An Aseprite Crash Course In 30 Minutes

Heya Pals,
In this video, I thought I'd put together a mix of tips for making pixel art in aseprite, from beginner to advanced features. Hopefully I've packed enough in here to answer most of your burning questions but if not, pop them in the comments below ;)
Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
0:45 - What Is Aseprite?
2:02 - The Workspace
5:07 - The Workflow
7:11 - (B) Pencil
8:27 - (E) Eraser
9:22 - (Alt) Eye Dropper
10:18 - Shade Mode
12:07 - (Z) Magnify Tool
12:57 - (Space) Hand Tool
13:27 - (M, Q, W) Selection Tools
14:17 - (V) Move Tool
15:32 - Hardware & Technique
19:35 - Advanced Features
19:53 - Hiding the UI
20:50 - Snapping to Grid
21:18 - The Preview WIndow
22:00 - Tile Mode
22:50 - Operations Across a Selection
25:50 - Replacing Colours & Outlines
26:56 - Exporting Your Work
----
This video features clips from my stream. Catch it live: Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri 1-6pm AEST.
Twitch: / adamcyounis
Twitter: / adamcyounis
Discord: / discord
Become a Patron at / adamcyounis
Check out my game Insignia at uppon-hill.itch.io/insignia
Later, pals!

[@edlodude]

If you're watching this in or after 2024, the change brush size hotkey got added: hold ctrl+alt and drag your brush

[@McMoobii]

omg thank god I literally just started using it and I was so bummed there wasn't a hotkey. I kept going to the brackets out of habit.

[@capsey_]

"And as you can see you easily can reach all important key on your keyboard" Me, lefty: Oh no, not again

[@zedmanul7472]

you can always change the keybinds to be on the right side of the keyboard! :)

[@pixelup-art]

Hello! I'll help ya! You only need to change 2 buttons and you'll be alright! The brush can still being on B. Change the eraser to J key. And the Zoom to O key.

[@jonteguy]

@@pixelup-art The distance from B and O is pretty big in comparison to the right-side he was talking about, it's also angled which makes it more annoying. It's definitely doable but for me I'd rather change most of the keybinds to the numpad.

[@pixelup-art]

@@jonteguy Do you have baby hands or something?

[@pixelup-art]

@@jonteguy It's B for brush and J for eraser. Zoom on O.. c'mon.

[@ehad1753]

I have more than 280 hours on aseprite and I didn't knew about the shading tool I watched you using on another video and I knew I had to see if you had a video on how to use aseprite propperly and you posted it today!, such a coincidence, I'll try to use a lot more of the tool aseprite has to offer, thanks a lot!

[@tippitytop]

didn't know

[@tomyyoung2624]

Yes.. End of discussion.

[@deepfriedpaper]

@@tomyyoung2624 ???

[@tomyyoung2624]

@@deepfriedpaper Yes I wanna see 'Richard as the PRINCIPAL!

[@xelmenguyzxlt5571]

I didn't even feel the 30 minutes pass by. Great video !

[@Galaxy_World]

Yep

[@ArawnFR]

But I really did

[@satanm8c40]

Really? It's been 2 minutes and it feels really slow for me

[@NomichReal]

I didn't even know that I wanted to get into Pixel Art...

[@MythicBeanProductions]

I didn't either until I bought aseprite on steam because I thought it was a game.

[@Nemesis0529]

​@@MythicBeanProductions😂 loved this

[@Narwhal12]

@@MythicBeanProductionsLMAO How’s it going?

[@mmmMindo]

@@MythicBeanProductions If Mario Paint is a game so is aseprite :D

[@E_Proxy]

I've bought aseprite on sale and i cannot even use paint 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@metashrew]

What i like to do is use the shading mode with the spray tool. Combine that with the tiled mode and you've got pixel art textures/tiles in no time.

[@libiroli]

HOLY SH*T!!! I just created the most beautiful cloud in 30 seconds that would normally take me 30 minutes. Thank you kind internet stranger

[@nwut]

yeah but it's really random and doesn't work for a lot of materials

[@gdog8170]

spray tool?

[@gdog8170]

OOH YOU FIND THE SPRAY TOOL BY CLICKING ON THE PENCIL TOOL IN THE TOOLBAR

[@nwut]

@@gdog8170 bruh

[@msnerdytoastx8412]

I have loved pixel art my whole life and finally bought Aseprite and this video helped me not feel so overwhelmed, thank you so much!!

