How does the custom palette option work?

Enter a comma-separated list of 6-digit hex colors, and every pixel in every frame is remapped to whichever of those colors is closest by Euclidean RGB distance, constraining the whole animation to only the colors you provide.

What's the difference between the grayscale preset here and GIF Grayscale Converter?

GIF Grayscale Converter computes each pixel's own gray value directly from its luminance. This tool's grayscale preset instead snaps every pixel to the nearest of a fixed 16-step gray ramp, which is a coarser, palette-constrained effect rather than a continuous conversion.

Does this preserve transparency?

Yes, only the RGB channels are remapped to the new palette; each pixel's original alpha is left untouched.

Is there a limit on how many custom colors I can provide?

Yes, custom palettes are capped at 64 colors to keep the nearest-color search fast on larger animations.

GIF Color Palette Changer - Swap to Grayscale, Sepia, or Custom Colors

Overview

Introduction

This tool remaps an entire animated GIF onto a whole new fixed palette, entirely in your browser, choosing between grayscale, sepia, or your own custom colors.

It's built for anyone who wants a specific, deliberate color scheme applied consistently across an entire animation.

What Is GIF Color Palette Changer?

A client-side palette-swap tool that remaps every decoded frame's pixels to their nearest match (by Euclidean RGB distance) in a chosen replacement palette.

Built-in presets include a 16-step grayscale ramp and a 16-step warm sepia ramp; a custom option lets you supply any comma-separated list of hex colors instead.

How GIF Color Palette Changer Works

Every frame is decoded into RGBA pixel buffers, and for each pixel, the closest color in the chosen palette (by squared RGB distance) is found and substituted in place of the original.

This runs independently per frame using the same fixed palette each time (so the whole animation stays visually consistent), and all frames are re-encoded into a new animated GIF; alpha is copied through unchanged.

When To Use GIF Color Palette Changer

Use the sepia preset for a quick vintage-photo look on an animated GIF.

Use a custom palette when you need a GIF constrained to a specific brand or design system's exact colors.

Often used alongside GIF Color Reducer, GIF Grayscale Converter and GIF Quantizer.

Features

Advantages

One palette is applied consistently across every frame, keeping the whole animation visually coherent.
Built-in grayscale and sepia presets cover common effects without needing to type hex codes.
Custom palettes let you constrain a GIF to any exact set of colors you need.

Limitations

Nearest-color remapping is a hard snap, not a blend, so subtle gradients can show visible steps if the palette is small.
Custom palettes are capped at 64 colors to keep the per-pixel nearest-color search fast.

Examples

Applying the sepia preset to a modern animation

Input

A full-color animated GIF, sepia palette preset

Output

The same animation recolored entirely in warm sepia tones

Every pixel snaps to its nearest match in a 16-step sepia ramp, producing a consistent vintage look across every frame.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Use a custom palette with your exact brand hex codes when consistency with a design system matters more than photographic accuracy.
If the grayscale preset looks too coarse, use GIF Grayscale Converter instead for a continuous gray conversion.
Pair with GIF Ditherer beforehand if a small custom palette introduces visible banding.

Developer Notes

The nearest-color remap logic is copied from this codebase's PNG custom-palette-setter tool, applied per decoded frame; the grayscale and sepia presets are generated programmatically as 16-step ramps rather than hardcoded arrays, and custom palettes are parsed from a comma-separated hex string with invalid entries silently dropped.

GIF Color Palette Changer Use Cases

Applying a consistent vintage sepia look to an animated GIF
Constraining a GIF to an exact brand or design-system color palette
Producing a deliberately limited, stylized color scheme for a looping animation

Common Mistakes

Expecting the grayscale preset to match GIF Grayscale Converter's output exactly; this one snaps to a fixed 16-step ramp instead of computing continuous luminance.
Providing more than 64 custom colors and having the extras rejected; keep custom palettes concise.

Tips

Start from GIF Color Extractor's report to build a custom palette that keeps the animation's most important original colors.
Combine the sepia preset with GIF Contrast Changer for an even more pronounced vintage effect.

GIF Color Palette Changer