This function allows you to adjust the total numbers of colors in the current image and set dithering options when you reduce colors.

Dithering causes the program to attempt to approximate the appearance of removed colors by altering the colors of adjacent pixels to more closely resemble the original image. It does this by using what appears to be a lesser resolution (similar to the way some newspapers handle color photographs).

Bits Per Pixel

Select color depth of your image here. The different bits per pixel values permit the following maximum number of colors in any image:

1 - Only 2 colors, either black and white if you select Std. Windows palette, or averaged colors from the entire image for Optimized selection

4 - Up to 16 colors

8 - Up to 256 colors

16 - Up to 65536 colors

24 and 32 – Millions of colors.

Bits Per Pixel – Valid for GIF files only

There is no advantage in selecting these bit values, unless you plan to save your image only to a GIF file, which needs the smallest possible size to optimize it for fast web page loading. The different values permit the following maximum numbers of colors:

2 - Up to 4 colors

3 - Up to 8 colors

5 - Up to 32 colors

6 - Up to 64 colors

7 - Up to 128 colors

For file formats other than GIF, select the next number up in the left-most column.

Example: Instead of 2 or 3 bits per pixel, select 4, which permits up to 16 colors in an image without increasing its file size.

Dithering Methods

Use groups of dots of different colors to approximate any missing colors in an image color table. These choices are available when you reduce images from 16 or more bits per pixel (bpp) formats to 8 bpp or less.

Click on the different dithering method choices to see an instant preview of your picture and select the method you prefer.

Palette (color table) choices

If you select 8 bits per pixel or less for your images, these choices tell HyperSnap the type of color palette (color table) to synthesize when reducing image colors to the maximum allowed number.

Optimized

Choose a palette that best matches all colors on the original image.

Std. Windows

Choose a palette that contains at least the 16 standard Windows colors. The rest, if available, will be still optimized and available.

Netscape

Choose Netscape browser “safe” palette.

Black & White

Convert the image to black and white colors only.

Revert

Restores the original image, discarding the choices you’ve made above.