Free Texture Packer

Retro gaming is no doubt more and more attractive for younger and older generations. Whether it brings back memories or is simply attractive on account of it concentrating on narrative more than on looks, it is on the rise popularity-wise. Use Free Texture Packer to create your texture packs or extract the sprites you so much desire, and use your newly created materials with whatever projects you've got going on.

Export your creations in formats such as JSON, XML, CSS or as files compatible with Unreal Engine, Spine, Starling. Use the program as a gulp module or grunt plugin for even more development options related to console gaming. The interesting thing about this app is that it's got a lot of potential in it that any user can unleash.

The interface is fairly simplistic. You'll get which button does what because they are clearly labeled. You can start by adding whatever images you might want joined or split. Once you load any file for joining, on the left-hand side, you'll find a huge number of options. Adjust them as you see fit.

Start with texture name and format, and decide if you want to remove file extension or disable smoothing. Export to base 64 if need be, or add a filter for more effect. Adjust your canvas' width and height, and decide if the ratio should be fixed or otherwise. Allow rotation and trim or exclude them entirely. Lastly, if you don't want any two sprites or files to be the same, opt for identical element detection.

Even though its name might suggest one specific action, meaning the power of joining files, it can also split them with ease. Select the splitting function and choose any of the textures you've got already loaded. A window will pop up and let you adjust the width and height of one specific sprite unit so that your splitting goes as smoothly as possible. Decide if you want to keep the trim or not, and if you need a grid for more accurate measurements.