PyDPainter

A usable pixel art program written in Python

About

PyDPainter, pronounced "Pied Painter" (like Pied Piper), is an attempt to create a usable pixel art program for modern computers in Python using PyGame. The original inspiration came from the Commodore Amiga version of Deluxe Paint released by Electronic Arts in 1985. Back then, Deluxe Paint helped define the user interface of a paint program with tool bars, menus, and the novel use of left and right mouse buttons for painting and erasing. After pixel art gave way to photo-realism and high-resolution 24 bit color, Deluxe Paint was largely forgotten for artistic work -- left behind in the ever-progressing march of technology.

Recently, with a resurgence of all things "retro," low-resolution pixel art and limited color palettes have become popular once again. Many tools to deal with this medium are either too complicated or too crude. This project is an attempt to bring back an old but reliable tool and enhance it with some features to help it better coexist in the modern world.

Download Latest Release

YouTube videos:

• Quick PyDPainter Demo
• PyDPainter 2.0 Trailer
• PyDPainter 2.1.0 Trailer
• PyDPainter 2.2.0 Trailer
• PyDPainter tutorial playlist

Ko-fi donation page: https://ko-fi.com/mriale

Facebook group: PyDPainter

Mastodon: @PyDPainter@mastodon.social

See RoadMap for current progress.

Documentation: Table of Contents

External Resources: External Links

PyDPainter Copyright (C) 2019-2026 Mark Riale<br> This program is licensed under the GPLv3 or later. See LICENSE file for more details.