WinPaletter Palette Generator

The Palette Generator has been significantly improved starting from version 1.0.9.8, introducing smarter distribution, multi-color support, and a powerful effects system.

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Index

1. Palette Generator (Versions 1.0.9.8+)
2. Palette Generator (Older Versions – Obsolete)

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Palette Generator (Versions 1.0.9.8+)

What Changed in 1.0.9.8+?

Feature	1.0.9.8+	Older Versions
Palette distribution method	Intelligent approximation based on the currently opened aspect	Random distribution
Number of base colors allowed	One or multiple colors	One color (optional inverted second color)
Visual effects support	Yes	No
Random generation history	No	Yes
Control over max colors, quality, brightness	Not needed (palette adapts to current aspect)	Available

Key Improvement

Instead of randomly assigning generated colors, the new version intelligently adapts the palette to the currently opened aspect. This produces more balanced and visually coherent results.

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Effects System

You can apply effects to:

• The current palette
• A newly generated palette

This feature is also available in WallStudio: https://github.com/Abdelrhman-AK/WinPaletter/wiki/WallStudio

Supported Effects

Effect	Description
macOS Semantic	Reorganizes and quantizes the palette to follow macOS-style semantic color grouping (background, accent, control, warning, etc.), producing a clean and system-consistent look.
Material Design Expressive 3	Applies the 2025 expressive variant of Material Design 3, generating dynamic, tone-balanced accent sets with richer contrast and adaptive color relationships.
Material Design	Maps the palette to Android Material Design principles, creating structured primary, secondary, and surface tones with balanced light/dark harmony.
2016	Simulates a nostalgic mid-2010s photo filter with slightly boosted contrast and subtle tonal warmth.
Metro	Quantizes the palette to match the flat, bold, high-contrast Metro UI style.
Frutiger Aero	Applies glossy, soft-gradient-inspired tones associated with early Windows Vista/7 aesthetics.
256 Colors	Reduces the palette to a classic 256-color limit for a retro or constrained-color appearance.
Web Safe	Snaps each color to the nearest web-safe value for improved compatibility across limited color environments.
Monochrome	Converts the palette strictly to pure black and white without gradients.
Posterize	Reduces color depth into distinct tonal blocks for a stylized, graphic-art effect.
Hard Light	Simulates strong contrast blending, increasing intensity between highlights and shadows.
Soft Light	Applies gentle blending that smooths transitions and reduces harsh contrast.
Vibrance	Boosts muted colors while protecting already saturated tones.
Highlight Tint	Adds a selected tint primarily to bright areas.
Shadow Tint	Applies color emphasis to darker regions.
Blend	Mixes the entire palette with a specified color for controlled color biasing.
Glow Boost	Enhances luminosity in bright regions for a more radiant look.
X-Ray	Produces a cool bluish glow with partial inversion for a futuristic appearance.
Infrared	Swaps red and green tonal relationships to mimic infrared-style imagery.
Thermal Vision	Remaps brightness values to heat-map colors (blue → red → white).
Underwater	Applies a blue-green overlay with softened contrast.
Fog (Haze)	Blends the palette with white to simulate misty lighting.
Matte	Flattens contrast and reduces shine for a cinematic matte appearance.
Faded	Lowers contrast and slightly desaturates colors for an aged look.
Pop Art	Intensifies saturation and contrast for bold, eye-catching visuals.
Pastel	Softens saturation and increases lightness for gentle, airy tones.
Noir	Converts to high-contrast black and white with deep shadows.
Vintage (Retro)	Applies sepia-like warmth with reduced contrast to simulate aged film.
Filmic (Cinematic Tone)	Balances cool shadows with warm highlights for cinematic color grading.
Night (Moonlight)	Adds a cool, slightly desaturated blue tone to mimic nighttime lighting.
Sunset (Golden Hour)	Introduces warm orange and amber tones resembling late afternoon sunlight.
Hot	Shifts the palette toward warmer red and orange hues.
Cool	Shifts the palette toward cooler blue tones.
Saturate	Adjusts overall color intensity while preserving hue relationships.
Hue Rotation	Rotates all hues along the color wheel while maintaining tonal balance.
Sepia	Applies a warm brown vintage tint across the palette.
Grayscale	Removes color information while preserving luminance.
Invert	Reverses RGB values to produce complementary colors.
Lighten	Raises overall brightness while preserving color relationships.
Darken	Lowers overall brightness for a deeper theme.
Brightness	Adjusts global luminance without significantly altering hue or saturation.
Reverse	Swaps RGB channel order (RGB ↔ BGR), resulting in alternative color mapping.

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How to Generate a Palette (1.0.9.8+)

1. Open a Color-Based Aspect

Open any aspect that contains colors.
For example, open Classic Colors.

Aspects like Sounds do not support palette generation.

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2. Adjust Base Colors (Optional)

Modify the current colors as desired.

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3. Click “Generate a palette”

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4. Choose a Generation Mode

You will see three available modes:

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Mode 1 — Current Preferences

• Uses the current palette of the opened aspect.
• Useful if you want to refine or enhance your existing setup.
• Effects can be applied afterward.

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Mode 2 — Colors

Generate a palette from one or multiple custom colors.

Add Colors

Click the + button:

• Right-click a color to remove it.
• Click a color to edit it.
• Even a single color can generate multiple harmonious shades automatically.

Example result:

Effects can be applied afterward.

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Mode 3 — Image

Generate a palette from:

• Any image
• Your current wallpaper
• The wallpaper used in the current theme

The generator extracts dominant and complementary tones automatically.

Effects can be applied afterward.

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Applying Effects (Optional)

1. Enable Effects

2. Select One or Multiple Effects

You can stack multiple effects for advanced styling.

Example using the 2016 effect:

Before	After

To reset everything, click Uncheck all effects.

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Reviewing the Palette (Optional)

Enable Show me the generated palette to preview all colors:

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Finalizing

• Click OK to apply the generated palette.
• Click Cancel to revert to your previous palette.

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Palette Generator (Older Versions – Obsolete)

The following section documents the legacy palette generator system used before version 1.0.9.8.

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1. Generate a Palette from an Image (Old Method)

Step 1 — Open the Toolbar

Step 2 — Select “Generate a palette from an image”

Step 3 — Choose Image Source

Use:

• Current wallpaper
• Any image from your device

Step 4 — Adjust Options

Control:

• Maximum number of colors
• Extraction quality
• Whether to ignore white tones

Step 5 — Tune Color Degrees

Adjust color strength to improve readability or accessibility.

Step 6 — View Generated Palette

Step 7 — Distribute Palette (Randomly)

Older versions randomly assigned colors:

Step 8 — Confirm

• Done keeps the new palette.
• Cancel restores the previous palette.

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2. Generate a Palette from a Color (Old Method)

Step 1 — Open Toolbar

Step 2 — Select “Generate a palette from a color”

Step 3 — Choose Base Color

Select:

• A main color
• Minimum number of generated colors
• Optional inverted shades

Step 4 — Tune Color Degrees

Adjust intensity for better balance.

Step 5 — View Result

Step 6 — Random Distribution

Step 7 — Confirm

• Done keeps changes.
• Cancel restores previous colors.

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The new Palette Generator provides more intelligent color distribution, multi-source input flexibility, and a powerful effects engine, making it significantly more consistent and predictable than older versions.