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Default Palettes

Paul Squires edited this page Sep 19, 2026 · 1 revision

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Default Palettes

Default color values for FreeBASIC graphics and text screen modes.

FreeBASIC initializes the palette indexes with the colors in the tables below. The colors are the same as in QB. Colors in graphics mode can be changed using the Palette statement. There is no portable way of changing the palette in console mode.

Screen mode 1

4 colors: Black and white, and two others

Screen modes 2, 10 and 11

Monochromatic: black and white.

Screen modes 7, 8, 9, 12, and Console (Screen 0)

Two sets of 8 colors: normal and intense (bright)

Screen 13 and 8-bit modes

Multiple color and grayscale bands

Screen mode 1

Value Name
0 black
1 cyan
2 magenta
3 white

Screen modes 2, 10 and 11

Value Name
0 black
1 white

Screen modes 7, 8, 9, 12, and Console (Screen 0)

Normal Value Normal Name Intense Value Intense Name
0 black 8 dark grey
1 blue 9 bright blue
2 green 10 bright green
3 cyan 11 bright cyan
4 red 12 bright red
5 pink 13 bright pink
6 yellow 14 bright yellow
7 grey 15 white

Screen 13 and 8-bit modes

Screen 12 color band

Colors 0 through 15 are the same as screen 12 mode.

Grayscale band

Colors 16 through 31 are grayscale from black to white.

Brightness/saturation bands

3 bands of decreasing brightness, each containing 3 bands of decreasing saturation, each containing 24 hues of color starting and ending at blue.

Name HB/HS HB/MS HB/LS MB/HS MB/MS MB/LS LB/HS LB/MS LB/LS
blue 32 56 80 104 128 152 176 200 224
magenta 36 60 84 108 132 156 180 204 228
red 40 64 88 112 136 160 184 208 232
yellow 44 58 92 116 140 164 188 212 236
green 48 72 96 120 144 168 192 216 240
cyan 52 76 100 124 148 172 194 220 244

Black band

Colors 248 through 255 are black.


Category: Graphics Library Reference


Reproduced from the FreeBASIC Wiki Manual under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 — with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts and no Back-Cover Texts. Copyright © the FreeBASIC project and wiki contributors. See License.

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