modbender Sprite Animator
Generate animated pixel art sprites from any image. Uses nano-banana-pro (Gemini) to create a 16-frame sprite sheet in a single request, then assembles it into an animated GIF.
Quick Start
# Wave animation (default 16 frames)
uv run --with sprite-animator sprite-animator -i photo.png -o sprite.gif -a wave
# Bounce animation with larger sprites
uv run --with sprite-animator sprite-animator -i avatar.png -o bounce.gif -a bounce -s 256
# Keep the raw sprite sheet and individual frames
uv run --with sprite-animator sprite-animator -i pet.jpg -o dance.gif -a dance --keep-sheet --keep-frames
Animations
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
idle |
Subtle breathing + blinking loop |
wave |
Arm raises, waves back and forth, lowers |
bounce |
Crouch → jump → land → recover |
dance |
Lean, spin, jump — fun and energetic |
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-i, --input |
Input image (photo, drawing, etc.) |
-o, --output |
Output GIF path |
-a, --animation |
Animation type: idle, wave, bounce, dance (default: idle) |
-d, --duration |
Frame duration in ms (default: 100) |
-s, --size |
Output sprite size in px (default: 128) |
-r, --resolution |
Generation resolution: 1K or 2K (default: 1K) |
--keep-sheet |
Save the raw sprite sheet |
--keep-frames |
Save individual frame PNGs |
-v, --verbose |
Verbose output |
How It Works
- Creates a labeled 4x4 grid template (16 cells)
- Sends the template + source image to Gemini in ONE request
- AI fills each cell with a pixel art frame following the animation sequence
- Frames are extracted from the sheet and assembled into a looping GIF
Single-request generation ensures consistent style across all frames.