palette.md

Using Palettes

Loading Palettes in ACE

ACE currently use .gpl (Gimp Palette) as palette input. Full spec here.

To be complete, at the time of writing, ACE's palette converter can handle following palette formats:

• GIMP palette file (.gpl)
• Adobe Color Table file (.act)
• ProMotion NG palette file (.pal)

Because .gpl is from the opensource world, this article will focus on it.

Extracting .gpl palette from your tools.

From Aseprite

You might have to apply addon Aseprite Script: Amiga OCS/ECS Color Palette Mixer to align png and palette to amiga capacity/rgb colors.

You need to add an addon just process to this installation : https://github.com/behreajj/AsepriteAddons/

Then go to File > Script > dialogs > palette > gplExport and put your .tpl into your res folder.

NOTE: in asesprite you can also save directely in .act format.

From GIMP

To be completed

Loading palette into your game

You need to append your CMakeLists.txt file and add at the end. It loads and converts the palette and then use it to convert your graphic file.

# Convert palette and background image
convertPalette(${GAME_LINKED} ${RES_DIR}/mypalette.gpl ${DATA_DIR}/mypalette.plt)
convertBitmaps(
  TARGET ${GAME_LINKED} PALETTE ${RES_DIR}/mypalette.gpl
  INTERLEAVED SOURCES ${RES_DIR}/YourTiles.png
  DESTINATIONS ${DATA_DIR}/YourTiles.bm

Then in your code :

// GAME_BPP is your number of color choice - 4 for 16 colors, 5 for 32 colors
#define GAME_BPP 5
// declare palette G
static UWORD s_pPalette[1 << GAME_BPP];
// [...]
void gameGsCreate(void) {
    // [...]
    // Load your palette
    paletteLoadFromPath("data/mypalette.plt", s_pPalette, 1 << GAME_BPP);
    // One way to apply palette, copy it to the 2 view ports
    memcpy(s_pVpScore->pPalette, s_pPalette, sizeof(s_pVpScore->pPalette));
    memcpy(s_pVpMain->pPalette, s_pPalette, sizeof(s_pVpMain->pPalette));
    // [...]
}
// [...]