[@lordsergio]

Man, your tutorials on pixel art are the BEST on youtube by far, (and I have watched a lot of them). The clarity of your explanations put them on a different league! thanks a lot.

[@ToffeeBun]

You've been a great help in helping me get started. I know it can be hard to process it with the amount of comments you get, but you really are making people's lives an easier and smoother time. Thanks!

[@brianzhamilton]

I was literally just thinking the other day about how nice it would be if you released a video like this! Thanks!

[@ManEaterBrainBug]

I have watched a bunch of pixel art learning channels and i have to say, your channel is the best. Thanks for sharing that knowledge!

[@UltiemeHack]

Your videos have inspired me to make my own art for my game. Long way to go but I look forward to practicing drawing and such. Keep doing what you do. Really appreciate it!

[@AlcreedFlores]

Always appreciate this types of content creator that gives their free time for free learning course for beginners. If it wasn't for them I would've no clue where to search for. Thanks bro. Love your contents.

[@nonstandard5492]

don't get me wrong the video is very helpful and homie seems like a chill cool dude but pretty weird to frame making a tutorial to put on youtube and make a bunch of money off of it as "giving free time"

[@pixelflash3996]

I found your videos a few days ago and they are very helpful. I am training pixelart for many years now and i am always struggling with some technics/aspects of pixelart. Your tutorials are the perfect help to improve my work. Love your art style. Keep up the good work!

[@kzltilki6716]

This is a perfect start to Aseprite. Everything is clearer than before now. Thanks. I mean it. Thank you. We need teachers like you, man. I'm all tears.

[@rcookie5128]

Love all the resources you provide! Already used Aseprite for about 100h, but still there's always something small I learn (love the Ctrl+F shortcut!). Thanks!

[@JhonatanMorais]

This was Amazing! I'm a Web Developer and this was my first time watching how a pixel artist work. Thank you for share it. You did Great!.

[@WallysaurRex]

Great videos, this channel has helped me understand aesprite and pixel art so much. Keep up the good work!

[@randomrandom450]

Awesome ! Thank you ! I watched the tileset and paralax video in which you use the shading tool and I was like "I want that power !!!" I'm glad you covered it here + a couple of cool tips. Thank you.

[@alekseyklimets6589]

This is crazy useful, thank you so much! Best 30 min course ever!

[@karakaz]

Bought Aseprite yesterday! This is perfect! Thanks a bunch 😊

[@fadelrahmadhan5737]

i bought it 2020 when the price is good

[@anthonycarro5294]

I compiled the code, almost made me wish I bought it

[@penguinlim]

@@anthonycarro5294 same. it was *such* a pain to get it compiled.

[@philipsheard624]

Thank you for this video Adam very informative and easy to put into practice. I found your channel yesterday and looking forward to watching more videos and getting stuck into pixel art.

[@neennaps2144]

Love the shading mode and the outline tool!! thank you for your tutorial ❤❤

[@JasonValentineFL]

Thanks! It's been several years since I've used Aseprite and this was a great re-introduction.

[@derbiervampir3516]

Thanks for another great tutorial. I really like the way you are doing your tutorials. You are giving so much information presented in a compact but yet not to short way. And you are explaining all those things in a very calm fashion. Thank you! :)

[@IlTuboDiLowen]

found this channel during GMTK Game Jam and it made me buy aseprite for my project, I'm super happy of my result, thank you very very much!!

[@estevaoyt]

Best Crash Course I 've seen in my life, thank you!

[@felipebdc4316]

almost 1.500 hours on aseprite and you just showed me some stuff i didn't even know about! tysm!

[@tonyg1296]

Thank you so much for this! It really helps man, I appreciate your work and I hope you have a beautiful day!

[@tobiasware]

Thank you, this tutorial was totally worth watching especially because you answered my exporting fuzzy problem in your last section.

[@johnwright5126]

Best intro to Aseprite ever! THANK YOU!!!

[@anthonycarro5294]

After painfully figuring out how to compile the code for Aseprite, I'm finally ready to learn how to use it. This is a great video btw.

