transparent pixels. A square picture that is 64 wide needs 4,096 blocks. A 16 by 9 photo with a longest side of 128 is 128 by 72, which is 9,216 blocks, or 144 stacks.

Planning the build

• Guide lines. Turn on lines every 8, 16 or 32 blocks. They match the lines you can build with a torch or a coloured block on the ground and keep you from drifting.
• Work in strips. Build one row from left to right, or one column from top to bottom. Count each row against the picture.
• Collect first. Mine or craft all the blocks listed, sorted by the biggest quantities first.
• Use the PNG. The downloaded image is drawn with large squares. Keep it on a second screen or on your phone.
• Check the sizes. The world is 384 blocks tall in Java Edition 1.18 and later, so even a 128 block picture fits on a wall.

Choosing a good source picture

Flat, high contrast pictures work best: logos, icons, pixel characters, flags. For photos, crop close to the subject before you upload, because every block of background costs time. If the picture has a plain background, make it transparent or pick a block colour that matches it. Increase the contrast of dark pictures before you convert them, because dark blocks are much alike.

If the result looks muddy, try a smaller size first. A 32 block version of a good picture often looks better than a 128 block version of a noisy one, and it takes a fraction of the time.

Common mistakes

• Going too big. A 128 by 128 picture is 256 stacks. Try 48 or 64 first.
• Using dithering on a logo. It adds noise to flat areas. Turn it off for logos and text.
• Ignoring the survival limits. Concrete needs dye and concrete powder, and some metal blocks are expensive. Switch off the groups you cannot afford.
• Expecting an exact match. The colours are approximations. Place a few blocks first and compare them with the picture.

Related generators

Pixel art lives on a flat wall or floor, and a round frame sets it off. Use the circle generator to plan a frame or a round badge, and the ring generator for a raised border. Large pictures need hundreds of stacks, so the stack calculator helps you split the material list into chests.

Sources and notes

The size of a standard map (128 by 128 blocks at the default zoom) comes from the Minecraft Wiki, checked on 25 October 2026. The colour table is our own. BlockShapes is not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.