|
| 1 | +import React from 'react'; |
| 2 | +import { Helmet } from 'react-helmet'; |
| 3 | + |
| 4 | +const About = () => ( |
| 5 | + <main className="description"> |
| 6 | + <Helmet> |
| 7 | + <title>About | Pixel Art to CSS</title> |
| 8 | + </Helmet> |
| 9 | + <h1> |
| 10 | + About <span className="highlighted">Pixel Art to CSS</span> |
| 11 | + </h1> |
| 12 | + <div className="about-image"> |
| 13 | + <img width="150" src="tree-pixelartcss.png" alt="pixelartcss.com" /> |
| 14 | + </div> |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | + <section id="what-is-it"> |
| 17 | + <h2>What is this site?</h2> |
| 18 | + <p> |
| 19 | + <span className="highlighted">pixelartcss.com</span> is a{' '} |
| 20 | + <strong>free, open-source, and online tool</strong> that converts your |
| 21 | + pixel art designs directly into <strong>pure CSS code</strong>. Instead |
| 22 | + of relying on traditional image files (.png or .jpg), it uses CSS |
| 23 | + properties, primarily the <code>box-shadow</code> property, to render |
| 24 | + the artwork entirely within the browser. |
| 25 | + </p> |
| 26 | + <div> |
| 27 | + <p> |
| 28 | + This means your art is created entirely by the browser, resulting in: |
| 29 | + </p> |
| 30 | + <ul> |
| 31 | + <li> |
| 32 | + <strong>Lightning Fast Loading:</strong> Zero HTTP requests for the |
| 33 | + image file, speeding up your page load time. |
| 34 | + </li> |
| 35 | + <li> |
| 36 | + <strong>Scalability:</strong> The CSS art can be scaled crisply |
| 37 | + without the blur or distortion of traditional bitmap images. |
| 38 | + </li> |
| 39 | + <li> |
| 40 | + <strong>Minimal File Size:</strong> The code is lightweight and |
| 41 | + efficient for small graphics. |
| 42 | + </li> |
| 43 | + </ul> |
| 44 | + </div> |
| 45 | + </section> |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | + <hr /> |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | + <section id="features"> |
| 50 | + <h2>Core Features & Flexibility</h2> |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | + <h3>Animation Support (Frame-Based)</h3> |
| 53 | + <p> |
| 54 | + Beyond static images, this tool is a powerful{' '} |
| 55 | + <strong>animation creator</strong>. You can use the built-in{' '} |
| 56 | + <strong>frame editor</strong> to easily design movement or looping |
| 57 | + effects. The tool generates optimized CSS keyframes to bring your pixel |
| 58 | + art to life! |
| 59 | + </p> |
| 60 | + <div className="pixel-animation"> |
| 61 | + <div className="pixelcat-animation" /> |
| 62 | + </div> |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | + <h3>Input and Output Options</h3> |
| 65 | + <div> |
| 66 | + <p> |
| 67 | + While the main purpose is to generate CSS,{' '} |
| 68 | + <span className="highlighted">pixelartcss.com</span> offers maximum |
| 69 | + flexibility: |
| 70 | + </p> |
| 71 | + <ul> |
| 72 | + <li> |
| 73 | + <strong>Import Images:</strong> You can{' '} |
| 74 | + <strong>kickstart your project</strong> by importing a small image |
| 75 | + file, which the editor automatically translates into an editable |
| 76 | + pixel grid. |
| 77 | + </li> |
| 78 | + <li> |
| 79 | + <strong>Export as PNG:</strong> Download your finished static pixel |
| 80 | + art as a traditional <strong>.png file</strong>. |
| 81 | + </li> |
| 82 | + <li> |
| 83 | + <strong>Export as GIF:</strong> Download your frame-based animations |
| 84 | + as an animated <strong>.gif file</strong>. |
| 85 | + </li> |
| 86 | + </ul> |
| 87 | + </div> |
| 88 | + </section> |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | + <hr /> |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | + <section id="how-it-works"> |
| 93 | + <h2>How Does it Work?</h2> |
| 94 | + <p> |
| 95 | + The core magic lies in the <code>box-shadow</code> property. A pixel art |
| 96 | + grid is mapped, and <strong>each colored square</strong> is treated as a |
| 97 | + distinct <strong>box-shadow layer</strong>. |
| 98 | + </p> |
| 99 | + <p> |
| 100 | + The tool generates a comma-separated list of shadows. Each entry in the |
| 101 | + list defines a single colored "pixel" by specifying its |
| 102 | + horizontal offset, vertical offset, and color, effectively painting the |
| 103 | + entire design using one CSS property. |
| 104 | + </p> |
| 105 | + </section> |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | + <hr /> |
| 108 | + |
| 109 | + <section id="comparison"> |
| 110 | + <h2>Efficiency Trade-Offs: When to Use CSS vs an Image</h2> |
| 111 | + <p> |
| 112 | + While the CSS method is innovative, there"s a trade-off between{' '} |
| 113 | + <strong>Network Cost</strong> and <strong>Rendering Cost</strong>. |
| 114 | + </p> |
| 115 | + <dl> |
