A pixel art editor developed specifically for the Nintendo DS, inspired by YY-CHR.
Designed and tested to run on original Nintendo DS hardware. Emulator compatibility is not guaranteed, and emulator-specific issues are not a priority for this project.
If you want to run this app I recommend you to use TwilightMenu++ or unlaunch.
- Pixel art editor optimized for NDS hardware
- Multiple color depth support (2bpp to direct color)
- Retro console–oriented export formats
- Custom compact image format (
.acs) - Undo / Redo support
- Semi-transparent grid, zoom and scroll tools
- Copy/Cut/Paste image
- Copy/Paste palette
- 4 brush types and 4 brush sizes
- Shift canvas in all directions (with wrap-around)
- Palette editor with per-channel precision editing and copy/paste
- Color bucket — replace a palette index, an entire color across the image or just a zone
- File browser with preview and smooth scrolling
- Animation support
- A lot of image effects
- Crop and expand images
- Color reduction to N colors
- A few easter eggs hidden somewhere in the app
- DSi camera to take photos and use them as reference
- various keys shortcuts
- ARGV support
- Switch between DSi SD card or Flashcard
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| A | Zoom in |
| B | Zoom out |
| Y / R | Toggle grid |
| START | Return to bitmap mode and confirm changes |
| SELECT | Return to bitmap mode and cancel changes |
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| L / X + D-Pad | Scroll canvas |
| D-Pad | Change active palette entry |
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| SELECT + D-Pad | Edit palette color with precision |
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| ACS | Custom format (see below) |
| PNG | 8bpp, direct color |
| BMP | 4bpp, 8bpp, 24bpp |
| PCX | 8bpp |
| Platform | Color Depth |
|---|---|
| NES | 2bpp |
| Game Boy / GBC | 2bpp |
| GBA | 4bpp |
| SNES | 4bpp, 8bpp |
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
YY-CHR .pal |
Import / Export |
ARGB 1555 .pal |
Import / Export |
| NES | Hardcoded, only in NES mode |
Alfombra Compression System (ACS) is a custom image format designed to store pixel art efficiently, with fast read times suited for constrained hardware like the Nintendo DS.
It supports multiple color depths and compression commands tailored for pixel art patterns.
A-Pix DS includes basic animation support: add frames, delete frames and change playback speed
the app now is stable but pretty limited in this aspect.
Each frame must currently be exported individually,.gif export is not yet available.
- Maximum image size: 128×128 pixels (I plan to expand it)
- you can use Redo 80 times!
Discord: https://discord.gg/smJcPKfBBW
A huge thank you to the testers and feedback providers who helped shape A-Pix DS on real hardware:
- Doclic
- Pseudo
- Mowrious
- PypeBros
- icesan4096
- warg0scuro
- kirbosh
Your suggestions is what makes this app better!
Special thanks to:
- AntonioND – for creating BlocksDS, the amazing development kit that made this project possible.
Want to see your name here? Test the app and share your feedback!