BitArt Generator

A terminal-based pixel art generator built in Rust. Generate pixel art from text prompts using OpenAI image generation (DALL-E & GPT Image models). View art directly in your terminal with high-resolution half-block rendering and export to PNG or animated GIF.

Features

• AI Generation — Uses OpenAI image API to generate pixel art from text prompts
• 5 Models — DALL-E 2, DALL-E 3, GPT Image Mini, GPT Image 1, GPT Image 1.5
• PNG & GIF Export — Save as PNG or animated GIF (3 frames at 3fps) at native API resolution (1024x1024)
• High-Res Terminal Preview — Half-block (▀) rendering for maximum terminal resolution
• GIF Animation — 3-frame animation using iterative edits API — each frame is contextually aware of the previous ones for consistent results
• Mode Toggle — Switch between PNG and GIF mode with Shift+Tab
• Config Menu — Change model/API key or save folder anytime with Ctrl+C
• Default Save Folder — Configure a default output directory with timestamped filenames
• Transparent Export — Near-white pixels automatically become transparent in exported PNG
• CLI Mode — Generate art directly from command line with -p, -o, and -g flags
• Loading Quotes — Inspirational quotes rotate during generation
• 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 — 5 options from budget to best quality
2. Enter your OpenAI API key — Get one at platform.openai.com/api-keys
3. Set output folder — Default save location for exported files (defaults to ~/Downloads/bitart/)

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

Available Models

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.

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)

Settings Menu (Ctrl+C)

How It Works

1. Enter a prompt — e.g. "skeleton knight", "neon city skyline", "pixel art cat"
2. Generation — Sends prompt to OpenAI image API, receives image at native resolution
3. Preview — Art is displayed in your terminal using half-block ▀ characters with fg/bg colors for 2x vertical resolution
4. Export — Press Ctrl+S to save as PNG (with transparent background) or animated GIF

GIF Animation

In GIF mode, 3 frames are generated using the OpenAI edits API:

• Frame 1: Base image generated from your prompt
• Frame 2: Edits API receives frame 1 as reference — creates a subtle animation change
• Frame 3: Edits API receives frames 1 & 2 — completes the animation loop

This ensures each frame is contextually aware of the previous frames for consistent, drift-free animation.

Project Structure

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

License

MIT