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Comment by Subdivide8452 | Hacker News Reader

I was just wondering why this process is not automated. Why do these graphics require redrawing? Resolution difference from EGA?

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Hand drawn pixel graphics heavily relied on the hardware's color palette (and monitor properties) for dithering and 'lighting' tricks, and especially the C64 color palette is quite 'exotic' and didn't have overlap with other home computers of the time. You need to consider that essentially each pixel was carefully placed by hand to 'enhance' the limitations of the builtin palette through color bleeding with the neighoring pixels on CRT monitors.

Automatic conversion of images between different hardware platforms usually stood out as looking quite poor and a sign of a 'sloppy port'.

The C64 palette is completely different from the EGA palette.

C64: https://lospec.com/palette-list/commodore64

Default EGA palette (which Afaik monkey island used): https://lospec.com/palette-list/color-graphics-adapter

You see that the C64 palette has a much more muted, pastel look and does not map one to one to the CGA/default EGA palette. C64 has a lot less vivid colors, but it also has much better luminosity ramps which can make dithering look a lot better.

In addition, the C64 has restrictions on the number of colors you can use in the same 8x8 block which I don't think EGA had.

It takes an artist to turn a CGA/EGA image into a C64 image.

I think the C64 palette you linked has been "tweaked" by the artist who uploaded it, this is probably closer to the original: https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Color

But your point is still valid: while IBM PCs and other machines of the time had a propensity for "pure" colors (cyan, magenta etc. - so 100% for one or two of the basic colors and 0 for the others), the C64 designers opted for more muted colors.

> this is probably closer to the original: https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Color

Which one? The listed palette looks nothing like the screenshot on the same page.

Notably, there's no way that light blue for example (which is the default font and border), nor the dark blue (which is the default background).

The screenshot is how I remember the C64, and consistent with other screenshots and photos. The listed hex codes are far off.

The one posted by the person you responded to is a bit muted, but the relative colors seems closer to what I'd expect.

This is the link you're looking for: https://www.colodore.com/

If you're interested in how this palette (editor) was derived, read this: https://www.pepto.de/projects/colorvic/.

The discussion on the above site is an update of the original post by the same author: https://www.pepto.de/projects/colorvic/2001/

On my screen that doesn't match videos of actual C64's on actual CRT's. (It also doesn't match my memory of them, but that's a whole lot less reliable)

I would actually find it surprising if it did match videos of actual C64s on actual CRTs, because of the many conversion layers.

Videos of actual C64's on actual CRT's are pretty consistent other than brightness, though, so if it doesn't at least somewhat match those, the model is broken.

Interesting. I have the pixel art book Pepto refers to, it is very nice.

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