Deep Dive · 6 min read
Mastering Palette House — Tomodachi Life Pixel Workflow
Learn how to set up Palette House for pixel-perfect Tomodachi Life results. Covers Pro-Artist Mode, two-screen workflow, copy strategy, and common mistakes to avoid.
Enable Pro-Artist Mode
Pro-Artist Mode unlocks the square brush, which maps one-to-one with grid cells. Without it, the default round brush bleeds into neighboring cells and creates inaccurate results.
Access Pro-Artist Mode from the Palette House settings menu. Once enabled, switch to the smallest square brush before starting any copy work.
Set Up a Two-Screen Workflow
The most efficient setup uses your phone or tablet as the pattern reference while you paint on the Switch. Open the numbered pattern PNG on a second screen and zoom to fit one row at a time.
Alternatively, print the pattern. A printed sheet eliminates device-switching and lets you mark completed rows with a pen.
Copy Strategy: Background First
Fill the largest background color first using the fill tool, then paint outlines and small details on top. This minimizes total brush strokes and reduces copying errors.
For designs with multiple large color regions, fill them in order from largest to smallest area. Save detail work and single-pixel accents for the final pass.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Off-by-one errors are the most common problem. Always anchor your starting position at the top-left corner of the grid and count cells carefully when starting a new row.
Avoid copying in dim lighting — similar palette colors (like adjacent grays or browns) are easy to confuse on the Switch screen. Good lighting prevents palette mismatches.