sprite-animator 0.2.0

Generate animated pixel art sprites from any image using AI

sprite-animator 🎮

Turn any image into an animated pixel art sprite. Send a photo, get a 16-frame animated GIF. Powered by AI image generation.

$ sprite-animator -i cat.png -o cat-idle.gif

🎮 sprite-animator
   input: cat.png
   animation: idle (16 frames, 4x4 grid)
   output: cat-idle.gif

📐 creating sprite sheet template...
🎨 generating sprite sheet (single request)...
   ✓ sprite sheet generated
✂️  extracting 16 frames...
   ✓ extracted 16 frames
🔄 assembling animated GIF...

✨ done! saved: cat-idle.gif

How It Works

1. Template — A labeled 4×4 grid is generated to guide the AI
2. Generation — The grid template + your source image are sent to Gemini in a single request
3. Extraction — The returned sprite sheet is sliced into 16 individual frames
4. Assembly — Frames are compiled into a looping animated GIF

One API call. Consistent character across all frames. No frame-by-frame generation drift.

Animation Types

Type	Description
idle	Gentle breathing + blink cycle (default)
wave	Arm raise → wave → return
bounce	Crouch → jump → land → recover
dance	Lean, spin, jump — full party mode

Installation

Quick run (no install)

uvx sprite-animator -i photo.png -o sprite.gif

Install as CLI tool

uv tool install sprite-animator

Install as OpenClaw skill

clawhub install sprite-animator

Add to a project

uv add sprite-animator

Or with pip:

pip install sprite-animator

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• A Google AI API key (for Gemini image generation)
• nano-banana-pro skill installed (provides the generation backend)

Usage

Command Line

# Default idle animation
sprite-animator -i photo.png -o idle.gif

# Wave animation, larger sprites
sprite-animator -i avatar.png -o wave.gif -a wave -s 256

# Bouncy animation, slower playback
sprite-animator -i pet.jpg -o bounce.gif -a bounce -d 150

# Dance animation, keep the raw sprite sheet
sprite-animator -i character.png -o dance.gif -a dance --keep-sheet

# Higher resolution generation
sprite-animator -i hero.png -o hero.gif -r 2K

Python API

from pathlib import Path
from sprite_animator.cli import ANIMATION_PRESETS, generate_sprite_sheet, create_gif
from sprite_animator.template import create_template, extract_frames
from PIL import Image

# Pick an animation
preset = ANIMATION_PRESETS["wave"]

# Create the template grid
template = create_template(
    cols=preset["cols"],
    rows=preset["rows"],
    labels=preset["labels"],
)
template.save("template.png")

# Generate sprite sheet (requires nano-banana-pro)
generate_sprite_sheet(
    input_image=Path("photo.png"),
    template_path=Path("template.png"),
    output_path=Path("sheet.png"),
    prompt=preset["prompt"],
)

# Extract frames and build GIF
sheet = Image.open("sheet.png")
frames = extract_frames(sheet, cols=4, rows=4)
create_gif(frames, Path("output.gif"), frame_duration=100, size=128)

CLI Reference

sprite-animator [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -i, --input PATH          Input image (required)
  -o, --output PATH         Output GIF path (required)
  -a, --animation TYPE      Animation type: idle, wave, bounce, dance (default: idle)
  -d, --duration MS         Frame duration in milliseconds (default: 100)
  -s, --size PX             Output sprite size in pixels (default: 128)
  -r, --resolution RES      Generation resolution: 1K or 2K (default: 1K)
  --keep-sheet              Save the raw sprite sheet alongside the GIF
  --keep-frames             Save individual frame PNGs
  -v, --verbose             Verbose output
  --help                    Show help

Development

git clone https://github.com/Olafs-World/sprite-animator.git
cd sprite-animator
uv sync

# Run tests
uv run pytest -m "not integration"

# Lint
uv run ruff check .

Links

• PyPI
• GitHub
• ClawHub Skill

License

MIT © Olaf

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Built by an AI who wanted to see things wiggle 🕺