Palette reduction, I need help

[Sevenstitch]

A quick and dirty way to get a good head start on palette reduction is by using a color depth filter in a graphics program

I use Graphics Gale, which i used to make this example



As you can see, the difference between the three isn't that noticeable, mostly because as you've already deduced, you have too many similar hues and shades

The color counts reduce from 35(your original) to 12 and then to 8

although the 8 palette result loses some detail, this is where you'd go back in manual and retouch any lost areas with your new smaller palette. Also, with such a small palette, you'll have an easier time shifting all those details around at the pixel level. A smaller palette also means that your contrast between shades will be greater, resulting in higher clarity of detail, assuming that your pixel work is adequate.


Keep in mind that this technique may be "frowned upon" by some, but It can really streamline workflow if you are one of those "paint first, pixel later" types.

Hope this helps