1. The shortlist
| Instead of | Try | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop | Krita, GIMP, Photopea | Photopea runs in the browser and has a free tier with ads. |
| Substance Painter | ArmorPaint, Material Maker | Check each one's current price and licence. |
| Aseprite | LibreSprite, Piskel | Aseprite is paid, but its source is available for you to build. |
Full details and links are on our game dev tools page.
2. Our own free browser tools
- Pixel art sprite editor: quick sprites with no install.
- Normal map generator: a simple replacement for a basic Substance step.
- Seamless texture tiling previewer: check repetition.
- Image resizer for game textures.
3. Learn the look
Tools do not make style. For readable pixel art, see our PDF field guide. For game textures, read how to make game textures.
Questions
Yes. It has tiling mode, brushes and layers, and is free and open source.
Who wrote this
Imersa Studios builds the Unity systems, low poly packs and field guides sold on itch.io. The code and techniques here come from shipping those products. More about the studio.