PHP Function ImageTrueColorTopalette

PHP is a language that can do a lot of things. Some of these functions come as standard, while others are available if you install specific PHP extensions. One of these extensions – the GD extension – lets you manipulate images with PHP. This article looks at a function called imagetruecolortopalette that allows you to convert a true color image to a paletted image.

Whenever you are working with PHP, it is important to remember that PHP functions work in a call and response pattern. This means that you first define a function, then call it when you need to use it. You pass the information to the function through arguments – these are specified after the function name and within the parentheses.

The php function imagetruecolortopalette() takes three arguments: an image, whether or not to use dithering, and the number of colors in the final image. It then produces a paletted image for the image. This is often used when creating png files, because it reduces the file size by removing the extra color channels. However, it is also useful for other types of image because it preserves the alpha channel of the original image.

This is important if you want to keep the integrity of the original image, and it is also useful if you are saving the image as a GIF file – in order to save a 256 colour GIF you have to convert it to a paletted image using this function, otherwise you will get an internal server error when trying to save the image.