User guide

Everything you need to start painting on pPlace, in simple steps. Once you are inside the canvas, you can also open the help shortcut on the top bar to review this content.

Getting started

Open the canvas.
Sign in with your Google account to start painting.
Paste the URL of the website you want to paint and wait for the capture.
Pick a color and tool, then click to paint pixel by pixel.
Your changes are shared in real time with anyone painting the same website.

Tools on desktop

Brush

Main tool. Paints one pixel per click.
Combine with the color palette to vary tones.

Eraser

Removes painted pixels.
Useful to fix strokes without switching colors.

Selection / cursor

Lets you navigate without painting.
Ideal to inspect the art without changing anything by mistake.

Color picker (browser native)

Use the native color picker to grab the color of any on-screen pixel.
On compatible browsers (Chrome/Edge) the popup includes an eyedropper button.

Zoom

Enlarges or reduces the visible area for more precision.
Recommended for fine adjustments and alignment checks.

Grid

Shows a visual reference for pixel-by-pixel reading.
Especially useful in small drawings and exact placement.

Coordinates

Shows the cursor x/y position over the canvas in real time.
Great to locate exact points and report pixels precisely.

Reference image

Available next to the opacity control, only for signed-in users.
Imports a local image overlaid on the canvas with adjustable opacity, to use as a template.
The pixel count of the image can be set in canvas pixels, so each block matches one pixel of the grid; smaller images use fewer pixels and larger ones can use more.
Drag to reposition (snap to grid), lock, hide, or remove. The image stays only in your browser.
Optional mode for transparent pixel borders — even at max opacity you can see the canvas behind each block to know whether you already painted it.

Tools on mobile

Brush

With one finger, draw directly on the capture. It is the main tool to create art on mobile.

Eraser

Erase pixels with a tap, with the same precision as the brush.

Pan and zoom

Use a two-finger gesture to move and zoom. Get closer for precision; pull back to see the whole.

Precision and reading

Turn on the grid when drawing in detail.
Turn on coordinates to check exact position and report specific pixels.
Use the reference image with pixelation to faithfully reproduce an illustration.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts are designed to shrink the gap between intent and stroke — when you spend hours on a large canvas, every saved click matters. The main ones:

B — switch to brush.
E — switch to eraser.
V — switch to selection cursor (navigation only).
G — toggle the grid.
C — toggle the coordinates overlay.
+ / - — zoom in / zoom out.
0 — reset zoom to 100%.
Space (hold) + drag — free pan without changing tool.
Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y — undo / redo last local action (does not affect pixels already confirmed by the server).
Esc — close open modals and overlays.

Planning a large painting

Painting a piece with hundreds or thousands of pixels takes a little more planning. A few practices that work well for pPlace collaborations:

Define the bounding box first — pick the starting and ending coordinates (x1, y1, x2, y2) and write them down. Share these numbers with your collaborators; the coordinates overlay makes this trivial.
Use the reference image — export your art as PNG at the exact canvas pixel size and import it from the side panel. Lock the image after positioning so nobody moves it by mistake.
Start with borders and solid color blocks — this reserves the visual space and makes it harder for others to paint over it without noticing the intent.
Use a reduced palette — 6 to 12 colors are usually enough, keep the piece coherent and make it easier to communicate in a group (“color 3 is the sky”).
Split into zones — assign sections per collaborator, e.g. person A handles the top-left corner, person B the bottom-right. Agree on meeting points.
Check in periodically — someone could be painting over without meaning to. Turn on transparent pixel borders on the reference image to see what is still missing.

Practical case: reproducing a logo

Suppose you want to paint a simple 20×20 pixel logo in the corner of a page. Recommended flow:

Open the site in the canvas, wait for the capture and identify the region where the logo will go.
Turn on grid (G) and coordinates (C) to read the exact position of each corner of the region.
Prepare a pixel-art version of the logo at 20×20 in an external editor (GIMP, Aseprite, Photoshop) and export as PNG.
In the canvas, open the reference image panel, load the PNG and set the size to 20 canvas pixels.
Drag the image to align with the bounding box, then lock it.
Lower the reference opacity to something comfortable (around 60–80%) and start painting with the brush.
Use the eyedropper to keep color consistency across already-painted pixels.

Common mistakes

Forgetting to lock the reference image

It is easy to drag it accidentally and misalign everything. Always lock after positioning.

Working without grid at low zoom

Without the grid it is hard to know exactly which cell you are clicking, especially when the canvas is zoomed out. Toggle G when working in detail.

Painting before planning the palette

Starting with a random color and swapping along the way usually results in noisy art. Decide on 6–12 colors before.

Hitting the daily limit mid-detail

Before starting a long session, check how many pixels are still left in your limit. If you need more, activity rewards and store packs can extend it.

Quick glossary

Canvas: The paintable area overlaid on a captured website.
Capture: Visual snapshot of a public page, used as the canvas background.
Pixel: Minimum painting unit. Each click creates one pixel.
Cooldown: Waiting interval between paints, when applicable, to prevent spam.
Daily limit: Maximum number of pixels your account can paint in 24 hours. Grows with your level and can be extended via store and rewards.
Level: Account progress indicator. Goes up as you paint and complete milestones.
Reference image: Local image overlaid on the canvas to use as a template during painting. It is not sent to the server.

Community and conduct

Painted pixels are public and tied to your profile. Keep the environment healthy — no attacks, no illegal content, no scams. Read the Terms of Use for details on what can lead to a block.

Common questions

The most common questions about permanent pixels, limits, sites that can be painted, reference image and more are gathered in the FAQ page.