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Introduction

Aseprite provides a comprehensive set of drawing tools designed specifically for pixel art and sprite creation. Each tool offers unique capabilities to help you bring your artistic vision to life.

Pencil & Brush

Freehand drawing with customizable brushes and dynamics

Selection Tools

Select, move, and transform regions of your artwork

Fill Tool

Flood fill areas with colors and patterns

Gradient

Create smooth color transitions and blends

Shape Tools

Draw rectangles, ellipses, and other geometric shapes

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Tool System Architecture

Aseprite’s tool system is built on several key components that work together:

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Controllers

Controllers manage user input and how strokes are captured:
  • Freehand: Follows mouse movement for natural drawing (used by Pencil, Brush)
  • TwoPoints: Defines shapes with start and end points (used by Line, Rectangle, Ellipse)
  • PointByPoint: Builds shapes point-by-point (used by Polygon)
  • OnePoint: Single-click tools (used by Magic Wand, Fill)

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Inks

Inks determine how colors are applied to the canvas:
  • Simple: Direct color application
  • Alpha Compositing: Blends with transparency
  • Copy: Overwrites existing pixels
  • Lock Alpha: Preserves transparency while painting
  • Shading: Uses color ramps for pixel art shading
  • Gradient: Creates smooth transitions between colors
  • Selection: Modifies selection boundaries
  • Eraser: Removes or replaces colors

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Intertwiners

Intertwiners define how points in a stroke connect:
  • None: Individual points only
  • AsLines: Connects points with lines
  • AsRectangles: Draws rectangular shapes
  • AsEllipses: Draws elliptical shapes
  • AsBezier: Creates curved Bezier paths
  • AsPixelPerfect: Removes redundant pixels for clean lines

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Common Features

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Brush Customization

All painting tools support customizable brushes:
1

Select Brush Size

Use [ and ] keys to decrease/increase brush size, or adjust in the context bar
2

Choose Brush Type

  • Circle: Round brush (default)
  • Square: Square brush
  • Line: Directional line brush
  • Custom: Import image as brush
3

Configure Dynamics

Enable pressure sensitivity, velocity, or random variations

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Tool Modifiers

Hold modifier keys while using tools to access additional functionality:
  • Shift: Snap to angles, constrain proportions
  • Ctrl/Cmd: Pick colors from canvas
  • Alt: Draw from center, modify selection modes
  • Space: Pan canvas while using tool

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Ink Modes

Change how tools apply color:
Ink ModeDescriptionShortcut
SimpleDirect painting with full opacity-
Alpha CompositingBlend with transparency-
CopyReplace pixels completely-
Lock AlphaPaint without changing transparency-
ShadingUse color ramps for shadingShift+R

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Workflow Tips

Keyboard ShortcutsQuickly switch between tools:
  • B - Pencil
  • M - Rectangular Marquee
  • G - Paint Bucket (Fill)
  • Shift+G - Gradient
  • U - Rectangle
  • Shift+U - Ellipse

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Drawing Techniques

  1. Pixel Perfect Mode: Enable for automatic line cleanup (Tools → Pixel Perfect)
  2. Symmetry Drawing: Use View → Symmetry Options for mirrored artwork
  3. Tiled Mode: View → Tiled Mode for seamless patterns
  4. Onion Skinning: View animation frames while drawing

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Performance Considerations

When working with large brushes or complex custom brushes:
  • Performance may vary with brush size
  • Custom image brushes are slower than geometric brushes
  • Dynamics (pressure, velocity) add computational overhead
  • Consider using simpler brushes for real-time drawing

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Next Steps

Explore each tool in detail:

Pencil & Brush

Selection

Fill

Gradient

Shapes

Advanced Features