Contrast
Contrast is the relation between two shades. This applies not only within a sprite, but also to the sprite in relation to the background. A good contrast is the key for readability and enjoyment of the piece.
A high contrast means that the difference between the shades are too great. For example, the reason you can read this text is because the letters are black and the BG is white (or vice-versa), and there is a huge gap between black and white.
High contrast is great to form strong shapes and silhouettes, such as text.
Conversely, low contrast means that there is little difference between the shades. Usually a low contrast shade is used to add in-between details between two high contrast shades.
Same image as above, with low contrasting shades for the text. Notice how harder it is to read the text now.
It's important to note that since "contrast" is the difference between two shades, this means that one color can be both high and low in contrast, depending on the BG it is placed against.
In this example, the color A has low contrast compared to color B, but has high contrast compared to color C. With this in mind, you can create interesting color palettes.
Keep in mind that ideally, you will want to keep contrast in a balanced level so it is not too poppy nor blurry - a high contrast might create unwanted clusters all over the image, while low contrast might be interpreted as one single cluster.
Contrast is the relation between two shades. This applies not only within a sprite, but also to the sprite in relation to the background. A good contrast is the key for readability and enjoyment of the piece.
A high contrast means that the difference between the shades are too great. For example, the reason you can read this text is because the letters are black and the BG is white (or vice-versa), and there is a huge gap between black and white.
High contrast is great to form strong shapes and silhouettes, such as text.
Conversely, low contrast means that there is little difference between the shades. Usually a low contrast shade is used to add in-between details between two high contrast shades.
Same image as above, with low contrasting shades for the text. Notice how harder it is to read the text now.
It's important to note that since "contrast" is the difference between two shades, this means that one color can be both high and low in contrast, depending on the BG it is placed against.
In this example, the color A has low contrast compared to color B, but has high contrast compared to color C. With this in mind, you can create interesting color palettes.
Keep in mind that ideally, you will want to keep contrast in a balanced level so it is not too poppy nor blurry - a high contrast might create unwanted clusters all over the image, while low contrast might be interpreted as one single cluster.