AI Asset Creation Workflow for Indie Game Developers

Art resources are always a bottleneck in indie game development. Without dedicated artists you have to draw everything yourself; outsourcing is expensive; store-bought assets may overlap with other games and can't be freely modified.

With XBRUSH, you can create the assets your game needs yourself — quickly, in your own style. This guide organizes how to use XBRUSH by asset type for indie games.

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XBRUSH Workspace Basics

Set the AI engine, image size, and generation count in the left panel, then type what you want in the top prompt box. Upload a reference image to generate images that reference that style — great for maintaining visual consistency with assets you've already created.

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Workflow by Asset Type

1. Character Sprites

Goal: 512×512 character image with transparent background

1. Generate character image with prompt
2. Use Outpainting to match canvas to 1:1 ratio
3. Use Background Removal to convert to transparent PNG
4. Use Upscale to increase resolution if needed

Recommended Prompt Structure

[Job/Role], [Race/Appearance], [Equipment/Costume], 2D game character,
cartoon/pixel art style, side view facing right, transparent background

Example

fox wizard, purple robe, golden staff, 2D game character,
cartoon style, side view facing right, white background

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2. Sprite Sheets (Attack Animation)

Goal: 4-frame attack animation sprite sheet

Once a character image is ready, generate attack animation sprites for that character.

Prompt Structure

2D game sprite, [style], transparent background, consistent character design.
4-frame [attack type] sprite sheet
[character description]. 2x2 canvas, character centered in each cell, feet fixed at same pixel coordinates.

Frame 1 (Idle): ...
Frame 2 (Wind-up): ...
Frame 3 (Attack): ...
Frame 4 (Recovery): ...

For more per-character prompts, see the Game Sprite Creation Guide.

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3. Backgrounds / Tilesets

Goal: Game stage background image

Recommended Prompt Structure

2D game background, [genre] style, [location/environment], [time/weather],
tileable composition, [color direction]

Example

2D RPG game background, fantasy style, dark underground dungeon,
stone walls and torches, perspective with depth, dark teal tones

Tip: For backgrounds, color contrast with character sprites is key. If characters are bright, keep backgrounds dark, and vice versa.

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4. Item Icons

Goal: Square item icon with transparent background

game item icon, [item name], fantasy style,
front view, transparent background, isometric view,
[color], high resolution, clean outline

Example — Weapon Set

game item icon, flame sword, fantasy style, front view,
transparent background, orange-red flame effect, high resolution, clean outline

Apply Background Removal after generation for transparent PNG. Generating 4 icons at once lets you review multiple versions at once.

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5. UI Elements

Goal: Health bar, skill buttons, menu frames, etc.

game UI element, [element name], [art style],
transparent background, [color], [material: stone/metal/wood etc.]

Example

game UI, fantasy health bar frame, pixel art style,
gold border, red fill, transparent background

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Maintaining Style Consistency

As assets accumulate, visual style can drift. Actively use XBRUSH's reference image feature.

1. Upload the first character you created as a reference image
2. Use the same reference image for all subsequent asset generation
3. AI matches color palette, line style, and shading approach

Or train 5–15 reference images with XBRUSH's Style Trainer so the whole team can generate assets in the same style.

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Recommended Production Order

1. Main character standing image (style anchor)
2. Main character attack/movement sprite sheet
3. Enemy characters (contrasting colors from protagonist)
4. Background images (per stage)
5. Item icons (weapons → armor → consumables)
6. UI elements (health bar, buttons, frames)
7. Effects (explosions, magic, hit effects)

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Tools Used

• XBRUSH Image Generation — Generate character, background, item, and UI assets
• XBRUSH Outpainting — Standardize character canvas ratio to 512×512
• XBRUSH Background Removal — Create transparent PNG sprite sources
• XBRUSH Upscale — Increase resolution of generated images
• XBRUSH Style Trainer — Train and share game's unique art style across teams