| 116 | + <dt> |
| 117 | + <div className="pixel-icon"> |
| 118 | + <div className="green-tick" /> |
| 119 | + </div> |
| 120 | + <strong> |
| 121 | + CSS Image (box-shadow){' '} |
| 122 | + <span className="highlighted">Advantages</span> |
| 123 | + </strong> |
| 124 | + </dt> |
| 125 | + <dd> |
| 126 | + <strong>Zero Network Requests:</strong> The code is already loaded, |
| 127 | + eliminating the need for the browser to fetch a separate image file |
| 128 | + from the server. This is a massive speed win for small icons and |
| 129 | + assets. |
| 130 | + </dd> |
| 131 | + <dt> |
| 132 | + <div className="pixel-icon"> |
| 133 | + <div className="alert-icon" /> |
| 134 | + </div> |
| 135 | + <strong> |
| 136 | + CSS Image (box-shadow){' '} |
| 137 | + <span className="highlighted">Disadvantages</span> |
| 138 | + </strong> |
| 139 | + </dt> |
| 140 | + <dd> |
| 141 | + <strong>High Rendering Cost:</strong> The browser"s CPU/GPU must |
| 142 | + calculate and draw thousands of individual box-shadow layers. For{' '} |
| 143 | + <strong>large</strong> pixel art, this computational load can cause |
| 144 | + significant rendering lag and is less efficient than loading one |
| 145 | + optimized image file. |
| 146 | + </dd> |
| 147 | + <dt> |
| 148 | + <div className="pixel-icon"> |
| 149 | + <div className="image-icon" /> |
| 150 | + </div> |
| 151 | + <strong> |
| 152 | + Actual Image (PNG/WebP){' '} |
| 153 | + <span className="highlighted">Efficiency</span> |
| 154 | + </strong> |
| 155 | + </dt> |
| 156 | + <dd> |
| 157 | + Actual image files have a <strong>network cost</strong> (they must be |
| 158 | + downloaded), but their <strong>rendering cost</strong> is low. Once |
| 159 | + downloaded, the browser can quickly draw a pre-calculated image |
| 160 | + bitmap. Therefore, for <strong>large or complex</strong> pixel art, an |
| 161 | + optimized image file is usually faster to display than generating it |
| 162 | + with complex CSS. |
| 163 | + </dd> |
| 164 | + </dl> |
| 165 | + <p> |
| 166 | + <strong>In short:</strong> Use CSS for <strong>small icons</strong> and |
| 167 | + images for <strong>large assets</strong>. This tool enables you to |
| 168 | + create both types of output, giving you all the possibilities. |
| 169 | + </p> |
| 170 | + </section> |
| 171 | + |
| 172 | + <hr /> |
| 173 | + |
| 174 | + <section id="who-is-it-for"> |
| 175 | + <h2>Who is this for?</h2> |
| 176 | + <ul> |
| 177 | + <li> |
| 178 | + <strong>Web Developers</strong>: Quickly add{' '} |
| 179 | + <strong>retro, 8-bit style icons</strong>, loading spinners, or small |
| 180 | + artistic flourishes. |
| 181 | + </li> |
| 182 | + <li> |
| 183 | + <strong>Pixel Artists</strong>: Easily prototype and translate your |
| 184 | + creations into a <strong>web-friendly, non-image format</strong> for |
| 185 | + online portfolios, or quickly generate GIF animations. |
| 186 | + </li> |
| 187 | + <li> |
| 188 | + <strong>Students & Hobbyists</strong>: A fun way to explore the |
| 189 | + capabilities of <strong>pure CSS</strong> and the power of the{' '} |
| 190 | + <code>box-shadow</code> property or just have fun unleashing their |
| 191 | + creativity. |
| 192 | + </li> |
| 193 | + </ul> |
| 194 | + </section> |
| 195 | + |
| 196 | + <hr /> |
| 197 | + |
| 198 | + <section> |
| 199 | + <h2>More Info</h2> |
| 200 | + <ul> |
| 201 | + <li> |
| 202 | + <strong>Author</strong>:{' '} |
| 203 | + <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://jvalen.com"> |
| 204 | + jvalen |
| 205 | + </a> |
| 206 | + </li> |
| 207 | + <li> |
| 208 | + <strong>Contributors</strong>: Amazing contributions have been |
| 209 | + provided along the time. You can check the full contributors list{' '} |
| 210 | + <a |
| 211 | + target="_blank" |
| 212 | + rel="noopener" |
| 213 | + href="https://github.com/jvalen/pixel-art-react/graphs/contributors" |
| 214 | + > |
| 215 | + here |
| 216 | + </a> |
| 217 | + . |
| 218 | + </li> |
| 219 | + <li> |
| 220 | + <strong>Source Code</strong>:{' '} |
| 221 | + <a |
| 222 | + target="_blank" |
| 223 | + rel="noopener" |
| 224 | + href="https://github.com/jvalen/pixel-art-react" |
| 225 | + > |
| 226 | + GitHub |
| 227 | + </a> |
| 228 | + </li> |
| 229 | + <li> |
| 230 | + <strong>Data and Privacy Info</strong>: This site uses LocalStorage |
| 231 | + and GoatCounter,{' '} |
| 232 | + <a rel="noopener" href="https://pixelartcss.com/privacy-and-data"> |
| 233 | + check this out |
| 234 | + </a>{' '} |
| 235 | + to know more about it. |
| 236 | + </li> |
| 237 | + </ul> |
| 238 | + </section> |
| 239 | + </main> |
| 240 | +); |
| 241 | + |
| 242 | +export default About; |
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