Everything you need to know about using miipainter.
How do I upload my image?+
Three ways: drag and drop any PNG, JPG, or WebP onto the canvas area; click the Upload button in the sidebar; or paste an image directly from your clipboard with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac). You can also paste an image URL into the sidebar field and hit Enter.
What's the difference between Pixel and Smooth brush modes?+
Pixel mode uses 4/8/16/32 px square brushes that snap perfectly to the grid — each press stamps exactly one cell. Smooth mode uses smaller 1–27 px brushes that blend freely; great for freehand work, but strokes won't align cleanly to a grid.
Which brush size should I start with?+
Start with 8 px. It gives you a 32×32 grid — detailed enough to show faces and characters, but only ~1,000 cells to fill (roughly 7 minutes of focused painting). The 4 px brush (64×64) is for ambitious runs; 32 px (8×8) is a quick proof-of-concept.
What does the Max Colours slider actually limit?+
It limits how many palette entries are considered during colour mapping, not how many appear in your final result. Transparent pixels are excluded, and if the image doesn't need all the colours you allowed, the actual count shown in the Colours chip will be lower.
What are the Brightness and Saturation sliders for?+
These pre-process your image before palette mapping. Bump brightness up if the source photo is underexposed; increase saturation if the colours look washed-out against the vivid game palette. Adjustments are non-destructive — click Reset adjustments any time to undo.
What is dithering?+
Dithering scatters two nearby palette colours in a pattern that tricks the eye into seeing a smooth transition. miipainter uses Floyd-Steinberg error diffusion, which works best at small brush sizes. At 8 px or larger the checker pattern can become visible — toggle it on and off to compare.
How does Region Select work?+
Click and drag on the canvas grid to draw a selection rectangle. Everything outside the region dims so you can focus on one section at a time — useful when a large design has distinct areas to paint separately. Click without dragging, or click outside the canvas, to clear the selection.
What are E1–E7 in the game palette?+
The seven "extra" slots on the right side of the colour display — pure saturated primaries: red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet, and pink. They sit in a separate strip from the main 7×11 grid in-game. miipainter labels them E1–E7 so you can find them instantly without hunting.
Can I save the grid as an image?+
Yes. Click the Download button at the bottom-left of the canvas. You get two options: the full preview with coordinate labels and palette strip, or just the raw pixel art without any overlays. Both export as PNG at the canvas's native resolution.
How do I know if my design will read well in-game?+
Zoom out until the grid blurs slightly and squint — if the main shapes still read, the design will hold up on a small canvas. The real check is in-game, where lighting and camera angle shift the look unexpectedly. Some designs improve; others need a palette tweak. Trust the Mii's reaction.
An unofficial fan tool. Not made by Nintendo.