color count problem
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=5628
Printed Date: 12 September 2025 at 2:11am
Topic: color count problem
Posted By: aubrey
Subject: color count problem
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 2:18pm
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Hi everyone I am new here :) I hope this is in the right forum... Anyway I submitted this http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/27710.htm and the color count is showing up as over 5000 colors. I used Photoshop (which I know you're not really supposed to do but I am kinda new to this and that's how I learned it) so I know I used a lot of colors but I'm pretty sure it's not 5000. The other thing I submitted for the Joint is coming up as way too many colors as well. I was told by jolanso to make a topic here so... is it a problem with my software or just me being dumb and not knowing that I should count my colors? |
Replies:
Posted By: Monkey 'o Doom
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 2:30pm
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It actually has 2082, but that's still far beyond the general 256 limit, and even farther beyond what you SHOULD be using. I would post an image showing the colors but the program I have that does that (mtPaint) only supports up to 256 colors for that feature. I should probably write myself one that works for any number of colors. ------------- http://pixelmonkey.ensellitis.com"> 
RPG is numberwang. |
Posted By: greenraven
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 2:46pm
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As a rule of thumb: If it can't be done in MSpaint, it's likely not pixel art. (The only exception to that is transparencies.)
-------------  "pwnage comes with patience, practice and planning." ~ Jalonso 
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Posted By: surt
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 2:46pm
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That's what happens when you use blending tools (translucency on water, soft brush on plants). Blending tools are not allowed here on PJ. ------------- 
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Posted By: Larwick
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 3:49pm
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It's happening at the bottom of the waterfall and by the plants on the bottom left. You will have to re-pixel these areas, because it is ruined by blur or some sort.
-------------  http://larw-ck.deviantart.com">
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Posted By: aubrey
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 7:25pm
| OK thanks, I'll try to go back and fix those parts. How did you get 2082 colors and why is PJ saying there are over 5000? |
Posted By: Monkey 'o Doom
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 8:33pm
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I used the color count feature of Irfanview ( http://www.irfanview.com - www.irfanview.com ), and I'm not sure why there would be a discrepancy between the two. I'll write a quick program to count colors and see which it think is right.
EDIT: A quick http://pixelmonkey.ensellitis.com/hosted/colorcount.exe - color-counting program says 2082 like Irfanview. ------------- http://pixelmonkey.ensellitis.com">
RPG is numberwang. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 8:57pm
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I use Photoshop and there is NO problem with using it. To make pixelart with Photoshop use the pencil tool only with the 'tolerance set to 'zero' always. To verify your colors before saving either use the color count thingy or 'save for web' and using the gif or png8 settings you;ll see your colors there. I think its most likely the tolerance on your tool setting thats the problem here. Again, Photoshop is ok for pixelart. I use it exclusively. EDIT: Sorry I had to send your pixel back for now. Reports on the color count just keep coming. As soon as you fix this we'll add it again, k : ) ------------- |
Posted By: aubrey
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 9:24pm
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Alrighty, I was not aware there was a limit on colors or even a way to count them. If I am using Photoshop is there a way to make sure I don't use too many? Like set it for web colors only or something? Also it seems like transparencies would cause that to happen too, but most people have said transparencies are OK. (Sorry if that's too many questions, I did read the rules/FAQ and didn't see anything) |
Posted By: surt
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 9:54pm
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There isn't a limit on colours but each colour should be meaningful and hand selected. When you have thousands that is not practically possible. When tools are making those colours they aren't hand selected. For a single piece of clean pixel are you should rarely need more than about 32 colours. PixelPlajer's colour count does get it wrong sometimes. -------------
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Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 10:00pm
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In photoshop what I do for color is every time I get a new shade I add it on a seperate layer. As I add colors then when coloring I pick from there using the eyedropper. If you ever lose a pixel then you can easily use the wand with 'use all layers' go through all the colors on that palette layer. Anything not selected is a stray. As for color limits. Gif has a 256 limit, png8 also has 256. Since Pixeljoint only accepts gif and png files we kinda do have a limit. Most png files in the gallery are png24 which supports millions of colors. Because most here know about color usage its hardly ever a problem. You are using png24, so all the extra colors are counted. Its for this reason that pixels with 256 colors are considered 'iffy'. ------------- |
Posted By: aubrey
Date Posted: 22 December 2007 at 10:21pm
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OK thanks I am learning a lot :P The only time I used anything other than pencil was in those 2 spots, the splash of the water and the plants, which I am in the process of fixing, but even when I took those layers out the image still had 300 something colors. I guess I always got the impression that you are supposed to use a lot of different shades for details and textures and whatnot, so it doesn't look cartoony. So I guess I have a lot to learn still :P Sorry if I am being noobish... |
Posted By: aubrey
Date Posted: 23 December 2007 at 8:11pm
| Alright I got it down to 296 colors, and without the transparent water there are only around 160. Should I submit again or is that still too many? |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 23 December 2007 at 8:13pm
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Post it here to see. Use www.tinypic.com if you need.
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Posted By: aubrey
Date Posted: 23 December 2007 at 8:16pm
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Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 23 December 2007 at 8:31pm
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My Photoshop is still showing 256 colors possibly more. As you already know when you made the opacity layer on the waterfall it generated all those crazy new colors. They don't even show so it was a bad idea. I've colored in pink the trouble area.  You left just a few strays in the flowers too. Using the magic wand in photoshop (with tolerance set to ZERO) click around to find those pesky colors. EDIT: I was looking at the rest and the iso aspects of your scene and you did a very good job. http://www.neurona.org/pixelart_photoshop.php - I know its in spanish and one day I will translate this but it may help anyways. Its a setup for photoshop pixelarting ------------- |
Posted By: aubrey
Date Posted: 23 December 2007 at 8:46pm
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Thanks! I fixed those pixels and made the water opaque, now it says 219 colors  |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 23 December 2007 at 8:48pm
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Don't use transparencies like that anymore ok. Remember that it may take a little longer but you can do anything using opaque colors. ------------- |
Posted By: skamocore
Date Posted: 23 December 2007 at 11:10pm
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okies I had my go at highlighting some of your unwanted colours...I got it down to 93 colours...there's still a lot to go though... Like Surt was saying there really shouldn't be any reason why this should have more than 32 colours  ------------- |
Posted By: Metaru
Date Posted: 24 December 2007 at 1:16am
 tthis is your 219 colors palette. this way will make reducing colors more easily and eficient, as you only need to pick one and use your "replace color" tool to wipe them out one by one. as you can see, there's almost 20 colors per tone ------------- I ate leel's babies |