Last updated: 04/06/2026
In development by Gary Pinkett @STompyRR

Free browser-based development tools for ZX Spectrum Next artists and game makers. Build Layer 3 hardware tilemaps, create or convert Spectrum Next paint artwork for Layer 2, manage palettes and exports, then move assets into NextBuildStudio, Boriel BASIC or your own workflow. Sample Boriel BASIC code is available to help get exported maps running quickly.

Please note: These tools are made for desktop - 1920x1080 recommended!

Hardware/Layer 3 Tilemap Editor

  • Pixel-level tile editing with brush, eraser, fill, eyedropper and pixel-perfect strokes.
  • Palette editor for full 256-colour Spectrum Next palettes with 16-colour offset rules.
  • Per-tile collision masks with manual editing, export support and automatic mask generation.
  • Object placement for annotating maps with gameplay entities and exporting object data.
  • Indexed PNG import automatically creates tiles, removes duplicates and recognises X/Y mirroring and rotation.
  • Tile tools: Re-order, remove un-used tiles, replace tiles and supports 256 or 512 tiles.
  • Floating tools for direct draw and live preview while editing the map zoomed in.
  • NextBuild exports for maps, tiles, palettes, masks, objects and linked JSON project data.

Start a Layer 3 map

Load existing project

Open a saved Layer 3 hardware tilemap JSON project. Linked tiles and palette files can be loaded automatically by the editor when your export folder is set.

Open Next Tilemap Editor

Paint feature stack

  • Layer 2 painting with support for 4-bit and 8-bit colour per pixel.
  • Image import conversion turns common image formats into 8-bit or 4-bit indexed Spectrum Next artwork.
  • Classic paint tools: pencil, eraser, line, rectangle, ellipse, fill, eyedropper, text and spray can.
  • Advanced marquee workflow with rectangle, ellipse and freehand selections, copy/cut/paste, move, resize and rotate.
  • Pixel-art brush control with circle, square and slant brushes, pixel-perfect drawing and mirror painting.
  • Retro gradients for title screens and artwork, with banded fills and dithered colour ramps.
  • Palette editing for Spectrum Next 9-bit colours, palette import, drag/drop swaps and live canvas remapping.
  • NXI and NXP files for saving Layer 2 images and palettes, with optional embedded palette support.
  • Indexed PNG export for sharing artwork while keeping palette-indexed pixel data intact.
  • Floating preview with zoom, pan and resize for that quality of live pixelling.

Start a new image

Open or import image

Open a saved NXI image from here, or launch Paint to import PNG, GIF or JPEG artwork and convert it to 8-bit or 4-bit indexed colour.

Open Next Paint