Home Collection Arcade Museum MOD Player Tools Contact
⬡ RetroVault Tools

PNG / JPEG to Commodore 64 Converter (Koala / PRG)

Convert PNG or JPEG images to C64 multicolour or hires • PRG / KOA / DD

The Commodore 64 shows a 320×200 bitmap with a fixed 16-colour palette and strict per-cell rules: in multicolour mode (Koala Painter) each 4×8 block of double-wide pixels may use 3 colours of its own plus one background colour shared by the whole picture; in hires mode each 8×8 block gets 2 colours. This converter picks the best background and the best colours for every block, applies a classic ordered dither, and exports a self-displaying .PRG for VICE or a real C64, plus the native Koala (.KOA) or Doodle (.DD) file. It runs entirely in your browser — your image is never uploaded.

📁
DROP YOUR IMAGE HERE
or click to browse • PNG, JPG, BMP, GIF, WEBP
Source image for C64 conversion
Conversion options
MODE
RESIZE
→ 320×200
BACKGROUND
shared colour, multicolour only
DITHER
50% ordered (Bayer 4×4)
BRIGHTNESS
0
CONTRAST
0
SATURATION
0
FILE NAME
16 chars max (C64 disk names)
⏳ CONVERTING...
⬇ .PRG ⬇ .KOA ⬇ .PNG
How to use

💾 .PRG — Self-displaying, recommended

A tiny BASIC line (10 SYS2061) followed by a 6502 routine that copies the colours into place and switches the VIC-II to bitmap mode; the bitmap itself loads straight to $2000. Press RUN/STOP + RESTORE to get back to BASIC.

  • VICE: drag & drop the .prg onto the x64sc window (autostart)
  • Real C64: copy it to an SD2IEC, Kung Fu Flash, 1541 Ultimate or a .D64 image, then LOAD"NAME",8 and RUN

🎨 .KOA / .DD — Native picture files

Koala Painter (multicolour, 10003 bytes: bitmap, screen RAM, colour RAM, background) or Doodle (hires, 9218 bytes: screen RAM then bitmap), for C64 paint tools, demo makers and converters.

🎚 Tips

  • The C64 palette is muted and has only three greys between black and white: raise saturation for colourful pictures
  • Lower the dither for logos and flat artwork, raise it for photos
  • Force the background colour when the picture has a dominant flat colour (sky, black backdrop)

FAQ

Multicolour or hires?

Multicolour (Koala Painter) uses double-wide 160x200 pixels with 4 colours per 4x8 cell, one of them shared by the whole picture: best for photos. Hires uses 320x200 pixels with 2 colours per 8x8 cell: sharper, better for line art and text.

How do I view the image on a C64 or in VICE?

Download the .PRG: it is self-displaying. Drag it into VICE, or put it on an SD2IEC, a Kung Fu Flash or a 1541 disk image and type LOAD"NAME",8 then RUN. RUN/STOP + RESTORE returns to BASIC.

What are the .KOA and .DD files?

The native formats of Koala Painter (multicolour, 10003 bytes, loads at $6000) and Doodle (hires, 9218 bytes, loads at $5C00), readable by C64 paint programs and most converters.

Are my images uploaded to a server?

No, everything runs in your browser; nothing leaves your device.

Other 8-bit machines? Try the PNG to ZX Spectrum converter or the PNG to Amstrad CPC converter, go 16-bit with the PNG to Amiga IFF converter, or browse all RetroVault tools.

Your image stays in your browser — it is never uploaded to our server

Commodore 64 / 64C / SX-64 / C128 in C64 mode • Pepto palette • VICE tested