GIF Optimizer Colors Tab

GIF images have an 8-bit color depth, which means they can display up to 256 colors. Because these colors are stored in a palette, an image containing 256 or fewer colors is called a paletted image. To reduce file size, you can have fewer than 256 colors. Use the options in this tab to select the colors and type of palette used.

  1. Choose how many colors you want the saved image to contain. As you remove colors, the size of the file decreases, but so does the quality of the image. Use the preview windows to help you determine the best balance between file size and image quality.

  2. Choose the amount of Dithering, which refers to the way Paint Shop Pro arranges pixels in an image to compensate for missing colors in the adjacent pixels.

  3. Choose a method of color selection for the palette that will be used for the image:

  4. Choose the Existing Palette option if your image is already paletted and you want to use its palette.

  5. Choose the Standard/Web-safe option if your image will be used on the Web.

  6. Choose the Optimized Median Cut option if you need to reduce the image to only a few colors.

  7. Choose the Optimized Octree option if your original image contains only a few colors.

Note: Depending on your needs, you may want to try both “Optimized” options and choose the one that gives you the best looking result or the smallest file size.

  1. In the Options group box, mark Boost selected colors to give them more weight by a factor of the value you enter. The selected colors stand out from the rest of the image. To boost colors, make a selection of an area that contains these colors and then select this option. Mark the Include Windows’ colors check box to include the 16 standard Windows colors in the palette. If the image will be used on the Web, mark the check box.

Related Topics

Optimizing GIF Files

Saving Images for the Web

Embedding a Digital Watermark

Previewing images in a Web Browser