Free Color Quantizer

Transform your images with professional color reduction technology. Create stunning retro effects, optimize GIFs, and generate artistic styles with intelligent dithering - completely free.

Retro Gaming

GIF Optimization

Artistic Effects

Quantize Your Image

Drag and drop an image here or click to browse

Perfect for creating retro effects, optimizing GIFs, or artistic styles • Max 10MB

Choose Image

Private Color Processing

All color quantization happens locally in your browser using WebAssembly. Your images stay on your device, making it safe for artistic projects and confidential designs.

How Our Free Color Reducer Works

Upload Your Image

Select any image file to begin palette reduction

Configure Settings

Choose target palette size (2-256) and dithering options

Download & Share

Get your stylized image with professional results

Professional Color Reduction Features

Flexible Palette Control

Choose from 2 to 256 colors for perfect artistic control

Smart Dithering

Multiple algorithms: Floyd-Steinberg, Bayer, or clean modes

Universal Format Support

Process JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, and other popular formats

Instant Preview

See reduction effects instantly as you adjust settings

Palette Export

Export resulting palettes for use in other projects

Performance Modes

Balance between processing speed and output quality

Who Uses Our Free Color Reducer?

Web Developers

•Optimize GIF file sizes through palette reduction
•Create retro-style graphics for websites
•Extract limited palettes from photographs

Digital Artists

•Generate posterized artistic effects
•Recreate vintage computer aesthetic
•Prepare images for screen printing

Understanding Dithering Techniques

Method	Effect	Best For
No Dithering	Solid color blocks	Clean graphics, logos
Floyd-Steinberg	Natural error diffusion	Photos, gradients
Bayer (Ordered)	Regular pattern	Retro games, pixel art
Atkinson	Light diffusion	High contrast images

Frequently Asked Questions

What is color reduction?

Color reduction is the process of limiting the number of distinct colors in an image. It converts photographs with millions of colors down to a specific palette, useful for creating artistic effects, reducing file sizes, or meeting format requirements.

How many colors should I use?

It depends on your goal: 2-16 colors create strong artistic effects, 32-64 colors work well for retro graphics, 128-256 colors maintain good quality while reducing file size. GIFs are limited to 256 colors maximum.

What is dithering and when should I use it?

Dithering creates the illusion of more colors by mixing pixels of available colors. Use it when you want smoother gradients with limited colors. Skip dithering for clean, poster-like effects or when you want distinct color blocks.

Can I extract the resulting palette?

Yes! After processing, you can export the resulting palette as hex codes, RGB values, or even as a palette image. This is useful for creating consistent color schemes across projects.

Does color reduction reduce file size?

Often yes, especially for formats like GIF and indexed PNG that store palette information. However, the main purpose is artistic effect. For pure file size reduction, use our compression tool instead.