[@dookcurruff9047]

lol i gave up and just bought it

[@rhymewave6777]

Nice, simple, effective presentation. I'm going down the rabbithole and as Bill Withers sang ' Before you put your plan into operation, you gotta take it all in and check it all out'. Your videos are a large part of that :)

[@ghogu14]

Awesome videos all round, mate. Thanks so much :)

[@merendine1452]

there's something therapeutic about seeing you work!

[@ConclusiveConfusion]

It's always fun watching right handed people enjoy tech and devices laid out in convenience. I get to imagine for a moment what it must be like to not have to constantly switch things around/reach across something awkwardly/ put what ever was in my left hand down so I can reach over for the keyboard shortcuts before picking it back up again. Yes I will die mad on this hill, why do you ask? Unrelated complaining aside. Thanks for the tips and videos, tremendously useful stuff across this whole channel.

[@Talluff]

Wow yeah an extremely well presented and set up video, thanks!

[@chourando]

Thanks for layer switching trick, definitely implement in my forkflow👍

[@kevinyee9550]

Great intro video! Excited to get into pixel art more

[@BobbyCharlz]

Thank you for this awesome tutorial. It served as a proper intro for me.

[@Master13346]

Great channel and I’m so glad I found it. You explain things so well.

[@adiwijayakusuma2288]

That's really cool Aseprite introduction video, I can clearly see the potential and going to use it, Thought I'd watch your Pixel Art Class playlist, thanks

[@miguellavariel1348]

You do some of the most professional Pixel art tutorials on youtube, imo.

[@Sandpiper_04]

That's my favorite programm now, thanks a lot!

[@Aesthetic.__.Senpai]

Great crash course Adam

[@koes007]

Excellent video my dude, thank you for introducing me to the basics of how to navigate this marvelous software efficiently. Thanks!

[@russellpenn375]

This was brilliant, bought Aesprite and a tablet after watching! Thanks for the video

[@Inconnue760]

which one did you get?

[@TheCryptoMasters]

You intro animation is epic!!! Hoping to start making indie games here really soon once I get better at the artistic aspect!

[@AstraAnime]

I'd definately love to see a more indepth tutorial how you created that rotating background. I can't even begin to imagine how'd i'd do it even with your workflow. Supercool!

[@UndeadArchitect45]

This is a great resource for new people, thanks!

[@deathnutz]

Wow man. Thank you so much for making this. I was surprised to see you using the keyboard over the tablet shortcuts. It makes total sense. I was hoping to see you show everything you did, including how you change brush size... I hope it becomes standard as well.

[@joeplain3133]

Thanks for teaching us dude! Great tutorial!

[@polter5195]

Nice crash course! I always wondered how you managed to switch the brush size so quickly! Really hope that gets added to Aseprite as an official feature. Another option is to just hover the size box and use the scroll wheel on your mouse, but it'd still be nice to hold down a key and move your mouse.

[@AshcanComicsPub]

Way Cool!! I'm new to pixel art. Very glad I found your video. Thank you for posting:)

[@slosh5411]

Super useful! Many thanks!

[@yorkipudd1728]

Legendary video. Many thanks!

[@playMOTU]

This is awesome! thank you for this, I always wondered how you worked the app, great learning for sure :)

[@mefcalols4446]

This is some masterclass level tutorial and its just... Free on KZbin. Cheers mate. My friends and i are doing a game jam and im trying to learn pixel art as we go. This is goong to help a ton.

[@carlosbrito6396]

I hope you know the tremend value this video has!! Thanks for the great information.

[@GrizzliusMaximus]

I'm weird. I read the title as "How to crash Aseprite in 30 minutes". But regardless, this is the tutorial I need! I've been using aseprite for a while but seeing how efficiently you use it blows my mind! Great tutorial!

[@benjaminlehmann]

Excellent video. Thanks for your help and insight. Great job.

[@LawlFrank]

This has some great tips! Thanks man :)

[@MartinPurathur]

Though I don't watch every video day by day, it's super useful when I want to learn a new topic

[@doctorzoidberg3000]

Great video, as always.^^ Thank you so much.

[@NoldoWalker]

Very complex and usful guide, thx!

