About Hero Studio
Free pixel art character builder for indie game devs, hobbyists, and 2D animators. Pick a body template, swap parts, pose limbs, and export PNG sprites — all in your browser.
How to use
- Pick a body template — Hero (32x42 side-view, perfect for platformer protagonists), Chibi (20x24 front-view, ideal for top-down RPGs and visual novels), or Chibi HD (80x96, four times the resolution for higher-detail portraits). Each template has its own rig spec, so parts drawn for one template won't fit another — pick before you start building.
- Choose a Style preset (Hero, Ninja, Robot, or Zombie) to fill the whole part library with matching limbs. Click any individual part in the library to swap just that limb — mix a Robot head onto a Hero body, or give your Zombie a Ninja's outfit. The Random Parts button shuffles parts while keeping your current pose intact.
- Drop your own PNG onto any Custom Parts slot to override the library art. Click the Drawing Template export to get a transparent reference sheet at exact pixel dimensions — paint over the silhouettes in Aseprite, Piskel, or Photoshop, then drop your finished part back in. Click the small × on a filled slot to revert to the library art.
- Pose your character using the Joint Rotation sliders. Each limb has its own rotation range (arms 180°, legs 90°, head 30°) anchored to the correct body joint. Side-view templates render arms and legs as front/back limb pairs with proper draw order, so your character stays readable in profile.
- Pick a pose preset from the row below the canvas (idle, walk, run, attack) to set all joints at once, then fine-tune individual limbs. Choose a background pill (sky, dungeon, forest, void) to preview your sprite against typical game scenes — backgrounds are preview-only and don't affect the export.
- Export as PNG Frame to download the current pose as a transparent sprite at native template resolution, ready to drop into your game engine. Export Drawing Template gives you the part-slot reference sheet for designing custom art. For animation frames, pose your character, export, then change the pose and export again — combine the frames into a sprite sheet with the Sprite Sheet Generator.
- All work stays in your browser. There are no accounts, no cloud saves, and no uploads — if you close the tab without exporting, your work is gone. Bookmark the page and use Drawing Template exports as your reference if you want to preserve dimensions across sessions.
Frequently asked questions
What can I build with Hero Studio?
Pixel art game characters built from a 6-piece rig: head, torso, two arms, two legs. Three body templates — Hero (32x42 side-view, designed for platformers), Chibi (20x24 front-view, designed for top-down RPGs), and Chibi HD (80x96 front-view, four times the chibi resolution). Each template uses the same joint spec, so once you've memorized one rig, the others feel familiar.
Can I import my own pixel art?
Yes. Each template has a Custom Parts grid below the library — drop a PNG onto any slot to override that limb. Use the Drawing Template export to get an exact-pixel transparent reference (showing each part's dimensions and pivot points). Paint your art over the silhouettes in your favorite editor, save as PNG, and drop it back in. Click the × on a filled slot to revert to the library art.
What export formats are supported?
PNG Frame exports the current pose as a transparent PNG at the template's native resolution (32x42 for Hero, 20x24 for Chibi, 80x96 for Chibi HD). Drawing Template exports a part-slot reference sheet — useful when designing custom art so your work fits the rig's pixel dimensions and pivot points exactly. Both exports happen in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Which style presets are included?
Four built-in styles ship with every template: Hero (warm skin, dark hair, blue tunic, brown boots), Ninja (all-black mask and outfit, red eye band), Robot (chrome plating, dark joints, glowing visor), and Zombie (green-tinted skin, ragged earth-tone clothes). Picking a style refills the entire part library — but you're free to mix individual limbs across styles for hybrid characters.
How do I make a walk-cycle animation?
Hero Studio exports one pose at a time, so for animation you pose your character, export PNG Frame, change the pose, and export again. Combine your frames into a sprite sheet using ToolFluency's Sprite Sheet Generator — drag the frames in, set rows/columns, and download the packed sheet. The Joint Rotation sliders let you nudge limbs in small increments for smooth in-between frames.
Is anything saved to a server?
No. Hero Studio runs entirely in your browser using the HTML5 Canvas API. Your custom parts, pose data, and exports never leave your device. There are no accounts, no cloud storage, and no tracking — if you close the tab without exporting, your work is gone. The trade-off is total privacy and zero latency.
Part of ToolFluency's library of free online tools for Creative work. No account needed, no data leaves your device.