GIMP Palette Export Format

The GIMP exporter creates palette files in the GIMP Palette format (.gpl), which is supported by GIMP, Inkscape, Krita, and many other graphics applications.

Format Details

Property	Value
Identifier	gimp
Extension	.gpl
Use case	GIMP, Inkscape, Krita, graphics editors

Output Format

GIMP Palette
Name: viridis
Columns: 16
#
 68   1  84  color-0
 59  82 139  color-1
 33 145 141  color-2
 92 200  99  color-3
253 231  37  color-4

Each color entry contains:

• RGB values (0-255) with space alignment
• Tab-separated color name

CLI Usage

# Run with uvx (no installation required)
uvx palettize create viridis --format gimp --output viridis.gpl --steps 16

# Or if installed
palettize create viridis --format gimp --output viridis.gpl --steps 16

# Custom palette name
palettize create viridis -f gimp -O palette_name="My Viridis" --steps 10

# Custom column count
palettize create viridis -f gimp -O columns=8 --steps 64

Python Usage

from palettize import create_colormap, get_scaler_by_name, get_exporter

cmap = create_colormap(preset="viridis")
scaler = get_scaler_by_name("linear", domain_min=0, domain_max=1)
exporter = get_exporter("gimp")

output = exporter.export(
    colormap=cmap,
    scaler=scaler,
    domain_min=0,
    domain_max=1,
    options={
        "num_colors": 16,
        "palette_name": "Viridis Gradient",
        "columns": 8
    }
)

# Save to file
with open("viridis.gpl", "w") as f:
    f.write(output)

Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
num_colors	int	256	Number of colors to generate
palette_name	str	colormap name	Name displayed in palette dialog
columns	int	16	Number of columns in palette grid
color_names	bool	True	Include color names

Palette Name

palettize create plasma -f gimp -O palette_name="Plasma Scientific" --steps 10

GIMP Palette
Name: Plasma Scientific
Columns: 16
#
...

Columns

Controls how the palette is displayed in a grid view:

# 8 columns for a wider layout
palettize create viridis -f gimp -O columns=8 --steps 64

Color Names

Disable color names for cleaner output:

palettize create viridis -f gimp -O color_names=false --steps 5

GIMP Palette
Name: viridis
Columns: 16
#
 68   1  84
 59  82 139
 33 145 141
 92 200  99
253 231  37

Use Cases

GIMP

1. Export the palette:

   palettize create viridis -f gimp -o ~/.config/GIMP/2.10/palettes/viridis.gpl --steps 256

2. In GIMP:

   • Open Windows → Dockable Dialogs → Palettes
   • Right-click → Refresh Palettes
   • Your palette appears in the list

Inkscape

1. Export the palette:

   palettize create viridis -f gimp -o ~/.config/inkscape/palettes/viridis.gpl --steps 64

2. In Inkscape:

   • Open Object → Fill and Stroke
   • Click the palette icon
   • Select your palette from the dropdown

Krita

1. Export the palette:

   palettize create viridis -f gimp -o ~/.local/share/krita/palettes/viridis.gpl --steps 32

2. In Krita:

   • Open Settings → Manage Resources
   • Click Refresh
   • Access via the Palette docker

Aseprite

Aseprite can import GIMP palettes:

1. Export with limited colors (Aseprite works best with smaller palettes):

   palettize create viridis -f gimp -o viridis.gpl --steps 32

2. In Aseprite:

   • Open Sprite → Color Mode → Indexed
   • Click “Load Palette” and select the .gpl file

Batch Export Multiple Palettes

# Export several colormaps as GIMP palettes
for cmap in viridis plasma inferno magma; do
  palettize create $cmap -f gimp -o "${cmap}.gpl" --steps 64
done

GPL File Format Reference

The GIMP Palette format is a simple text format:

GIMP Palette           # Required header
Name: Palette Name     # Palette name (shown in UI)
Columns: 16            # Optional: grid columns
#                      # Comments start with #
R G B\tcolor-name      # Color entries: RGB values, tab, name

• RGB values are space-separated integers (0-255)
• Color names are optional but helpful
• Comments with # are allowed after the header section