[Script] Add Colors from Selection to Palette

Scripts & Extensions
1

Hey Aseprite friends! ^_^/

I just finished up a script to quickly add colors from a selection in your sprite straight to the palette. Thought it might be handy for anyone else looking to streamline their color workflow.

This script was inspired by this post, so big thanks to ChocolateSea2553 and [deleted], whoever they are.

What it does:

  • Adds colors from your selection to the palette.
  • Inverts the color order with a click.
  • Prevents color duplication (toggle on/off).
  • Clears the selection if you want to start fresh.

SelectedColor2Palette

Quick use guide:

  • Select an area on your sprite.
  • Run the script from File > Scripts.
  • Use the dialog to tweak the settings as you like.

I cannot attach the .lua file, so I’ll paste the code in here:

--[[

Title: Selected Colors to Palette

Version: v1.3 (2024-04-15)

Description: This script for Aseprite captures colors from a selected area of an active sprite and adds them to the sprite's palette. It includes options to deduplicate colors, invert the color order, and clear the temporary color list.

Usage:
- Open a sprite in Aseprite.
- Select an area from which you want to capture colors.
- Run this script, and use the dialog options to manage and manipulate the palette.

Features:
- Add captured colors to the sprite's palette.
- Invert the order of captured colors.
- Deduplicate colors to avoid duplicates in the palette (optional).
- Clear the temporary color list.

Acknowledgments:
- Inspired by a discussion on r/aseprite on Reddit by users including ChocolateSea2553 and [deleted], whoever they are.
  The original discussion can be found here: [Reddit Post Link](https://www.reddit.com/r/aseprite/comments/y9qcy3/scripts_color_palette_from_selection/)

License: 
- This script is released under the MIT License. More details can be found at [MIT License](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT).

Potential Issues:
- The script requires an active sprite and a selection. If these conditions are not met, it will alert the user.
- Handling very large selections or high color counts might slow down the script due to processing requirements.

]]


local spr = app.activeSprite
if not spr then
    return app.alert("There is no active sprite")
end

local sel = spr.selection
if sel.isEmpty then
    return app.alert("Select an area to make a palette from")
end

local new_pal
local shade_pal = {}
local dlgMain -- Declare dlgMain outside the functions to access it globally
local deduplicate = false -- Checkbox state

function populatePalette()
    for _i = #new_pal-1, 0, -1 do
        local c = new_pal:getColor(_i)
        if c.alpha ~= 0 then
            table.insert(shade_pal, c)
        end
    end
end

function deduplicateColors()
    local unique_colors = {}
    local hash = {}
    for _, color in ipairs(shade_pal) do
        local color_str = tostring(color.red) .. tostring(color.green) .. tostring(color.blue) .. tostring(color.alpha)
        if not hash[color_str] then
            table.insert(unique_colors, color)
            hash[color_str] = true
        end
    end
    shade_pal = unique_colors
end

function getPalette()
    if spr.selection.isEmpty then
        return app.alert("Please make a selection to capture colors.")
    end

    local act_pal = spr.palettes[1]
    local pal = Palette()
    app.command.NewSpriteFromSelection()
    app.command.ColorQuantization {
        ui = false,
        withAlpha = true,
        maxColors = 256,
        useRange = false,
        algorithm = 0 -- 0 default, 1 RGB table, 2 octree
    }
    local new_spr = app.activeSprite
    if new_spr then
        new_pal = new_spr.palettes[1]
        populatePalette()
        if deduplicate then
            deduplicateColors()
        end
        new_spr:close()
        if dlgMain then updateDialog() end -- Ensure dlgMain exists before updating
    else
        app.alert("Failed to create a new sprite from the selection. Please try again.")
    end
end

function addShade()
    local act_pal = spr.palettes[1]
    local ncolors = #act_pal
    act_pal:resize(ncolors + #shade_pal)
    for _i = 1, #shade_pal do
        act_pal:setColor(ncolors + _i - 1, shade_pal[_i])
    end
end

function invertShades()
    local inverted_shade_pal = {}
    for _i = #shade_pal, 1, -1 do
        table.insert(inverted_shade_pal, shade_pal[_i])
    end
    shade_pal = inverted_shade_pal
    if dlgMain then updateDialog() end -- Check if dlgMain is initialized
end

function clearColors()
    shade_pal = {}
    updateDialog()
end

function updateDialog()
    dlgMain:modify{id = 'sha', colors = shade_pal}  -- Update the shades widget directly
end

-- Dialog Windows
-- Main -- Sketch View
function showMain()
    dlgMain = Dialog{
        title = "SelectedColors2Palette",
        onclose = function()
            ColorShadingWindowBounds = dlgMain.bounds
        end
    }

    dlgMain:shades{id = 'sha', colors = shade_pal,
        onclick = function(ev) app.fgColor = ev.color end}
    :newrow()
    :button{text = "Add to Palette",
        onclick = function() addShade() end}
    :separator()
    :newrow()
    :button{text = "Invert Color Order",
        onclick = function() invertShades() end}
    :newrow()
    :button{text = "Get Colors from Selection",
        onclick = function() getPalette() end}
    :newrow()
    :button{text = "Clear Colors",
        onclick = function() clearColors() end}
    :newrow()
    :check{ id = "deduplicate_check", text = "Avoid Color Duplication", selected = deduplicate,
        onclick = function()
            deduplicate = not deduplicate
            dlgMain:modify{id = "deduplicate_check", selected = deduplicate}
        end}
    dlgMain:show{ wait = false, bounds = ColorShadingWindowBounds }
end

do
    getPalette()
    showMain()
end

If you want to use this script, you’ll need to create a new .lua file and copy the code into it. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open any text editor (like Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code).
  2. Copy the code into your text editor.
  3. Save the file with a .lua extension, for example SelectedColors2Palette.lua.
  4. Place the file in your Aseprite scripts directory.
  5. Refresh the scripts from the menu under File > Scripts > Rescan Scripts Folder (or F5) to make it appear in Aseprite.

Now, you can run the script from File > Scripts > SelectedColors2Palette and start using it!

And that’s about it. See you! ^_^/

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