Use palettes and color outlines to simplify a photographic result
Go beyond lowering color count: organize shading, tune per-part outlines, compare dithering and stabilize colors across motion.
Look at the purpose of each color
A converted image can resemble a tiny photograph because too many local shading changes remain. Check whether hair, skin and clothes have clear base, shadow and highlight areas. If reducing colors also removes a defining feature, inspect what the palette has lost.
Compare long side and color count separately
PIA’s long side controls spatial pixel resolution; color count controls the palette’s range. Set the intended display size first, then adjust color count. Changing both drastically makes it difficult to know why a face became unreadable.
Build connected shading areas
Scattered single-pixel skin shadows or clothing reflections can feel noisy. Clean up source colors or compare small-region processing. For 3D, the workbench can paint out unwanted texture patches first. When drawing by hand, block broad shadows before adding highlights.
Start with color-outline defaults
Color outlines derive darker related colors from the interior. Defaults are 25% darkness and no light direction. They can preserve differences between pale skin and dark hair better than applying the same black everywhere. Increase darkness slightly if an edge disappears into the background, then compare at actual size.
The light-direction setting adjusts lighter and darker portions of the line. Compare it with no direction if it conflicts with the source lighting. A uniform graphic style can use the solid line-color option instead.
Compare against no dithering
Dithering can suggest texture or intermediate shades with a small palette, but it is not required for every image. In a tiny face its pattern can obscure the expression. Keep a comparison without the effect and use it when texture is intentional.
Review the full animation
PIA fixed frame selects a palette reference; it does not save just that frame. Check colors visible only in a weapon pose or inside a coat. Reopen the exported sheet and examine dark poses and alternate directions as well as the first frame.
Try the settings from this article on your own source.
Pixelize images and 3D