Pixel Joint Forum: Colour count

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ChrisButton
Commander

Joined: 10 September 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 371

Topic: Colour count
Posted: 30 August 2011 at 1:30am

Hey guys!

So basically I've been studying pixel art here and there when I'm not doing

other stuff. I've taken an interest in color palettes and was wondering if

anyone knew about why you're only allowed such an amount of colours per

game and could explain it to me and how it affects the programming?

(4bit 8bit 16bit etc). I was also wondering if you could recommend the best

amount would be. Any links on the topic would be greatly appreciated as

would any comments etc.

Thank youuu. :)

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DawnBringer
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Joined: 11 August 2024
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 568

Posted: 30 August 2011 at 10:25am

As you know you know, computers are based on the binary-system (1 & 0). Therefore the operations & memory-structure are usually in numbers of 2^n, like 2^0 = 1, 2^1 = 2, 2^2 = 4, 2^3 = 8, 2^4 = 16, 2^5 = 32 etc...

Many graphical systems uses Bitplanes that work in the same manner: 1 Bitplane = 2 colors, 2 Bitplanes = 4 colors etc... So the common 8,16 & 32 colorlimits are modes found in popular pre-24bit computers. The highest common mode in more modern (non 24bit displays) computers are 8 Bitplanes = 256 colors. Why I consider that the absolute max for pure pixelart.

Color-values can be a little trickier; You normally count how many shades of each RGB-channel a system can display/set. F.ex the Amiga500 has a 12bit-palette:
Each channel has 4 bits = 16 shades (4 + 4 + 4 = 12 bit)
16 red * 16 green * 16 blue = 4096 possible colors.

Edited by DawnBringer - 30 August 2011 at 10:26am

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ChrisButton
Commander

Joined: 10 September 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 371

Posted: 30 August 2011 at 7:23pm

Fascinating stuff. I'm doing a course next year on C++ programming for

games development and want to know what I'm getting into. I'm pretty sure

the course revolves around 3d things, but I'll definitely be sure to inquire

about pixel art and stuff. Games like Monster Bash ftw.

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Rebel
Seaman
Seaman

Joined: 10 May 2010
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4

Posted: 21 September 2011 at 9:33pm

Personally I enjoy the challenge of limiting my palette and colourdepth, but I do it also because a lot of my work is used on older systems that actually have these limitations.

If you were going to produce some graphics for an Amiga 500, Atari Lynx or Sega Game Gear for example, your choice of colours are limited to those in the 12bit palette. So your grey scales would need to have 24bit R,G, & B values of exactly: 0, 17, 34, 51, 68, 85, 102, 119, 136, 153, 170, 187, 204, 221, 238, 255. All the colours you make would also have to use those 24bit values if you want to stick to a 12bit colour depth.

If you were making graphics for a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST or PC Engine/TG16 which all have a 9bit palette your 24bit values must be: 0, 36, 72, 109, 145, 182, 218, 255.

Each system also has a limit to how many colours can be shown on screen at once, and how many colours are allocated to background and foreground playfields, sprites, tiles and so on.

It might not be what you wanted to know, but maybe someone will find it useful or interesting to know those colour values.

Edited by Rebel - 21 September 2011 at 9:38pm

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ChrisButton
Commander

Joined: 10 September 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 371

Posted: 25 September 2011 at 12:42am

That was definitely something interesting to read, however I have

to ask you two quick questions (or anyone who can answer):

Why would those values have to be those numbers?

and

Do you know how to work out how much data you have to work with

given a specific data allocation? (example 16 bit) - your resolution, your

colors and how many there are etc?

That would be awesome! Thank you. :-)

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DawnBringer
Commander

Joined: 11 August 2024
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 568

Posted: 25 September 2011 at 3:23am

Ex: Amiga500 (12bit RGB, 16 shades) to 24bit(256 shades):

The 12bit palette has 16 shades of grey but there's only 15 steps from Black(0) to White(255), so: 255 / 15 = 17.

