Palette Help Needed!
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: The Lounge
Forum Name: Resources and Support
Forum Discription: Help your fellow pixel artists out with links to good tutorials, other forums, software, fonts, etc. Bugs and support issues should go here as well.
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16540
Printed Date: 11 September 2025 at 7:17am
Topic: Palette Help Needed!
Posted By: StoneStephenT
Subject: Palette Help Needed!
Date Posted: 16 June 2013 at 8:59am
|
Okay, I need a bit of help. Assume that I want to make a palette of colors that looks similar to this:  (Above image taken from a color palette tutorial by Kiwinuptuo on DeviantArt. Credit where credit's due.) Also assume that I start out with this palette of test colors:  (Not a trimmed-down version of the NES palette, I swear. I did have that in mind when I crafted this test palette, though.) Also also assume that I may want to expand the number of colors so I can have a palette suitable for future usage across a number of different projects. (Think Dawnbringer's palettes or, as noted, the NES palette.) Oh, and one more thing: assume that I am a complete dumbass without a lick of real knowledge when it comes to color theory and hue/luminescence/etc. (Trust me, that shouldn't prove hard.) How would I go about turning that test palette into a palette that looks similar to the first image? |
Replies:
Posted By: programgamer
Date Posted: 16 June 2013 at 9:33am
| First, learn about color theory. Then follow the noob tutorials on this site. Google is your friend when it comes to this. |
Posted By: StoneStephenT
Date Posted: 16 June 2013 at 9:36am
|
I've read the noobtorials and such, but my mind, she doesn't seem to grasp some of it. (Told you to assume you're working with a dumbass. :) |
Posted By: DawnBringer
Date Posted: 16 June 2013 at 12:06pm
|
First realize that colors are 3-dimensional data (R,G & B), any 2-dimensional representation requires an information reduction. As such, two or more colors may want to occupy the same slot in your diagram. So simply put; the appearance of a ramp-chart (like your example) is largely arbitrary, and there's (usually) no one correct or perfect solution. So you're free to experiment with different arrangements.
Commonly the ramps are divided into Hues and exapand over Brightness. Colors that are neutral or multi-purpose acts as hubs or cross-roads. However your current palette is pretty much a uniform spectrum, and there's little to gain from trying to map ramps with these colors. Also, the ten brightest and darkest colors are so similar that they can be fused to one color each. I get the sense you might be thinking about constructing the actual palette by expanding a ramp-diagram. While I won't say this is impossible...it's a bit like trying to build a house from a picture, rather than building a house and taking pictures of it. Anyways, here's a variation of diagrams for the DB32 palette. 
|
Posted By: StoneStephenT
Date Posted: 16 June 2013 at 1:14pm
|
Originally posted by DawnBringer I get the sense you might be thinking about constructing the actual palette by expanding a ramp-diagram. While I won't say this is impossible...it's a bit like trying to build a house from a picture, rather than building a house and taking pictures of it. One way of lookin' at it, yeah. I tend to do things ass-backwards at times, and I suppose this makes another one of those times. I'll just have to do more experimenting with ramps and such, I s'pose. I did just that on a few of my older works for the past hour to try and help myself understand HSL and whatnot. (I use Paint Shop Pro as my pixel art editor, for the record.) I think the gears have started to turn, but they still need a few more manual cranks before it becomes automatic. |
Posted By: StoneStephenT
Date Posted: 17 June 2013 at 8:21am
Okay, so, another question. That's the color picker for Paint Shop Pro (my image editor of choice). As you can see, the HSL stuff probably doesn't work the same as other editors you guys might use. So, my question goes like this: when editing colors, what directions should I go in regarding HSL to achieve specific effects (hue shifting, "dull"/"flat" colors, etc.)? I apologize if that question sounds odd or dumb. I have a hard time with phrasing when it comes to asking questions about things I don't generally "get".  |
Posted By: yrizoud
Date Posted: 17 June 2013 at 8:34am
|
With this representation: - rotating around the circle only changes the hue. - in the square, move up and down to change the lightness. (light is down, dark is up) - in the square, move right and left to change the saturation. Left side is minimum saturation (ie grayscale), right is maximum saturation ie very intense colors. |
Posted By: StoneStephenT
Date Posted: 18 June 2013 at 8:34am
|
I understand how the HSL stuff technically functions (it's one of the few things I do understand about all this!), but I suppose I meant to ask "how far should I go" when editing colors for a palette/piece of pixel art? What directions (and how far in those directions) would I go to create, say, a "bright" or "dull" color ramp? That's one of the few things I don't understand. |
Posted By: cure
Date Posted: 18 June 2013 at 3:17pm
|
'brightness' is technically luminosity, but I think you're looking for 'vivid' colors vs. dull colors, which will be saturation. saturation is horizontal in the square above, with completely desaturated (white/gray/black) on the left and full saturation (bright blue) on the right. |
Posted By: StoneStephenT
Date Posted: 21 June 2013 at 10:01am
 Because I don't claim credit for anyone else's work: the sprite on the left comes from http://scrollboss.illmosis.net/customsprites.php?g=capcom - Scrollboss' website . I recolored it using knowledge gained from general dicking around in both PSP and The GIMP (which I've begun to lean towards for my pixel art needs based on its HSV color picker) as well as reading tutorials on hue shifting and whatnot to create the sprite on the right. I'd love some feedback on my color choices and any advice for creating specific types of color ramps (e.g. skin colors, metal). (NOTE: Please don't think I'd ever consider submitting this to the PJ gallery. I did this purely as color palette/color editing practice and wanted to get some feedback on the color choices alone so that I can improve my own works in that area.) |
Posted By: KingGorillaKong
Date Posted: 29 June 2013 at 12:51pm
|
I don't mean to attempt to hijack another's thread, but a question in regards to the sample palette the OP posted...
The top row being the highest in brightness and all generally close to each other in actual color, what is the better choice for choosing which to eliminate in order to have as a link between the colour ramps? |