Converting a pixel-art sprite sheet into an animated GIF for your Divoom display comes down to three steps: choose a tool to slice the frames, set the GIF dimensions to match your device's LED panel exactly, and import the result through the Divoom app. Whether you are working with a Pixoo-64 and its 64x64 grid, a Pixoo Max with a 128x128 panel, or a Ditoo-Pro at 16x16, the workflow is the same — only the target pixel count changes.
You have already spent time drawing each frame of your sprite sheet. Now you want to see it animate on a physical display. The good news is that tools like Aseprite, Piskel, and even free online converters can handle the job. The part that trips people up is the export settings, because a GIF that plays perfectly on a computer screen will fail silently on a Divoom device if the dimensions, frame count, or file size are off.
The video above shows what pixel art looks like on a Divoom display in a real desk setup. The rest of this article walks through the specific steps to get your sprite sheet from a static PNG into an animated GIF that your device can play.
What You Need Before You Start
Before you open any tool, make sure you have these four things ready:
- A sprite sheet in PNG format. The frames should be arranged in a horizontal row or a uniform grid, with each frame the same width and height in pixels.
- A pixel animation tool. Aseprite, Piskel, or an online converter like ezgif.com. The choice depends on whether you want a full editor or a one-time conversion.
- Your Divoom device and the latest version of the Divoom app. The app handles the transfer from your phone to the display over Bluetooth or WiFi.
- Your device's screen resolution. This is the single most important number. The GIF must match it exactly.
Step 1 — Choose Your Sprite Sheet Tool
Aseprite
Aseprite is the most popular pixel-art animation tool in the indie game and pixel art community. It costs about $20, but it gives you full control over frame timing, onion skinning, and palette management.
How to import a sprite sheet: Open Aseprite, go to File → Import Sprite Sheet, select your PNG file, and enter the frame width and height. Aseprite will slice the sheet into individual frames on the timeline.
How to export as GIF: Go to File → Export, choose GIF as the format, set the frame delay (in milliseconds), and click Export. The output file is a standard GIF89a that the Divoom app can read.
Piskel
Piskel is a free browser-based pixel art editor that runs at piskelapp.com. No installation required, which makes it a good option if you only need to do this once.
How to import a sprite sheet: Click the import icon, choose "Import from file" or "Import from URL", then set the frame size. Piskel will split the sheet into frames automatically.
How to export as GIF: Click Export → GIF, adjust the frame rate slider, and set the scale. Download the file when ready.
Online Converters
If you do not need a full animation editor and just want to convert a sprite sheet PNG into a GIF, ezgif.com/sprite-sheet-to-gif is the most flexible option. Upload your PNG, enter the frame width and height, set the frame delay, and click "Make a GIF". No account required.
Step 2 — Set the Right Pixel Dimensions for Divoom
This is where most conversions fail. Every Divoom device has a fixed LED panel, and your GIF must match the panel resolution exactly. A 256x256 GIF will not display correctly on a 64x64 Pixoo-64 without being resized first.
| Device | Screen Resolution | GIF Pixel Size | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixoo-64 | 64 x 64 LED | 64 x 64 px | WiFi + Bluetooth |
| Pixoo Max | 128 x 128 LED | 128 x 128 px | WiFi + Bluetooth |
| Ditoo-Pro | 16 x 16 LED | 16 x 16 px | Bluetooth |
The critical rule: resize the GIF to the device's native resolution before exporting. If your sprite sheet frames are 32x32 and you are targeting a Pixoo-64, scale them up to 64x64 using nearest-neighbor interpolation (not bilinear or bicubic, which will blur pixel art). Most pixel-art tools default to nearest-neighbor, but double-check the setting.
The Pixoo-64's 64x64 canvas is the most versatile size for sprite sheet animations in the Divoom lineup.Step 3 — Export Settings That Work
Once the frames are sliced and resized, the export settings determine whether the Divoom app will accept the file. Here are the settings that consistently work:
- Pixel dimensions: Exact match to your device (64x64, 128x128, or 16x16).
