# Pixel Art

Make pixel art in era palettes such as NES, Game Boy and PICO-8.

- Repository: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent (259479 stars)
- Category: Design
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: yes, review before use

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add NousResearch/hermes-agent --skill pixel-art -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add NousResearch/hermes-agent --skill pixel-art -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add NousResearch/hermes-agent --skill pixel-art -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add NousResearch/hermes-agent --skill pixel-art -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Pixel art w/ era palettes (NES, Game Boy, PICO-8).

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Pixel Art

Convert any image into retro pixel art, then optionally animate it into a short
MP4 or GIF with era-appropriate effects (rain, fireflies, snow, embers).

Two scripts ship with this skill:

- `scripts/pixel_art.py`, photo → pixel-art PNG (Floyd-Steinberg dithering)
- `scripts/pixel_art_video.py`, pixel-art PNG → animated MP4 (+ optional GIF)

Each is importable or runnable directly. Presets snap to hardware palettes
when you want era-accurate colors (NES, Game Boy, PICO-8, etc.), or use
adaptive N-color quantization for arcade/SNES-style looks.

## When to Use

- User wants retro pixel art from a source image
- User asks for NES / Game Boy / PICO-8 / C64 / arcade / SNES styling
- User wants a short looping animation (rain scene, night sky, snow, etc.)
- Posters, album covers, social posts, sprites, characters, avatars

## Workflow

Before generating, confirm the style with the user. Different presets produce
very different outputs and regenerating is costly.

### Step 1, Offer a style

Call `clarify` with 4 representative presets. Pick the set based on what the
user asked for, don't just dump all 14.

Default menu when the user's intent is unclear:

```python
clarify(
    question="Which pixel-art style do you want?",
    choices=[
        "arcade, bold, chunky 80s cabinet feel (16 colors, 8px)",
        "nes, Nintendo 8-bit hardware palette (54 colors, 8px)",
        "gameboy, 4-shade green Game Boy DMG",
        "snes, cleaner 16-bit look (32 colors, 4px)",
    ],
)
```

When the user already named an era (e.g. "80s arcade", "Gameboy"), skip
`clarify` and use the matching preset directly.

### Step 2, Offer animation (optional)

If the user asked for a video/GIF, or the output might benefit from motion,
ask which scene:

The rest: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/blob/HEAD/optional-skills/creative/pixel-art/SKILL.md