32×32 is getting an update   24 August 2009

When I started developing 32×32, I was worried that I’d be its only user! Thankfully this hasn’t been the case. In fact, I’m really pleased with the feedback I’m getting on 32×32, from positive reviews to emails saying, “this is exactly what I was looking for.” And here I thought I was the only one who wanted to draw monochrome pixel art on my iPhone. Silly me.

I’ve been working on version 1.1 for around a month now. Updating an app who’s primary goal is simplicity is challenging to say the least. The update needs to add substantial value to the app without destroying the very simplicity that defines it. I think I’ve managed to pull this off.

Version 1.1 introduces three new features:

1. Editor tweaks and settings

Something I overlooked for 32×32 was a coordinate readout. Counting pixels just became second nature at some point, and I kinda didn’t realize how useful it would be. All sorted out now. The text fades quickly fades away when there are no fingers on the screen so it doesn’t get in the way.

If you want to leave things the way they were there’s a setting to turn off the coordinate readout. There’s also a setting for turning off the auto-erase functionality. I use auto-erase very frequently, but I understand that it feels unintuitive to some. This way everyone’s happy.

2. Image tools

These tools manipulate the entire image. Again, the idea is to keep this simple, so I put some careful thought into adding just two image tools.

It’s always frustrating when you start drawing something only to realize you didn’t leave enough space on one side. Move Canvas lets you shift the entire image around. It wraps the pixels around the canvas so it’s non-destructive.

Clear Canvas, you know, clears the canvas. It’s not totally necessary, but I find that when starting to draw something I often go through several “false-starts” where I erase everything before settling on the right look. It also gave me an excuse to use a superfluous curl animation:

The Image Tools menu is accessed by shaking the device. I’m not a fan of “shake” in general, but it feels right in this case. Shaking the device accidently doesn’t cause any harm (it just brings up the menu), and the image tools aren’t accessed often enough for shaking to be an inconvenience. By using the shake gesture I can extend the functionality of 32×32 without cluttering the editor screen with infrequent (but useful) options.

3. Share on Twitter

This is the one I spent most of my time working on. I’ve had one or two people forward me their pixel art on Twitter, so I figured, “why not built the functionality right in?” 32×32 will upload your images to TwitPic, append them to your message, and post the tweet onto Twitter. It also adds a #32×32 hashtag to the tweet, which will allow you to browse all the images people have uploaded using 32×32. I’ve been very impressed with the stuff people have produced with 32×32, so I’m hoping you guys will continue to share your fantastic work on Twitter.

Finally, the ETA: 32×32 v1.1 is code complete. I just need to do some further testing before submitting it to Apple. So, maybe two or three weeks from now?