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Pixel Joint Forum : The Lounge : Resources and Support

Author	Message
ChrisButton Commander Joined: 10 September 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 371	Topic: Colour count Posted: 30 August 2011 at 1:30am
	Hey guys! So basically I've been studying pixel art here and there when I'm not doing other stuff. I've taken an interest in color palettes and was wondering if anyone knew about why you're only allowed such an amount of colours per game and could explain it to me and how it affects the programming? (4bit 8bit 16bit etc). I was also wondering if you could recommend the best amount would be. Any links on the topic would be greatly appreciated as would any comments etc. Thank youuu. :)
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DawnBringer Commander Joined: 11 August 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 568	Posted: 30 August 2011 at 10:25am
	As you know you know, computers are based on the binary-system (1 & 0). Therefore the operations & memory-structure are usually in numbers of 2^n, like 2^0 = 1, 2^1 = 2, 2^2 = 4, 2^3 = 8, 2^4 = 16, 2^5 = 32 etc... Many graphical systems uses Bitplanes that work in the same manner: 1 Bitplane = 2 colors, 2 Bitplanes = 4 colors etc... So the common 8,16 & 32 colorlimits are modes found in popular pre-24bit computers. The highest common mode in more modern (non 24bit displays) computers are 8 Bitplanes = 256 colors. Why I consider that the absolute max for pure pixelart. Color-values can be a little trickier; You normally count how many shades of each RGB-channel a system can display/set. F.ex the Amiga500 has a 12bit-palette: Each channel has 4 bits = 16 shades (4 + 4 + 4 = 12 bit) 16 red * 16 green * 16 blue = 4096 possible colors. Edited by DawnBringer - 30 August 2011 at 10:26am
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ChrisButton Commander Joined: 10 September 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 371	Posted: 30 August 2011 at 7:23pm
	Fascinating stuff. I'm doing a course next year on C++ programming for games development and want to know what I'm getting into. I'm pretty sure the course revolves around 3d things, but I'll definitely be sure to inquire about pixel art and stuff. Games like Monster Bash ftw.
	IP Logged

Rebel Seaman Joined: 10 May 2010 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 21 September 2011 at 9:33pm
	Personally I enjoy the challenge of limiting my palette and colourdepth, but I do it also because a lot of my work is used on older systems that actually have these limitations. If you were going to produce some graphics for an Amiga 500, Atari Lynx or Sega Game Gear for example, your choice of colours are limited to those in the 12bit palette. So your grey scales would need to have 24bit R,G, & B values of exactly: 0, 17, 34, 51, 68, 85, 102, 119, 136, 153, 170, 187, 204, 221, 238, 255. All the colours you make would also have to use those 24bit values if you want to stick to a 12bit colour depth. If you were making graphics for a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST or PC Engine/TG16 which all have a 9bit palette your 24bit values must be: 0, 36, 72, 109, 145, 182, 218, 255. Each system also has a limit to how many colours can be shown on screen at once, and how many colours are allocated to background and foreground playfields, sprites, tiles and so on. It might not be what you wanted to know, but maybe someone will find it useful or interesting to know those colour values. Edited by Rebel - 21 September 2011 at 9:38pm
	IP Logged

ChrisButton Commander Joined: 10 September 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 371	Posted: 25 September 2011 at 12:42am
	That was definitely something interesting to read, however I have to ask you two quick questions (or anyone who can answer): Why would those values have to be those numbers? and Do you know how to work out how much data you have to work with given a specific data allocation? (example 16 bit) - your resolution, your colors and how many there are etc? That would be awesome! Thank you. :-)
	IP Logged

DawnBringer Commander Joined: 11 August 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 568	Posted: 25 September 2011 at 3:23am
	Ex: Amiga500 (12bit RGB, 16 shades) to 24bit(256 shades): The 12bit palette has 16 shades of grey but there's only 15 steps from Black(0) to White(255), so: 255 / 15 = 17.
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