How to Upscale Pixel Art in Aseprite

Upscaling pixel art in Aseprite involves increasing the dimensions of your canvas and pixels. The most common method for maintaining crisp pixels is using the Nearest Neighbor interpolation when resizing.

Here's how you can upscale your pixel art in Aseprite, covering both the entire sprite and specific selections:

Method 1: Resizing the Entire Sprite

This method lets you change the dimensions of your entire artwork and canvas simultaneously.

1. Navigate to the Menu: Go to the Edit menu.
2. Select Sprite Size: Choose the Sprite Size menu option.
3. Enter New Dimensions: A dialog box will appear. Enter the desired width and height in pixels. To double the size, multiply the current dimensions by 2, 3, etc.
4. Choose Scale: Ensure the "Scale" option is checked.
5. Select Algorithm: Critically for pixel art, choose Nearest Neighbor from the Algorithm dropdown. This prevents blurring and creates clean, larger pixels.
6. Confirm: Click the OK button to apply the changes.

• Note: As the reference states, resizing the sprite using the Edit > Sprite Size menu option resizes all slices accordingly, changing their position and size.

Method 2: Resizing a Selection

If you only need to upscale a specific part of your artwork, you can do so using selections and transformation tools.

1. Make a Selection: Use any selection tool (e.g., Rectangular Marquee, Elliptical Marquee, Lasso, Magic Wand) to select the area you want to upscale.
2. Activate Transform: Select the Move Tool (keyboard shortcut M) or the Transform Tool (keyboard shortcut Shift+T). Using the Transform Tool usually provides more options like rotation and skewing, but both allow scaling with handles.
3. Use Handles: Once the selection is active and you have a transformation tool selected, you will see handles around the selection boundary.
4. Drag Handles: Click and drag these handles to resize the selection. Hold down Shift while dragging a corner handle to maintain the aspect ratio.
5. Confirm Transformation: Press Enter or click the green checkmark to apply the transformation.

• Tip: Ensure your interpolation mode is set correctly in Aseprite's Preferences (Edit > Preferences > Editor > Pixel Art > Interpolation). Setting this to Nearest Neighbor globally or checking options within the transform tool settings (if available) will help maintain pixel integrity when resizing selections.

Important Considerations for Upscaling Pixel Art

• Interpolation: Always prioritize Nearest Neighbor interpolation. Other methods like Bilinear or Bicubic will blend pixels, resulting in a blurry or muddy look that defeats the purpose of crisp pixel art.
• Scaling Factor: Upscaling by integer factors (2x, 3x, 4x, etc.) usually gives the cleanest results with Nearest Neighbor, as each original pixel becomes a perfect block of 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 pixels.

By using these methods, you can effectively upscale your pixel art in Aseprite while preserving its distinctive look.