/pixel-new

description: Create a new pixel art sprite with optional size and palette presets
argument-hint: [size] [palette]
allowed-tools: Read, Bash, mcp__aseprite__create_canvas, mcp__aseprite__set_palette

/pixel-new - Quick Sprite Creation

Creates a new pixel art sprite with optional presets for size and palette.

Usage

/pixel-new [size] [palette]

Arguments

**size** (optional): Canvas dimensions or preset name

• Presets: icon, small, medium, large, tile, gameboy, nes
• Custom: WIDTHxHEIGHT (e.g., 64x64, 128x96)
• Default: 64x64

**palette** (optional): Color palette preset

• retro, nes, gameboy, c64, cga, snes, custom
• Default: RGB (no palette limit)

Examples

/pixel-new
→ Creates 64x64 RGB canvas

/pixel-new icon
→ Creates 32x32 RGB canvas

/pixel-new gameboy gameboy
→ Creates 160x144 canvas with Game Boy 4-color palette

/pixel-new 128x128 nes
→ Creates 128x128 canvas with NES palette

/pixel-new tile retro
→ Creates 16x16 canvas with retro 16-color palette

Size Presets

• **icon**: 32x32 (for icons, small sprites)
• **small**: 48x48 (characters, items)
• **medium**: 64x64 (default, versatile)
• **large**: 128x128 (detailed sprites, portraits)
• **tile**: 16x16 (tilemap tiles)
• **gameboy**: 160x144 (Game Boy screen resolution)
• **nes**: 256x240 (NES screen resolution)

Palette Presets

• **retro**: 16-color palette (generic retro aesthetic)
• **nes**: 54-color NES palette
• **gameboy**: 4-color Game Boy palette (#0f380f, #306230, #8bac0f, #9bbc0f)
• **c64**: 16-color Commodore 64 palette
• **cga**: 4-color CGA palette
• **snes**: 256-color SNES-style palette
• **custom**: Prompts for custom palette colors

Implementation

Parse arguments from $ARGUMENTS: 1. Extract size argument (first arg) 2. Extract palette argument (second arg) 3. Map size preset to dimensions or parse WxH 4. Create canvas with mcp__aseprite__create_canvas 5. If palette specified, set palette with mcp__aseprite__set_palette 6. Confirm creation with sprite info

Size Preset Mapping

icon     → 32x32
small    → 48x48
medium   → 64x64
large    → 128x128
tile     → 16x16
gameboy  → 160x144
nes      → 256x240

Palette Details

**retro** (16 colors):

• Generic retro palette with balanced colors
• Good for general pixel art without console constraints

**nes** (54 colors):

• Official NES/Famicom palette
• Use indexed color mode
• Typically limit to 4 colors per sprite for authenticity

**gameboy** (4 colors):

• #0f380f (darkest green)
• #306230 (dark green)
• #8bac0f (light green)
• #9bbc0f (lightest green)

**c64** (16 colors):

• Commodore 64 fixed palette
• Distinctive colors with high saturation

**cga** (4 colors):

• Classic IBM CGA palette
• High contrast, limited colors

**snes** (256 colors):

• SNES-style palette with rich colors
• Supports smooth gradients and detailed sprites

**custom**:

• Prompts user for custom colors
• Ask for number of colors and hex values

Validation

**Size validation:**

• If preset name, map to dimensions
• If WxH format, parse width and height
• Ensure dimensions are 1-65535
• Reject invalid formats

**Palette validation:**

• Check if preset exists
• For custom, validate hex color format
• Ensure palette is appropriate for sprite size

Error Handling

**Invalid size:**

• "Invalid size format. Use a preset (icon, small, medium, large, tile, gameboy, nes) or WIDTHxHEIGHT (e.g., 64x64)"

**Invalid palette:**

• "Invalid palette. Choose from: retro, nes, gameboy, c64, cga, snes, custom"

**Dimensions out of range:**

• "Dimensions must be between 1 and 65535 pixels"

**Canvas creation fails:**

• Report MCP error and suggest checking Aseprite configuration

Notes

• If no arguments, create default 64x64 RGB canvas
• For retro palettes, use Indexed color mode
• For RGB mode, no palette needed
• Validate dimensions (1-65535)
• Provide helpful error messages for invalid input
• After creation, confirm canvas size and palette
• Use mcp__aseprite__get_sprite_info to verify creation

Command Flow

1. Parse $ARGUMENTS into size and palette 2. If no size, use default (64x64) 3. Map size preset to dimensions or parse WxH 4. Validate dimensions 5. Call mcp__aseprite__create_canvas with dimensions 6. If palette specified:

• Map palette preset to color list
• Call mcp__aseprite__set_palette with colors

7. Get sprite info to confirm 8. Report success with canvas details

Example Outputs

**Success with default:**

Created 64x64 RGB canvas.
Ready for pixel art creation!

**Success with presets:**

Created 160x144 canvas with Game Boy palette (4 colors).
Perfect for Game Boy-style sprites!

**Success with custom size and palette:**

Created 128x128 canvas with NES palette (54 colors).
Canvas ready with retro NES colors!