GraphicsGale and Aseprite are two pixel art editors. If we compare them, there isn’t any absolute winner: as it always happens, the choice between the two is dictated by the users’ needs, skills, and expectations. In this article, we’ll explore the best use you can do of both platforms. At the end of this article, you should be able to decide which one, between GraphicsGAle and Aseprite can work best for you.
GraphicsGale: Pros and Cons
GraphicsGale is a simple platform that allows you to create pixel art and small animations.
Pros
➧ One of the main reasons why users love GraphicsGale is that the animation features are extremely easy to use. The preview, in particular, helps clean up the animation in real-time.
➧ GraphicsGale also provides many tools that you can exploit to create and customize your art.
➧ GraphicsGale is free.
➧ Linux users are also using this software tool thanks to Wine. It’s software that allows using Windows programs on Linux systems. GraphicsGale works particularly well on Wine.
Cons
➧ One of the main cons is that GraphicsGale is only available for Windows. It doesn’t work on Macs and Linux users (need to use Wine).
Aseprite: Pros and Cons
Just like GraphicsGale, you can use Aseprite for pixel art and animations.
Pros
➧ When it comes to animation, Aseprite provides tons of tools. You can change the playback speed and the speed of each individual frame; reverse, forward, or ping-pong.
➧ The Onion Skin feature is available: it overlays previous and next frames so that you can have better control over your animation.
➧ Aseprite allows for a fast learning curve: learning how to use this simple platform is extremely easy and you can start creating complex animations in no time.
➧ Customer support: Aseprite provides customer support via Twitter. Even if you don’t reach Aseprite developers themselves, you can always count on a very active community that is ready to provide support through different channels (mainly Twitter).
➧ There is a free and paid versions available. Of course, the paid one is the most advanced, but the free version is still useful for beginners and for anyone who wants to test the program before purchasing it.
➧ If you are not interested in animation, this is still the platform for you if what you do is pixel art. There are tons of tools available.
Cons
➧ Aseprite isn’t only a pixel art editor, it also features a pixel art interface. It’s cool and it communicates perfectly the aim of the platform, however, it’s not suitable for advanced animations as it only provides low-resolution windows and fonts.
GraphicsGale vs Aseprite
Animators usually prefer Aseprite, while pixel artists make good use of both platforms. However, if budget is a priority and you want to pick between GraphicsGate (which is free) and the free Aseprite versions, then your choice should be the first because the second is too limited.
