BitArt Generator

A terminal-based pixel art generator built in Rust. Generate 64x64 pixel art from text prompts using DALL-E image generation. View art directly in your terminal and export to PNG or animated GIF.

Features

• AI Generation — Uses OpenAI DALL-E API to generate pixel art from text prompts
• Model Selection — Choose between DALL-E 2 ($0.02/image) or DALL-E 3 ($0.04/image)
• PNG & GIF Export — Save as 512x512 PNG or animated GIF (3 frames at 3fps)
• Mode Toggle — Switch between PNG and GIF mode with Shift+Tab
• Setup Wizard — First-launch setup for model selection and API key entry
• Config Management — Change model or API key anytime with c keybind
• Terminal Preview — Full-color pixel art rendered with Unicode block characters
• CLI Mode — Generate art directly from command line with -p, -o, and -g flags
• Interactive TUI — Built with Ratatui for a smooth terminal experience

Installation

npm (Easiest)

npm install -g bitart-generator

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew tap ezani92/bitart
brew install bitart

Cargo (From Source)

Requires Rust 1.70+:

cargo install bitart-generator

From Releases

Download the latest binary from Releases.

Setup

On first launch, BitArt will prompt you to:

1. Select a model — DALL-E 2 (cheapest) or DALL-E 3 (better quality)
2. Enter your OpenAI API key — Get one at platform.openai.com/api-keys

Your config is saved to ~/.bitart/config.json and persists across sessions.

Usage

Interactive TUI

bitart

This opens the TUI. Type a prompt and press Enter to generate pixel art. Use Shift+Tab to toggle between PNG and GIF mode. In GIF mode, 3 frames are generated and animated in the preview.

CLI Mode

Generate art directly without the TUI:

# Generate PNG
bitart -p "oak tree"

# Generate with custom output path
bitart -p "sunset mountain" -o ~/Downloads/sunset.png

# Generate animated GIF (3 frames at 3fps)
bitart -p "dancing cat" -g

# GIF with custom path
bitart -p "campfire" -g -o fire.gif

# Show help
bitart -h

Keybindings (TUI)

How It Works

1. Enter a prompt — e.g. "neon city skyline", "sunset mountains", "pixel art cat"
2. Generation — Sends prompt to DALL-E API, downloads the image, and downscales to 64x64 pixels
3. Preview — Art is displayed in your terminal using colored ██ Unicode blocks (GIF mode animates between frames)
4. Export — Press s to save as a 512x512 PNG or animated GIF

Project Structure

src/
├── main.rs              # Entry point + CLI mode
├── config.rs            # API key & model config (~/.bitart/config.json)
├── generator/
│   ├── mod.rs           # Async generation orchestrator (single + multi-frame)
│   └── dalle.rs         # DALL-E API integration
├── tui/
│   └── mod.rs           # Ratatui TUI (setup, input, canvas, status)
└── exporter/
    └── mod.rs           # PNG & GIF export (image crate)

License

MIT