Thank you for using Pixel Lens!
Pixel Lens v1.2 will be released on September 15. This update adds four new features, from new ways to shape the look of your pixel art to tools that help you create your own artwork. If you already own Pixel Lens, the update is free.
New in v1.2
Palettes: limit the colors for a more authentic pixel-art look
Text Passthrough: keep small text readable
Presets: recall your favorite settings with one click
CLI program: convert images and videos to pixel art in batches
1. Palettes: fewer colors, more retro
Check "Palette" in the control panel to render the pixel art using only a fixed set of colors (a palette). Game Boy style, PICO-8 style, Windows 95 style: just limiting the colors instantly makes the picture look like a retro game screen.
38 palettes are included, so you can try popular classics from LOSPEC right away (the [N] in the list is the number of colors)
Blend (16 modes) and Opacity control how much the palette colors are mixed with the original colors
Choose between two types of Dither: Bayer gives a regular, halftone-like pattern, while error diffusion gives smooth gradients. The strength is adjustable too
To keep the pattern from flickering in videos, dithering on flat areas is stabilized
Add your own palettes. Put a single-row PNG (1 pixel = 1 color), such as those shared on lospec.com, in %APPDATA%\\PixelLens\\palettes\[/c] and restart the app to see it in the list
By default, the 64-color "resurrect-64" palette is lightly overlaid with Bayer dithering at 0.5 opacity, keeping the feel of the original image.
2. Text Passthrough: small text stays readable
Until now, small text such as subtitles, stream chat and game menus tended to get crushed and become unreadable when converted to pixel art.
Check "Raw Text" and the built-in AI finds the text on screen and shows just those areas at their original resolution, without pixelating them. The rest of the screen keeps its pixel-art look, while the text stays perfectly readable.
Text detection is done by the same AI, at the same time as the pixel-art conversion, so it adds almost no extra load
"Detection" adjusts how strongly text is detected. The higher it is, the more medium-sized text is also shown as-is
"Padding" adjusts how much of the area around the text is kept as-is
While you move either slider, the detected areas are highlighted in red, so you can see the effect as you adjust
It also applies to screenshots and to the virtual camera output
It works with text in many languages, including Japanese and English. However, some text, such as heavily stylized lettering, may be harder to detect. We will keep improving its accuracy.
3. Presets: your favorite settings in one click
With "Preset" at the top right of the control panel (just below the title bar), you can save all your settings at once and recall them instantly: Dot size, Sharpness, FPS, Palette and Raw Text. Save one for each purpose, such as "Anime", "Game streaming" or "Black-and-white manga", and switching between them takes a moment.
Save: click the save icon and enter a name
Recall: just pick one from the drop-down list
Delete: click the trash icon
If you change a setting after recalling a preset, the preset is automatically deselected. The preset itself is not overwritten, so don't worry. To keep your changes, save again under the same name
Presets are saved as files in %APPDATA%\\PixelLens\\presets\[/c], so they are easy to back up or share with friends. You can also use them as-is with the CLI program introduced next.
4. CLI program: convert images and videos to pixel art in batches
Pixel Lens now comes with pixellens-cli.exe, a conversion tool you use from the command line. Unlike the main app, which converts your screen in real time, this tool converts image files, folders of image sequences and video files on your computer to pixel art in batches. It's ideal for creators preparing assets for pixel-art work, or anyone who wants to take their time turning a video into pixel art.
Converts single images, image folders and videos (MP4 and more)
Use presets you saved in the app directly. Decide on the look on screen, then convert everything in one go
By default, output is written at actual size, 1 dot = 1 pixel, so you can edit it right away in pixel-art software. You can also export at an enlarged size, as seen on screen
Videos are exported in a format with no quality loss
Even if you stop a large conversion midway, you can resume where you left off
Conversion uses the CPU by default. Add --gpu for faster conversion on the GPU
Examples
# Convert an image folder using the preset "anime" saved in the app
pixellens-cli --input frames --output dots --preset anime
# Turn a video into pixel art with the PICO-8 palette
pixellens-cli --input clip.mp4 --output clip_dot.mp4 --palette pico-8
pixellens-cli.exe is in the same folder as the Pixel Lens app (PixelLens.exe). To open it, right-click Pixel Lens in your Steam library → "Manage" → "Browse local files"
Converting videos requires ffmpeg, installed separately
Run pixellens-cli --help to see all available options
How to update
The update will be delivered automatically through Steam. Your current settings will carry over as they are.
We'd love to hear what you think of the new features, and please feel free to report any bugs. We'd also be happy to see what you create, like "here's what I got with this palette" or "here's a preset I made".
Discord: https://discord.gg/wJJZABEbVs
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Thank you for your continued support of Pixel Lens!