Allow overriding default palette

[finticemo]

IMO the practice of having the default palette used by new images be hardcoded into GrafX2, is somewhat unfriendly, and definitely could be improved on. It would be good if the default image
can have a palette that the user configured.

There are two levels on which this could be useful:

a) per-project
and b) globally

A commandline option, for example '-palette FILENAME', could address per-project use.
A file named like 'defpal.gif' inside the user's '.grafx2' directory could address global use.

[finticemo]

An initial look at this reveals that default palette is associated with GUI skin, but TBH, making a different skin file just to get a different palette is quite weird and un-intuitive.

Anyway, I think the above feature can be done simply by loading the palette file normally and then resetting the filename to default. There is probably a more ideal way, but that would do for a start.

An alternative way to handle it would be to provide a way to load a file and then clear the filename information -- so that there is no danger of accidentally overwriting your template file. This could be superior as it would allow you to also provide preset image dimensions.

[yrizoud]

More globally, I think Grafx2 is lacking a function "New", which would start a new unsaved image, with no risk of overwriting the previous one. A window would let you define:

• width and height,
• mode (layers and anim) (the default frame duration could be stored too)
• pixel ratio (normal, wide or tall)
• palette (gradients and shades should also be imported together with palette)
• RGB scale

A list of presets would let you easily assign everything at once - though it may be useful to separate the palette from the other settings.

The program should let you add your own templates, from within the program if possible, by picking data from the image currently being edited. It's extremely useful when you're doing several graphics for the same game.

[Thomas Bernard]

For the "per project" use, you can already load the palette when starting grafx2 :
$ grafx2 ../../pic-samples/pal/DawnBringer_16c.pal

For the global use, indeed a defpal.pal file in the .grafx2 directory would be great.

A function "New" won't help for a default palette, except for some presets.
But nobody want to define 256colors in a "new picture" dialog...

[Thomas Bernard]

​https://gitlab.com/GrafX2/grafX2/merge_requests/141

[Thomas Bernard]

@finticemo:
for the picture size, this is possible to set it on the command line.
$ grafx2 -size 320x200 myfavorite_palette.pal
should do what you want to do.
Please save your palette to a palette only format (save in the palette editor)

[Thomas Bernard]

another issue should be open for the "new picture" feature