Skip to main content
This quickstart guide will walk you through creating your first animated sprite in Aseprite, from opening the application to exporting your final animation.

​
Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  • Aseprite installed on your system (see Installation)
  • Basic familiarity with pixel art concepts
  • A graphics tablet or mouse for drawing

​
Create your first sprite

1

Launch Aseprite and create a new sprite

Open Aseprite and click File → New (or press Ctrl+N / Cmd+N).Configure your sprite:
  • Width/Height: 32×32 pixels (good starting size)
  • Color Mode: RGBA (supports full color and transparency)
  • Click OK
For pixel art, smaller canvas sizes (16×16 to 64×64) are common and easier to work with when starting out.
2

Familiarize yourself with the workspace

The Aseprite workspace consists of several key areas:
  • Canvas: Center area where you draw
  • Toolbox: Left sidebar with drawing tools
  • Timeline: Bottom panel showing frames and layers
  • Color palette: Right panel with color selection
  • Layers panel: Right panel above the palette
You can customize the workspace layout by dragging panels to different positions.
3

Draw your first frame

Select the Pencil tool from the toolbox (or press B) and choose a color from the palette.Draw a simple character or object on the canvas. For this example, let’s create a simple ball:
  1. Draw a circle outline using the Ellipse tool (U)
  2. Fill it with the Paint Bucket tool (G)
  3. Add highlights and shadows for depth
Hold Shift while using the Ellipse tool to create a perfect circle.
4

Add animation frames

Now let’s animate the ball bouncing:
  1. In the Timeline panel, click the New Frame button (or press Alt+N)
  2. This creates a duplicate of your first frame
  3. Move the ball down slightly using the Move tool (V)
  4. Create 4-6 frames showing the ball at different heights
Enable Onion Skinning (; key) to see previous and next frames as you draw. This helps maintain consistency between frames.
5

Configure animation settings

Set the frame duration to control animation speed:
  1. Select all frames in the timeline (click first frame, shift-click last frame)
  2. Right-click and select Frame Properties
  3. Set duration to 100ms (10 frames per second)
Play your animation with the Play button in the timeline or press Enter.
6

Save your work

Save your sprite in Aseprite’s native format:
File → Save As
Choose a filename and save as .aseprite or .ase format. This preserves all layers, frames, and editing capabilities.
Always save in .aseprite format for work in progress. Only export to other formats (PNG, GIF) when you’re ready to use the sprite elsewhere.
7

Export your animation

Export your animation for use in games or sharing:Export as GIF:
File → Export → Animated GIF
Export as sprite sheet:
File → Export → Sprite Sheet
Export frame sequence:
File → Export
Select a filename with {frame} pattern like ball-{frame}.png

​
Essential keyboard shortcuts

Learn these shortcuts to speed up your workflow:
ActionWindows/LinuxmacOS
New spriteCtrl+NCmd+N
SaveCtrl+SCmd+S
UndoCtrl+ZCmd+Z
RedoCtrl+YCmd+Shift+Z
New frameAlt+NOpt+N
Play animationEnterEnter
Onion skinning; (semicolon);
Pencil toolBB
EraserEE
Move toolVV
Paint bucketGG
EyedropperI or AltI or Opt

​
Next steps

Now that you’ve created your first animated sprite, explore these topics:

Core concepts

Learn about sprites, layers, and frames in depth

Drawing tools

Master Aseprite’s pixel-perfect drawing tools

Animation techniques

Create smooth animations with advanced techniques

Sprite sheets

Export optimized sprite sheets for games

​
Practice projects

Try these beginner-friendly projects to build your skills:
Create a simple character and animate a 4-frame walk cycle. Focus on:
  • Moving legs alternately
  • Slight up/down body movement
  • Arm swing opposite to legs
Create a coin that rotates in place:
  • Draw the coin from different angles (front, 3/4, side)
  • Use 6-8 frames for smooth rotation
  • Loop seamlessly back to the first frame
Add personality to a character with eye blinks:
  • Create idle pose as base
  • Add 3 frames: eyes closing, closed, opening
  • Time blinks to feel natural (open longer than closed)

​
Troubleshooting

Adjust frame duration:
  • Select all frames in the timeline
  • Right-click → Frame Properties
  • Increase duration for slower animation (try 150-200ms)
  • Decrease for faster animation (try 50-80ms)
Enable onion skinning:
  • Press ; (semicolon) to toggle onion skinning
  • Or click the onion icon in the timeline
  • Adjust opacity in Edit → Preferences → Editor → Onion Skinning
Check these common issues:
  • Color mode: Indexed color mode may have palette issues. Try RGBA
  • Transparency: Ensure background layer is transparent
  • Loop settings: Check File → Export → Options for loop count
  • Frame timing: Verify frame duration is correct before export
Common causes:
  • Wrong layer selected: Check the Layers panel
  • Layer is locked: Click the lock icon to unlock
  • Layer is hidden: Click the eye icon to show
  • Selection active: Press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D to deselect

​
Get help

If you run into issues or have questions: Ready to dive deeper? Check out the Core Concepts to understand how Aseprite organizes your artwork.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us