If your application uses multiple windows, you can create a palette common to all images displayed simultaneously. This prevents color shifts by GDI remapping colors when your application displays different images. A common color palette can also reduce frame update time.
The following palette files are included with the Multimedia Development Kit:
| Palette File | Description |
| VGA.PAL | Standard VGA 16 color palette. |
| STANDARD.PAL | A 196-color palette that conforms to NTSC color standards. |
| BW.PAL | A 2-color black and white palette useful for dithering images to black and white. |
| GRAY16.PAL | A 16-color gray-scale palette useful for mapping images to gray-scale for display on VGA displays. |
| GRAY236.PAL | A 236-color gray-scale palette useful for mapping 16-bit and 24-bit images to gray-scale for display on 256-color displays. |
| SEPIA236.PAL | A 236-color palette with sepia colors useful for creating images with an antique look. |
| RGB8.PAL RGB64.PAL RGB216.PAL | A linear n-color palette created by traversing the color cube in n steps. These palettes are useful for dithering images. The 8, 64, and 216 color sizes are based on the cubes of 2, 4, and 6. The 216-color RGB palette is commonly used on the Macintosh. |
You can use PalEdit to edit your color palette. With PalEdit, you can modify any color in the palette to obtain a special color. Alternately, you can use the Windows Clipboard within PalEdit to cut, copy, and paste parts of one palette to another.