When comparing GraphicsGale vs Pixly, the Slant community recommends GraphicsGale for most people. In the question“What are the best pixel art / sprite editors?” GraphicsGale is ranked 5th while Pixly is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose GraphicsGale is:
The animation tools in GraphicsGale are very easy to work with. Furthermore, the live preview helps clean up the animations in real time without a hitch.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Powerful animation tools
The animation tools in GraphicsGale are very easy to work with. Furthermore, the live preview helps clean up the animations in real time without a hitch.
Pro Offers a great palette tool
With GraphicsGale, the user can save and load palette, create gradation, and make color uniform.
Pro Free
Graphics Gale used to cost money but recently the program switched over to a free license.
Pro Pretty easy to learn the UI and the tools you have to work with are fantastic
Pro Works really well under Wine
Wine can help emulate Windows on non-Windows systems. You can get Graphics Gale running anywhere Wine can run. See WineHQ for more details.
Pro Color selector with different color systems
RGB, CMY, HSB, and a somewhat different HUSL.
Pro Offers color ramp generator
Pixly offers a color ramp generator that then exports directly into a custom palette.
Pro You can use reference images
You can work with a reference image on top of your art, or by its side.
Pro Allows you to continue your work even when not in front of your PC
This tool works on both phones and tablets that run Android, which is handy for when you do not have access to a PC.
Pro Layered projects
Pro Gestures that feel natural on touch screens
In Pixly, you can move the art around with two fingers (like in Google Maps) and change the brush/eraser size with a three-finger pinch.
Pro Supports onion skinning
Onion skinning is also called ghosting. It allows the user to see the past and previous frames, while editing the current frame. This way, the user can make decisions on how to create or change an image.
Pro Mirroring support
In Pixly, the user can make symmetrical art with a mirror, or even go bananas setting up two or more mirrors at different angles at once.
Pro Transparency support
The user can make transparent sprites in Pixly.
Pro Animation support
Even though this is a mobile tool, it's fully featured and even allows you to create animations.
Pro Standard and custom palettes
Pro Live image tiling
The user can create tiles in Pixly and keep an eye on progress in real time.
Pro Color filters
Cons
Con Only available on Windows
GraphicsGale is only available on Windows.
Con UI requires a lot of clicking
The UI windows not very nice and requires a lot of clicking. For example mouse wheel is not useable at all to zoom in and out in main window.
Con No PC version
The PC version has not yet been released.