What Is 9-Slice Scaling? Pixel Art UI Panels That Stretch Cleanly

A 9-slice panel is split into nine parts: four corners that never scale, four edges that stretch in one direction, and a center that fills the rest.

Why it matters for pixel art

Stretching a whole pixel art panel smears its border. With 9-slice, the corners and border stay pixel perfect while the panel grows to fit any text.

Setting it up

• Godot: use NinePatchRect and enter the margins from the README.
• Unity: set the border in the Sprite Editor and use Image type Sliced.
• GameMaker: enable Nine Slice in the sprite editor.

Every Gridwright UI pack lists the 9-slice margins for each panel, so setup takes seconds.