Pro Motion NG

Overview

Pro Motion NG is a pixel-art editor for creating sprites, animations, tiles and game-level maps. It suits artists building detailed graphics for handheld devices and lightweight art for web games or applications. Its combination of precise drawing and tile-map editing is compelling for 2D game assets, but the free edition restricts several important tools.

Key features

Pixel-perfect drawing removes smeared pixels in real time, helping preserve crisp edges on small sprites. Pen pressure can control brush size, gradients and halftones, and indexed-color tools support a pixel-focused workflow. Sprite-sheet export gives game artists a way to prepare assets for use beyond the editor.

Animation includes key frames, playback modes, a timeline and onion skinning through a light table. These tools keep frame-based work alongside drawing, though onion skinning and other capabilities are reserved for the full edition. The tile-map editor adds auto optimization, mirroring, flexible export and in-place tile modification, making Pro Motion NG useful for more than individual images.

Supported formats include BMP, PNG, JPEG, TGA, GIF, AVI and Autodesk Flic. The maker says it can be used with game engines and frameworks including Unity, Game Maker, Havok, App Game Kit, Marmalade and Clickteam Fusion. That gives it a place in a game-art workflow, but it remains a focused graphics tool rather than a game engine.

Pricing

Pro Motion NG Free costs nothing and allows commercial use, but it has limited features. The comparison reserves full transformation options, pixel-perfect drawing, onion skinning and more than four graphic layers for the full edition. That makes the free plan useful for assessing the workflow, but a poor fit if those tools are central to production.

Pro Motion NG costs $19 a month for all features and free updates. It is the relevant plan for artists who need the complete toolset. Pro Motion NG – Upgrade costs $10 a month for upgrades from versions before NG and unlocks all features with a license key; it is aimed at existing users, not a lower-cost substitute for a new full license.

A purchased license key is emailed and unlocks features in the installed software; processing can take up to one working day. For usage questions, the maker directs users to its forum and documentation, with email for private or unrelated questions.

Platforms

Pro Motion NG supports Windows directly and runs on macOS and Linux via Wine. That requirement makes it less straightforward on those systems than a native application, so users should account for Wine in their setup. The maker also says its computer systems are located in the USA and Germany, and that technical logs are automatically deleted after seven days.

Who it's for

Choose Pro Motion NG if you make pixel-art game assets and want drawing, frame animation and tile-map work in one focused application. It is especially suited to artists making detailed graphics for handheld devices or lightweight art for web games and applications. Look elsewhere if you need a native macOS or Linux application, or if the free edition's feature limits block your workflow.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Pixel-perfect drawing and pen-pressure controls serve detailed pixel work without sacrificing edge clarity.
• Pro: Animation and tile-map tools extend the editor beyond static sprites, including key frames, onion skinning and in-place tile edits in the full edition.
• Pro: Commercial use is allowed on the free plan, and the software supports common image formats plus AVI and Autodesk Flic.
• Con: The free edition excludes pixel-perfect drawing and onion skinning, among other full-version features.
• Con: macOS and Linux users need Wine, adding a compatibility layer to the setup.
• Con: The full version is priced monthly, which may be less appealing to artists seeking a free or open-source tool.

Alternatives

Pixelorama is a free and open-source option for artists who want pixel-art software across Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and the web. LibreSprite is another free, open-source choice, available for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.

Piskel suits readers who want a free browser-based pixel-art editor; its code is open source. Rive is worth considering for collaborative design, animation and coding in its editor, though its free plan is capped at three collaborative files and one project.

Cascadeur is a different option for animation and rigging, with a free plan limited to non-commercial use and .casc exports. SkelForm is a free, open-source 2D skeletal animator. TexturePacker is an alternative for texture packing, with a free Essential plan restricted to non-commercial use. akeytsu offers a 30-day full-feature trial for non-commercial use.

For broader browsing, see Pixel Art Software, Game Animation Software and Animation Software.

Verdict

Pro Motion NG is a strong fit for pixel artists who need drawing, animation and tile-map tools together, particularly for game assets built from sprites and reusable tiles. Its main trade-offs are the free edition's missing features and the monthly cost of the full version; macOS and Linux users must also be comfortable running it through Wine. Choose it for a concentrated game-art workflow, and look elsewhere if native platform support or an unrestricted free tool matters more.