Famicom color palette
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Unlike consoles like the SNES, which natively generate the image in pure RGB, the Famicom normally generates and outputs an encoded NTSC video signal, which must then be decoded by the TV's built-in NTSC decoder. This means the resulting color palette often varies depending on the display's decoder. This is why NES games appear to have different colors on different TV sets.
NES emulators are similarly afflicted by this issue, as they each have their own algorithms for generating the NES color palette, meaning they all have slightly to wildly varying palettes. As such, there isn't really a "true" NES color palette, and which emulator has the "best" palette often comes down to preference, or whichever looks closest to how the real console looks on a user's own particular TV. FCEU based emulators come with a load of different preset palettes based on different people's perceptions of the NES colors, while emulators such as Nestopia[1] have the ability for the user to edit the color palette to their liking, including the use of custom palettes that define the NES palette in any way the user wishes.
Some arcade machines based on the NES hardware, such as the PlayChoice-10 and the Versus series of cabinets, did generate a native RGB signal, however. The colors on these cabinets tend to be very vibrant and saturated, giving games a very distinct look compared to how they would look on the real console. Nestopia gives the user the choice to use the RGB palette featured in these cabinets, though it is not usually considered to be the definitive or "real" NES palette.
The libretro ports of Nestopia[2], FCEUmm[3] and Mesen[4] have the option to output the raw chroma, level, and emphasis from the PPU through the RGB color channels. This by itself produces an image with completely bizarre colors, but this can be decoded by shaders to generate actual colors, the main examples being GTU-Famicom[5][6] and nes-color-decoder[7][8].
Download[edit]
Chart[edit]
| Palette | Nestopia decoder preset | NESRGB palette name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| YUV | 15° Canonical | N/A | Based on the standard method of NTSC decoding. |
| RGB | RGB | Garish | The palette used by all official Nintendo RGB PPUs, such as in the PlayChoice-10 and Famicom Titler. |
| YUV (Sony CXA2025AS) | Consumer | N/A (Optionally available) | Based on an NTSC decoder found in Sony TVs. |
| YUV with yellow boost | Alternative | N/A | Based on decoders in certain NTSC-J TVs.[9] |
| Raw Chroma, Level, and Emphasis | Raw* | N/A | The raw chroma, level, and emphasis output of the NES PPU represented in RGB color channels[10] Only available as an option on the libretro ports of Nestopia, FCEUmm and Mesen[3][2][4] |
| Nintendulator NTSC | N/A | Natural | Based on what is currently understood about NTSC decoding[11] |
| NTSC Hardware (FBX) | N/A | N/A (Optionally available) | Analog RGB was fed into a calibrated Sony PVM monitor, and then meticulously aligned on each color entry to match as closely as possible to the NTSC feed from an original NES.[12] |
| Smooth (FBX) | N/A | N/A (Optionally available) | The NTSC Hardware (FBX) palette "with a few slight tweaks to improve 'nostalgic' performance on digital displays".[12] |
| PVM Style D93 (FBX) | N/A | N/A (Optionally available) | Approximates the color and intensity of a Sony PVM CRT screen.[12] |
| Composite Direct (FBX) | N/A | N/A (Optionally available) | Direct capture of the composite output of the front-loader NTSC NES.[12] |
| Smooth V2 (FBX) | N/A | N/A (Optionally available) | An updated version of the Smooth palette with darker colors taken from the Magnum palette. The brighter palettes are the same as the original Smooth palette. Formerly known as "Smootz".[13] |
| Magnum (FBX) | N/A | N/A | A palette based on colors displayed on a PVM 20M2U with adjustments made to match colors with a dual feed.[13] |
| Digital Prime (FBX) | N/A | N/A (Current default palette starting with NESRGB V3) | A palette designed to be used with hardware emulators, software emulators, and RGB mods for digital displays. It "should look great for most people with nostalgia for NTSC NES gaming."[13] This is also the palette that FirebrandX decided to retire his NES composite palette project on.[14] |
| NESCAP | N/A | N/A | This palette was created using direct NES composite capture through a Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4K through its composite input.[15] |
