How to Use Living the Grid
Living the Grid is a free, browser-based tool that converts any image into a paintable pixel grid designed specifically for Tomodachi Life. Whether you're decorating your island, designing custom items, or creating pixel art for fun — this guide walks you through every step.
Step 1: Open Living the Grid
Head to Living the Grid in any browser. No downloads, no sign-ups, no app installs. The tool works on desktop, mobile, iPad, and even Nintendo Switch Lite's built-in browser. Everything runs locally in your browser — your images never leave your device.
Step 2: Upload Your Image
Click the upload box or drag-and-drop any image file (PNG, JPG, GIF — any size). The tool immediately processes your image and converts it into a pixel grid. If you don't have an image ready, click "Try with the demo smiley instead" to explore with a sample.
Step 3: Choose a Canvas Type
In the left sidebar, select the canvas that matches what you're designing in Tomodachi Life:
- Square — General-purpose, great for profile pictures and icons
- Book cover — Matches the in-game book dimensions
- TV screen — For the apartment TV decoration
- Video game — For the in-game video game cover
- Interior — For room wallpaper and floor patterns
Step 4: Set Your Brush Size
Brush size determines the pixel density of your grid. Smaller brushes (4 px) give you more detail but take longer to paint in-game. Larger brushes (32 px) are faster but lower resolution. For most designs, 8 px is the sweet spot — enough detail without being tedious.
Step 5: Select a Colour Palette
Living the Grid offers several palette modes:
- Game — The exact 84 swatches from Tomodachi Life's in-game colour picker. This is the default and recommended option since every colour maps directly to a game swatch.
- Auto — Extracts colours directly from your uploaded image.
- Pastel / Warm / Retro / Mono — Themed palettes for specific aesthetics.
Step 6: Fine-Tune Your Settings
Use the sidebar sliders to adjust:
- Max colours — Fewer colours = simpler design, easier to paint. More colours = more faithful reproduction.
- Brightness / Saturation — Tweak if your source image is too dark or washed out.
- Grid size — Controls total grid resolution (16–64 cells per side).
Toggle display options like Grid lines, Labels (colour codes on each cell), Numbers (paint-by-numbers mode), Dither (better for photos and gradients), and Symmetry (preview-only guide for balanced designs).
Step 7: Read the Colour Swatches
Below the canvas you'll find the colour panel showing every swatch used in your design. Each swatch with a checkmark (✓) appears in the current design. Hover or tap any swatch to highlight all matching cells on the grid — this is incredibly useful when painting in-game to quickly locate where each colour goes.
Step 8: Use the H/S/B Finder
Tomodachi Life's colour picker works on a Hue / Saturation / Brightness grid. The H/S/B tool in Living the Grid translates any hex colour to exact button-press counts from the default position. Enter a hex code and get the precise H, S, B values — no more guessing.
Step 9: Paint in Tomodachi Life
Open Palette House in Tomodachi Life (unlocked at 6 residents). Follow the grid recipe cell by cell:
- Select the brush size that matches your Living the Grid setting
- Pick each colour using the row-column label or H/S/B values
- Paint each cell in order — the Numbers view makes this paint-by-numbers easy
Step 10: Download & Share
Click Download to save your pixel art as an image. You can share your creations on the Tomodachi Life community, social media, or use them as reference sheets for future designs.
Tips for Best Results
- Start with simple images (logos, icons, cartoon characters) before attempting photos
- Use the Game palette to ensure every colour is achievable in-game
- Turn on Dither for photographs and skin tones
- Turn off Dither for flat designs, logos, and pixel art
- Use Labels view to get exact colour codes for each cell
- Reduce Max colours to 6–8 for your first design to keep things manageable