I just finished my first android game using libgdx and was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I was going for an old retro style game and using photoshop I think I achieved that look. However, I would like to polish up the graphics and make the edges less pixelated. I have read a lot of suggestions about using free graphics and I am leaning towards that but would like to know what tools or methods I could use to create my own.

I am actually in the process of writing an article about how to get started creating 2D game art for this site, but you would probably also find these articles useful (assuming you haven't read them):

Better Programmer Art: http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/creative/visual-arts/better-programmer-art-r2594

2D Game Art For Programmers: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChrisHildenbrand/20111015/8669/2D_Game_Art_For_Programmers__Part_1_updated.php

I would like to add, the better your knowledge of basic drawing and the more practice you have, the better your outcome will be.

very nice articles Prinz, I will take a look at them. I like the intro about "programmer art" vs "real game art". I am a programmer so I know exactly how it is

Here's a good one specifically for old school pixel art techniques. It talks about things like line edges, dithering, and shading. There is also a good list of 30 tutorials on this site.

Hi,

Some ways to eliminate or reduce pixilation:

1) Use a higher resolution image file.

2) Incorporate an image file less prone to pixilation in the vector category instead of rasterized.

3) Build the game to handle compressed images, then start with increased size in the creation phase and compress to the correct size for import into the game.

4) See if game performance would let you use lossless images such as BMP.

5) Create procedural images with shaders.

I wrote this to maybe cause you to reconsider your image implementation. Are you ready to grow?