Spreadsheet Pixel Art: Image to Excel and Google Sheets

Each pixel becomes one cell with a solid fill. Column width and row height are both set to 20 screen pixels so the cells are square, and grid lines are hidden so the picture reads as an image rather than a table. The second tab, Colors, lists every color with its number, hex code and how many cells use it.

Turn on color numbers and each cell also carries its color number, centered in small type — a color-by-number chart you can print or hand out. The fill stays, so the picture is still visible; select the picture range and set the fill to none if you want a blank version to color in.

Keep it to 48–80 columns for a sheet that is easy to scroll and print on one page; the file is set to fit to one page when printed. Up to 128 columns works too — a 128 × 128 picture is 16,384 cells, far below the limits of Excel and Google Sheets.

In Google Sheets choose File → Import → Upload, pick the .xlsx and select Create new spreadsheet; the fills, cell sizes and the Colors tab come across. In Excel just open the file. To change a color afterwards, select the cells and use the fill color button; to find every cell of one color, use the number version and filter or search for that number.

For a classroom mystery picture, download the numbered version, delete the fills (select all, fill color → none), and add one conditional formatting rule per color: Format → Conditional formatting, Format cells if… Is equal to 1, pick the fill, and repeat for each number on the Colors tab. Students type numbers into blank cells and the picture appears as the answers go in.

Drawing by hand instead? In a blank sheet select all columns, right-click → Resize columns → 21 pixels, which matches Google Sheets' default 21-pixel row height and gives square cells. For a quick PNG of the same picture, use photo to pixel art.