You have a photo on your phone that would look perfect on your smart display. A logo from your favorite brand. A custom pixel art character you designed. A family photo that would make your desk feel more personal. The good news: you can upload all of these to your Divoom smart display through the official app.
The part that matters most is not the upload itself — it is preparing the artwork so it still looks clear after it becomes pixels on a real screen. For Times Gate, Times Frame, and Pixoo-64, the Divoom app handles the upload, but your design choices determine how good the result looks.
A smart display is a pixel canvas, not a phone screen. The strongest uploads use clear shapes, limited detail, strong contrast, and a design that fits the display's resolution.
Start with Pixel-Friendly Art
Before you open the app, look at the image you want to use. A portrait, logo, game character, or photo can work, but it should be simplified before it goes to a pixel display. Tiny text, thin lines, soft gradients, and crowded backgrounds usually get lost on the pixel grid.
For your first upload, choose something with one clear subject. A simple character, a high-contrast icon, a short word, or a cropped face is easier to judge than a full scene. If the design looks recognizable when you shrink it down on your phone, it has a better chance of working on the smart display.
First-upload rule: Test one simple image before you spend time refining a detailed animation. Once you know how your smart display handles color, contrast, and motion, the second design will be much easier.
Upload or Create Art Inside the Divoom App
Start from the official Divoom app. You can get it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. After your smart display is connected, look for the app area where you create, design, edit, upload, or apply pixel art and images. The exact labels can change by app version and device, so follow the creation or design workflow rather than looking for one exact button name.
There are two common approaches. You can start from a blank pixel canvas and draw directly in the app, or you can bring in an existing image or animation and adjust it until it fits your smart display. If your source file is too complex, simplify it first, then preview it on the device before saving it as a design you will reuse.
Preview It on the Real Screen
Your phone preview is useful, but the real test is your smart display. Send the design to the device, step back, and look at it from the distance where you normally use the product. A design that looks rough up close may look great on a desk across the room. A detailed photo that looks beautiful on your phone may look muddy on a pixel display.
Check three things after the first send: whether the subject is recognizable, whether the colors still separate clearly, and whether any motion feels smooth enough. If one of those fails, do not keep forcing the same file. Crop tighter, remove background detail, increase contrast, or simplify the important shape with fewer colors.
Match the Artwork to the Right Smart Display
The same artwork should not be treated the same way on every smart display. A large display can carry more detail. A multi-screen dashboard is better for widget-style layouts. Use the device as the filter for your design choices.
| Device | Best custom art fit | Use caution with |
|---|---|---|
| Times Gate | Widget-style layouts, data-focused designs, clock + weather combos, and dashboard visuals across five screens. | Full-screen artwork that needs to span across multiple separate displays. |
| Times Frame | Photo uploads, family images, landscape scenes, and designs meant to complement a digital photo frame. | Very small text and extremely detailed artwork that gets lost at a distance. |
| Pixoo-64 | Detailed pixel art, larger animations, room decor visuals, gaming-themed designs, and social counter layouts. | Photo-like detail that still needs simplification before it reads well as pixel art. |
Fix Common Upload and Display Problems
The image looks blurry or messy
Use fewer details. Crop closer to the subject, increase contrast, and avoid backgrounds that compete with the main shape. Pixel displays reward clarity more than realism.
The art looks cropped
Reframe the source image before sending it again. Keep the most important part near the center and leave extra breathing room around faces, text, and logos.
The animation feels too busy
Shorten the loop and reduce the number of moving parts. A good pixel animation usually has one main motion. If everything moves at once, the display can feel noisy.
The app cannot find the device
Make sure the device is powered on, your phone is near it, and the product is connected in the app before you try to send custom content. For model-specific setup help, use the official Divoom product manual page.
Divoom Times Gate
The landscape pixel dashboard with five independent screens, perfect for custom widget layouts and data-focused designs.
Explore Times Gate — $199.99
Divoom Times Frame
The smart digital photo frame that blends photo uploads with smart clock features and pixel art into one lifestyle display.
Explore Times Frame — $169.99
Divoom Pixoo-64
The large 64x64 pixel canvas that gives custom pixel art and animations more room to stay readable from across the room.
Explore Pixoo-64 — $159.99Frequently Asked Questions
Can I upload my own image to a Divoom smart display?
Yes, the Divoom app supports uploading custom images to Times Gate, Times Frame, and Pixoo-64. For best results, prepare the image as pixel-friendly art instead of sending a detailed photo unchanged.
Can I upload GIFs or animations to a smart display?
The Divoom app supports pixel art animations, but exact format support can depend on the app version and device model. Keep the first animation short, simple, and easy to recognize.
Which Divoom smart display is best for custom pixel art?
Pixoo-64 is the best fit when custom art is the priority because its larger 64x64 display gives designs more room. Times Gate is best for widget-style custom layouts, and Times Frame excels at photo uploads.
Why does my uploaded art look different on the smart display?
A phone screen and a pixel display render detail differently. If the design looks crowded, simplify the shape, crop closer, remove background detail, and test again on the actual device.
Where should I go if setup or upload still fails?
Use the official app store listing to update the app, then check the Divoom product manual page for model-specific support.
Make the First Upload Simple
The fastest way to learn custom art on your Divoom smart display is to send one simple design, look at it on the real screen, and adjust from there. Once you understand how your device handles detail, color, and motion, uploading your own art becomes less like guessing and more like building a small visual language for your desk, room, or gift setup.
