Reduce PNG Colors
Compress color variations to a restricted set of shades. Runs entirely in your browser, so your data never leaves your device.
Drop a file here, or click to browse
Files never leave your device
Output
The result appears here as you type.
How to use Reduce PNG Colors
- 1. Upload the PNG. Add the photo or graphic you want repainted with a smaller palette. It loads ready for the color reduction to run.
- 2. Set the number of colors. Enter Number of colors to control how few distinct shades the whole image is repainted with, such as 8 colors for a bold poster-style result.
- 3. Decide on dithering. Toggle Dither (smoother gradients) on to scatter pixel patterns that simulate intermediate tones, or leave it off for flat, sharply banded color regions.
- 4. Download the reduced-color PNG. Save the result once the palette and dithering combination looks right. The image now uses only the dominant colors you specified.
When to use Reduce PNG Colors
Reduce PNG Colors compresses color variation down to a restricted set of shades, letting you choose exactly how many colors remain and whether dithering smooths the transitions between them. It is a more controllable version of a basic posterize effect.
- Creating a limited-palette poster effect. A photo needs to look like it was repainted using only its 8 dominant colors for a bold, poster-style graphic without any smoothing.
- Preparing pixel art from a photo reference. A pixel artist wants a source photo reduced to a small handful of colors with dithering off, giving a clean base palette to trace into a sprite.
- Softening a low-color conversion. Reducing an image to a small number of colors can look harshly banded. Turning dithering on scatters the transitions so gradients read more smoothly at the same color count.
Examples
Poster effect
Input
photo.png + 8 colors
Output
photo.png repainted using only its 8 dominant colors
About the Reduce PNG Colors tool
Reduce PNG Colors does its work locally, right in the browser. Compress color variations to a restricted set of shades. There is no upload step, no queue and no account, and your data never travels over the network.
It belongs to the PNG Tools collection on EditSafely, a set of 108 small, focused PNG utilities that share the same instant, private workspace.
You can shape the output with 2 settings, including Number of colors and Dither (smoother gradients), and the result refreshes the moment you change one. The finished file is put together in browser memory and saved with the Download button, so it never touches a server on the way to your disk. A worked example further down the page shows exactly what the tool produces for a real input.
Running locally also makes the tool fast and dependable: results appear as you type or drop a file, there is no server outage that can take it down mid-task, and confidential data can be processed without a second thought.
Frequently asked questions
Does Reduce PNG Colors cost anything?
Yes, it is completely free. All 2,658 tools on EditSafely work without an account, a subscription or usage limits.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No data leaves your device. The whole tool is JavaScript that runs inside your browser tab, so there is no upload, no server-side processing and no log of what you did. If you disconnect from the internet after the page loads, it keeps working.
Which files does Reduce PNG Colors accept?
It accepts PNG images. There is no file size cap imposed by a server; very large files are limited only by your device's memory.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
Nothing to install and no account needed. Open the page in any up-to-date browser, including on a phone or tablet, and the tool is ready.
How do I save the output?
Click the Download button once the result is ready. The file is built in your browser's memory and handed straight to your downloads folder, without passing through a server.