pixelfx
/pixelfx
244 pixel-art effects written as code (fire, explosions, magic, weather, UI, pickups, critters) plus a draft, render, look, refine loop for making new ones; every effect exports a sprite sheet with Aseprite-style JSON for Godot, Unity, Phaser or any engine.
- License
- MIT
- By
- By GameSkill
Tested by GameSkill
43/43 checks passed on pixelfx tools on Node 22 + Godot 4.7.2 (SpriteFrames import) (2026-11-03): trigger, a runnable example, a screenshot and self-check, one job per skill, and English + Chinese docs. Trigger checks match prompts against skill descriptions; they are not a live agent run.
Test reportWhat this skill does
When it triggers
Make pixel art effects and sprite animations in code with the pixelfx library, which has 244 ready-made ones, acted out by a character who winds up, freezes on contact and recovers (fire, explosions, water, ice …
GameSkill's tested copy
GameSkill's tuned build of this skill: the skill files from commit a84159688af3, plus our runnable example, test report, self-check list and Chinese guide, put through our skill process.
License: based on patch-gg/pixelfx by patch-gg, under MIT. The ZIP keeps the license files (LICENSE, NOTICE.md) and lists everything GameSkill added in CHANGES.md.
Self-check
- 先用 tools/list.mjs 找现成特效，改调色板、种子、方向能解决就不新写 / Search tools/list.mjs first; a palette, seed or flip change beats a new effect
- 每一轮都渲染 contact.png 并亲眼看，至少改三轮 / Render contact.png every round and look at it; three rounds minimum
- tools/check.mjs 必须干净通过：不出画布、循环无缝、一次性特效结束时为空、不用 Math.random / tools/check.mjs passes clean: inside the canvas, seamless loops, one-shots end empty, no Math.random
- 导出时用 JSON 里的 fps 和 pivot，引擎里用最近邻过滤、不压缩 / Use the JSON's fps and pivot; nearest-neighbour filtering and no compression in the engine
- 环境循环（雨、火、灯光）首尾帧接得上 / Ambient loops (rain, fire, lights) wrap without a seam
- 不复刻具体游戏的角色、精灵或标志 / Never recreate a specific game's sprites, characters or logos
Pairs well with
Install
Tell your AI
Install the skill from https://gameskill.dev/skills/pixelfx/install.md
GameSkill's tested copy
mkdir -p .claude/skills
curl -fsSL https://gameskill.dev/dl/skills/pixelfx.zip -o /tmp/gameskill-pixelfx.zip
unzip -oq /tmp/gameskill-pixelfx.zip -d .claude/skills
rm /tmp/gameskill-pixelfx.zipWhat you get
- The pixelfx library: 244 effects in src/fx, each one JS file drawing colour and additive light buffers
- tools/render.mjs: contact sheets, sprite sheets (PNG + Aseprite-style JSON with fps, loop and pivot), GIF and MP4
- tools/check.mjs: catches out-of-canvas drawing, loop seams, unseeded randomness, one-shots that do not end empty
- tools/new.mjs and docs/AUTHORING.md: the contract and a starter file for a new effect
- Acts: wind-up, freeze on contact and recovery for effects that need a character behind them
Good fit
- Pixel VFX and game juice for 2D games without drawing frames by hand
- Recolouring, mirroring and exporting existing effects to an engine
- Writing a new effect and checking it frame by frame before it ships
Not for
- High-resolution or 3D particle effects: see rng-vfx or godot-shaders
- Character sprites and walk cycles: see codixel or sprite-gen
About this skill
pixelfx turns pixel-art effects into code. Each of its 244 effects is one JavaScript file that draws into a colour buffer and an additive light buffer over time, so an effect can be played live, recoloured, mirrored, reseeded and rendered to a sprite sheet for any engine. The skill teaches the agent to reuse the library first, and when something new is needed, to work the way Hugo Duprez describes for good pixel effects: draft, render, look at the contact sheet, fix the worst thing, repeat, then pass tools/check.mjs.
GameSkill ships the library and tools next to the skill (upstream-support/), so the agent never clones anything. Our example is an original rainy lantern courtyard: a new looping effect written to the library's contract, layered with the stock rain and brazier into one seamless 320x180 loop, and a sprite sheet played back through Godot 4.7 SpriteFrames.
Related
- rng-vfx for high-resolution and 3D real-time effects.
- claude-pxl and pixelwright for pixel sprites rather than effects.
Requirements
- Node.js 18 or newer (the tools use only Node, no npm install)
- ffmpeg (optional, for GIF and MP4 previews)
Topics
FAQ
Based on patch-gg/pixelfx by patch-gg (MIT). The author's LICENSE and NOTICE files ship in the ZIP; ATTRIBUTION.md and CHANGES.md list the source commit and what GameSkill added.
Works well with
Skills the author points to as related or as the better fit for neighbouring tasks.
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