[@sporent]

Thankyou so much for this tutorial! It helped me a lot with understanding the software :D

[@Feelou]

after two years of aseprite utilisation, i discover just now the outline tool ... i put outline everywhere in my 'art', i'm a outline lover, and i do this manualy everytime, every frrames hahaha this is crazy ... sometimes i wonder why am i so dumb, thanks for your vids, i discovered you few days ago, very great content.

[@amouramarie]

Awesome overview! Thanks. :)

[@karthikadvani9730]

this video was VERY HELPFUL THX ADAM

[@Holdsworthands]

really helpful, ive been using aseprite every day for 2 years now, lots of hours but i still found somethings useful here, i will try to avoid the pixelperfect feature from now on. This is the best program ive ever used and i keep finding new things, for me it is almost perfect, i have just some really minor things but they told me they will improve them in the near future, like exporting animations in some video format, improving the text tool and adding the resize thing like you have (although when they introduced the pen pressure i didnt find myself resizing too much since i have a lot of sizes with just pen pressure but it would be nice to have)

[@DestroyingBombNL]

Great crash course, I've learned a lot. Keep it going ^--^

[@andreaujensen6007]

Such a useful video!

[@nokillnina]

I keep returning to this video of yours. If I should get into a new project, I will go for Asepirte!

[@BloodBathFenix]

You should make an updated version your tutorials ROCK!

[@Its_just_me_again]

awesome vid - thx dude!

[@HeavnscapeRadio]

hello fellow new pixelers!! can't wait to see your awesome art!!

[@MrKingJavo]

Great video! Very helpful stuff here!

[@Nori_Plays]

thank the heavens i watched this, i was about to start exporting each sprite into photoshop and making my own sprite sheet from there. again THANK YOU.

[@mazthelion]

this is awesome and really helpful! Thank you very much =)

[@overbyte]

Lovely tutorial. Thanks dude

[@pablo17349]

Awesome video!

[@how-2-be]

Hi and thank you. I got aseprite a few days ago, tried around a bit and then decided that learning it from the ground up would be beneficial in the long run. Looked for videos, got curious by your name (turns out Thor from piratesoftware mentioned you) and stuck around for your softspoken but concise explanations. Many thanks and I surely will be back for your other videos

[@conorgardiner2476]

Been waiting for this for a while soo helpful 💖, don't think you mentioned it but I prefer to use ctrl to switch between layers, it shows a nice box around whatever pixels are in the layer which is

[@JasonOakley]

Very useful tutorial! Thanks! :)

[@mithogui]

i fucking love this guy right now

[@bistrobmusic]

Great episode! And judging by the top of your screen, I was your most recent twitch follower!

[@SplashingGoldfish]

omg my twitch name was in the beginning

[@moiracrombie4055]

The UI aesthetic is so nostalgic, reminds me of ms paint art I did years ago

[@nursegilbey]

Thanks. I've been messing around a bit, and now it's time to get serious. I will follow your example.

[@NFT2]

Very instructive Adam, super helpful as an Aseprite noob.

[@kejaris949]

Thanks, I really needed this...

[@TrevorGomes]

Is that a total banger rendition of "Jolly Old King Wenceslaus" playing in the background? 🤔 Loving your videos, man. Thank you so much!

[@mehmetihsanacabay1918]

Great work. This helped me a lot thank you.

[@BeingFriends]

Incredibly useful information! Always so excited to watch you work!

[@ozzie7034]

Thanks for captioning for Korean. Its really helpful!

[@pipi7928]

Great Video！

[@SParanagama]

Thank you so much for this!

[@plexim1591]

You are a king.

[@Chironyx]

21:30 - 21:40 , Gods, I've been waiting for an option to do that for years, from what I understood Aseprite needed some sort of rehaul in order to support that, if that's really coming in the next update then I'm hyped, finally I'll be able to preview my work on another screen! Really good job on this video by the way, aside from selection modifiers I think you've covered pretty much everything a beginner should know!

[@skyibis]

Great news, the beta supports that feature now!

[@jonathancossette6252]

I would really love if you could talk about Isometric pixel art either in relation to Aseprite or just your own opinions and knowledge about it. I find that it is a style/perspective that isn’t often used in games or talked about these days and I’m extremely interested in it, thank you I absolutely love your channel, it’s fantastic!

[@AdamCYounis]

I actually have a video in the works about isometric. It's one of my favourite looks, and there are interesting reasons for using it that I'll be talking about in the video.