Reference
Palette Planning Reference
Color budgets at a glance: how many palette colors each asset type, scene type and game size typically consumes.
Color budget by scope
| Scope | Colors | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8×8 icon | 2–3 | Shape carries everything |
| 16×16 character | 4–6 | Outline + 1 ramp per material |
| 32×32 character | 6–12 | Two materials + shading steps |
| Single tileset | 8–16 | Shared across all tiles |
| Overworld scene | 16–32 | Sky / ground / props ramps |
| Full game | 32–64 | One global palette, subsets per biome |
Ramp lengths per material
| Style | Steps | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Flat | 1 | UI, retro-faithful styles |
| Simple | 2–3 | 16×16 sprites |
| Standard | 3–4 | 32×32+ sprites and tiles |
| Rich | 5–6 | 64×64 illustrations, dithering territory |
One game-wide palette beats per-sprite palettes — cohesion is the strongest style signal.
Budget colors before drawing; running out is a design tool, not a problem.
Next step
Load a preset palette in the editor's Palette tab, then draw inside the budget.
Related
Guide
Pixel Art Color Palette Guide
How to build a pixel art palette: how many colors you need, hue shifting instead of darkening, and how to keep every color pulling its weight.
OpenReferencePixel Art Size Reference
Canvas sizes for pixel art at a glance: what 8×8 through 128×128 are each good for, with color budgets and typical use cases.
Open