When i'm importing maps should i lower the color depth?

Module Design
1

When i’m importing maps should i lower the color depth?
I know i should keep counters color depth as low as possible, but is it the same for maps/boards?
Thanks for your help.

2

I would say leave them big and pretty. I would prefer a 30Mb module that looks good to a 1.5Mb module that looks like a dog’s breakfast :slight_smile:

3

I was concerned about out of memory problems.
I’ve experienced that when using large counters with high color depths.
So boards aren’t affected in the same way?
Thanks for your reply :slight_smile:

4

Joel can address this better than I.

It’ll be pretty easy for users to increase Java memory in the next version of Vassal so I wouldn’t alter the color depth until you are sure there’s going to be a problem. And even then, talk to us first; No ugly modules! :open_mouth: :slight_smile:

5

I’ll go with low color depth since its a Starfield map, no real need for lots of colors for now.
But i was thinking of importing space Nebula pictures into the Starfield sometime in the future, they’d need lots of color depth to show them off.
Thank you. :wink:

6

Once loaded into vassal, all images are expanded to a 24bit color space anyway, so reducing the color depth has no effect whatsoever on final memory usage.

It does, however, have a dramatic effect on your module size if you can get away with 256 counters.

In my experience, most wargame counters can happily be saved at 256 colors with little or no reduction in quality. There are obviously exceptions to this rule. However, unless you have thousands of different counter images, it probably isn’t going to make that much of a difference.

Maps are another kettle of fish. Each is different. Old style wargame maps with minimal, flat colors can be saved with 256 colors only. Modern ‘photogaphic’ quality maps just can’t be. I usually end up using Jpeg for these to keep the module to a reasonable size.

Regards,
Brent.

Brent Easton
Analyst/Programmer
University of Western Sydney
Email: b.easton@uws.edu.au

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7

Thus spake “bsmith”:

The only effects that reducing the color depth of your images will have
are (1) reducing the file size of your module, and (2) possibly making your
images look worse.

–
J.

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