Editing Microsoft Paint (section)

=== Support for indexed palettes ===
By default, almost all versions of Paint are generally unable to properly downgrade created images to [[indexed palette]]s using fewer than 24 bits per pixel. When saving an image in a format that uses indexed palettes with fewer than 24 bits per pixel, a warning message appears about the loss of quality. Paint does not utilize binary, color or grayscale [[dither]]ing or palette optimization, and the image will be saved with usually irreversibly scrambled colors.

Paint is nonetheless able to correctly load and save indexed palettes in any of the supported formats if an image is opened as an 8-bit or otherwise indexed palette image. In that case, the image's palette is preserved when saving. However, there is no way to see the actual palette; color choices for brushes, text, and erasers as well as user-defined colors will be limited to the closest available color in the indexed palette.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Windows 7 Paint: How exactly do I create custom colors AND use them.|url=https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/windows-7-paint-how-exactly-do-i-create-custom/54061cab-5f55-4e24-9199-880d60d54f39|access-date=February 3, 2021|website=answers.microsoft.com|language=en-US|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210155922/https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/windows-7-paint-how-exactly-do-i-create-custom/54061cab-5f55-4e24-9199-880d60d54f39|url-status=live}}</ref>