| HYBRID | N/A | N/A | This is a hybrid between the above NESCAP palette and the FCEUX palette.[15] |
| NES Classic Edition | N/A | N/A | This palette is ripped from the NES Classic's emulator Kachikachi. NESCLASSIC is derived from the NES Classic by taking the average of each color (since the NES Classic has a noise filter).[15] NES Classic (FBX-FS) is an independent capture of the palette.[12] |
| NES Remix U | N/A | N/A | This palette is ripped from the Wii U NES Remix games. The 3DS game (Ultimate NES Remix) uses the 3DS VC's palette. |
| FCEUX | N/A | Improved | Palettes used in FCEUX emulator. 12 is the default, and similar to Rock Man 9. 13 and 15 feature less saturation.[16] |
| Rock Man 9 | N/A | N/A | Palettes derived from Rock Man 9.[17] "21 to 2C" version is differs in that it darkens a single cyan value (2C).[17] |
| Virtual Console | N/A | N/A | Palettes used in the Wii and Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. Wii version, all colors, are darkened significantly. 3DS feature high saturation and brightness. "Normalized" version adjusts brightness levels significantly. |
| Nintendo Switch NSO | N/A | N/A | The NES emulator for Nintendo Switch Online's service has 12 different palettes, although 4 of them are from earlier emulators (3DS VC, Wii VC, NES Classic, and NES Classic B&W). Of the remaining 8: #3 is a minor variation of the 3DS VC's palette. #4 is a minor variation of Wii VCs palette. #5, #6, and #7 are all very similar to each other. #8 is a minor variation of NES Classic's palette. |
| BMF final | N/A | N/A | Palettes created by BMF based on his television. 2 features a very darkened screen, similar to Wii VC. 3 is more saturated.[16] |
| ASQ Reality | N/A | N/A | AspiringSquire's attempt at improving BMF palettes.[16] |
| Wavebeam | N/A | N/A (Optionally available) | Created to look good on CRTs. Similar to Consumer.[18] |
| FCC 1953 | N/A | N/A | First color TV system, NTSC, introduced a color standard in 1953. NTSC colors were very lush.[19] |
| Nesticle | N/A | N/A | The palette used by the old Nesticle emulator. Historically significant but not recommended. |
| Kitrinx (USA) | N/A | N/A | A palette programmed mathematically from the NES hardware logic.[20][21] |
| Kitrinx (Japanese) | N/A | N/A | Same as the Kitrinx (USA) palette, but the colors are brighter. |
| Kitrinx34 | N/A | N/A | An updated version of Kitrinx's palette. |
| Kitrinx34 High Saturation | N/A | N/A | Same as the Kitrinx34 palette, but the colors are more saturated. |
Palettes[edit]
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Gallery[edit]
External Links[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ https://github.com/rdanbrook/nestopia/blob/master/source/core/NstVideoRenderer.cpp#L397
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://github.com/rdanbrook/nestopia/commit/9d58851a22eb3baeee7b4fe28ae8ffaac7eaa599
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://github.com/libretro/libretro-fceumm/commit/d370e2d37f9baa26e546e3542104ed04e1bf8965
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://github.com/SourMesen/Mesen/commit/a086acde87cb4d4bab78675bf9e5da63d68b7451
- ↑ https://github.com/libretro/common-shaders/tree/master/crt/shaders/GTU-famicom
- ↑ https://github.com/libretro/slang-shaders/tree/master/crt/shaders/gtu-famicom
- ↑ https://github.com/libretro/common-shaders/blob/master/misc/nes-color-decoder.cg
- ↑ https://github.com/libretro/slang-shaders/blob/master/misc/nes-color-decoder.slang
- ↑ http://forums.nesdev.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4241
- ↑ https://github.com/libretro/nestopia/blob/c2244b8eec1a4f6bbebdd09ec6c4b1552b5610c0/libretro/libretro.cpp#L526
- ↑ http://wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/NTSC_video
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 http://www.firebrandx.com/nespalette.html
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 http://www.firebrandx.com/nespalettes.html
- ↑ https://twitter.com/FBXGargoyle/status/1601072694136799234
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 https://rgbsource.blogspot.com/search/label/NES%20Color%20Palette
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 http://www.fceux.com/web/help/fceux.html?PaletteOptions.html
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://sites.google.com/site/insectduel/ririka
- ↑ https://wavebeam.blogspot.ca/2017/03/wavebeam-nes-palette.html
- ↑ http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.ca/2016/10/video-potpourri-ii.html?m=1
- ↑ https://youtu.be/rhT6YYRH1EI?t=1317
- ↑ https://misterfpga.org/viewtopic.php?t=1115