- Frame rate: 8 to 12 frames per second. Pixel art animations look natural at lower frame rates, and this keeps the file small.
- Color palette: Reduce to 32 or 64 colors. Full 256-color palettes increase file size without visible improvement on LED panels.
- Total frames: Keep it under 30 frames. More frames mean a larger file, and the app may only process the first frame if the count is too high.
- File size: Aim for under 5 MB. Files over 10 MB may time out during the Bluetooth or WiFi transfer.
- Format: Standard GIF89a. Do not export as APNG or WebP with a .gif extension.
If your GIF exceeds 5 MB after export, open it in ezgif.com/optimize and reduce the color count or drop every other frame. This two-step compression usually brings the file under the limit without visible quality loss.
Step 4 — Import the GIF into the Divoom App
With the GIF file saved to your phone's photo gallery or file manager, the import process is straightforward:
- Open the Divoom app on your iOS or Android device.
- Select your connected device from the home screen.
- Navigate to the Gallery or Custom Art section.
- Choose "Import" or "Add from album" and select your GIF file.
- Preview the animation in the app to confirm all frames play correctly.
- Tap "Send to device" and wait for the transfer to complete.
If the animation plays on the device, you are done. If it shows as a static image or fails to import, the issue is almost certainly one of the common mistakes below.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Mistake 1: Wrong pixel dimensions
Symptom: The GIF uploads but appears cropped, stretched, or blurry on the device.
Fix: Resize the GIF to the exact device resolution before exporting. A 128x128 GIF will not fit a 64x64 Pixoo-64 without being scaled down first. Use nearest-neighbor scaling in your pixel art tool to preserve crisp edges.
Mistake 2: Too many frames or file too large
Symptom: The app accepts the file but only shows the first frame, or the upload stalls with no progress.
Fix: Reduce the frame count to 20 or fewer and compress the file below 5 MB. Remove unnecessary frames, reduce the color palette, or increase the frame delay slightly to lower the total data.
Mistake 3: Sprite sheet not properly sliced
Symptom: The GIF animation shows misaligned frames, extra pixels on the edges, or the wrong portion of each frame.
Fix: Check that the frame width and height you entered in the import step match the actual sprite sheet layout. If your sheet has 8 frames of 64x64 pixels arranged horizontally, the total width should be 512 pixels (8 × 64). Entering the wrong slice size will shift all frames out of alignment.
Free Tools Comparison
Here is how the four most common sprite sheet tools compare for this specific workflow:
| Tool | Price | Platform | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aseprite | ~$20 | Desktop | Full animation editing |
| Piskel | Free | Browser | Quick browser editing |
| LibreSprite | Free | Desktop | Open-source alternative |
| ezgif.com | Free | Browser | One-time conversion |
If you create pixel art regularly, Aseprite is worth the investment for its timeline editor and palette management. For a one-off conversion, ezgif.com is the fastest path from sprite sheet to Divoom-ready GIF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a horizontal or vertical sprite sheet?
Yes. Both Aseprite and ezgif.com support horizontal, vertical, and grid layouts. You just need to tell the tool how many columns and rows your sheet has, or enter the individual frame width and height.
What frame rate works best for Divoom pixel animations?
8 to 12 frames per second is the sweet spot for pixel art on LED displays. Lower frame rates keep the file small and look natural for pixel art. Higher frame rates increase file size without a visible improvement on a 64x64 or 16x16 panel.
Can I use a GIF larger than 64x64 on the Pixoo-64?
No. The Pixoo-64 has a physical 64x64 LED panel. Your GIF needs to be exactly 64x64 pixels to display correctly. Resize it before exporting from your animation tool.
Where can I find the official Divoom product manual?
The official Divoom product manual is available at divoom.com/pages/product-manual. If your GIF import issue persists after following the steps above, the manual may have device-specific troubleshooting.
Once your sprite sheet GIF is playing on your Divoom display, you can explore more custom art options in our complete guide to uploading custom art to Divoom. If the import fails and you need to troubleshoot, our GIF import troubleshooting guide covers the most common failure points. For more display options, browse the pixel display collection.
