Palette Swap

Palette Swap

Palette Swap is a technique used in video game design and art that involves changing the color palette of a sprite or character to create a new version of it. This technique is commonly used in 2D games where the hardware limitations of the time made it difficult to create new sprites for every variation of a character. By swapping the colors of an existing sprite, game developers were able to create new versions of characters without having to create entirely new sprites. Palette Swap is often used to create variations of enemies in video games, such as changing the color of a boss to indicate that it is a more powerful version of a regular enemy. This technique can also be used to create alternate costumes for playable characters, giving players the ability to customize their character's appearance without having to create entirely new models. In addition to video games, Palette Swap can also be used in other forms of digital art, such as pixel art and digital illustration. Artists can use this technique to quickly create variations of their artwork by swapping out colors and adjusting the hue and saturation of their artwork. Overall, Palette Swap is a versatile technique that has been used in various forms of digital art and design for decades. It allows artists and game developers to create new versions of characters and artwork quickly and efficiently, without having to create entirely new assets from scratch.

video game design, sprite, color palette, variation, enemy, alternate costume, digital art, pixel art, illustration, hue, saturation

— Kevin Johnson