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Two researchers have properly enhanced 8-bit "pixel art" using an algorithm
Brandon Davenport
When it comes to the term “8-bit”, any geek will understand the joy they feel when that phrase is uttered. It means something “retro” or something that will flood memories back from their early days of gaming as a kid. As a designer, I think of beautiful 8-bit art or maybe even icons for a website or application, and a musician would think of chiptunes — but everyone can agree on one thing — 8-bit has stood the test of time, but now researchers have used science to enhance the pixelated art of the past.
First and foremost, they can assume that every pixel is important: early 8-bit sprites were all masterfully hand-crafted by artists, so it’s safe to assume that every pixel is significant. If a pixel is all alone in a sea of another color, it’s an important feature, not an anomaly. Then the algorithm works out which pixels are connected to each other — in a 2x2 checkerboard pattern, should the diagonals form a line, or not? Finally, these pixel cells (groups) are re-shaped, smoothed with spline curves, and then rendered as edges or shaded areas — Sebastian Anthony, Extreme Tech
The two researchers — Johannes Kopf from Microsoft, and Dani Lischinski from The Hebrew University — have taken this fish character from a Nintendo game and run it through their newly developed algorithm. There are other methods of up-scaling images like HQ4X, Photo Zoom 4 and Adobe Live Trace, but Kopf and Lischinski have developed a system specificly for 8-bit renderings.
There are some downsides though because the algorithm is somewhat limited when it comes to decyphering straight lines and pointed edges, in-fact, it doesn’t recognise those at all. Also, the algorithm doesn’t recognise anti-aliased pixel art very well, so when it comes to enhancing low-res “8-bit like” photos, the algorithm somewhat falls short.
This is a very new endevour into the world of 8-bit art, and it’s a very welcomed one. It could mean our favorite games could be re-mastered, and could contribute to exsisting photo enhancing technology — all we ask is that the 8-bit world is left in-tact for us to enjoy.
Read more — the entire report by the researchers
