How do I convert a PNG to the CGA palette?

Drop your PNG into the tool, choose a CGA mode (320x200 4-color or 640x200 mono), optionally pick a dithering method, and download the result as a PNG. It runs entirely in your browser; the file is never uploaded.

Does it keep PNG transparency?

The converter renders onto an opaque CGA background, so transparent areas take the background color. The output is a standard PNG at the working resolution.

Convert a PNG to the CGA palette

Drop a PNG and render it through an authentic CGA palette — the real fixed 4-color graphics modes, with proper dithering and an optional NTSC composite monitor. Download the result as a PNG. Everything happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Click to choose a PNG or drag & drop it here · or

target mode dithering pixelation monitor

CGA palette

background

source

result

Real CGA palettes. In 320×200 mode CGA gives you a chosen background plus a fixed three-color group — not four free colors. This tool quantizes your PNG to exactly those hardware-correct colors, so the output is what CGA could actually display.

PNG to CGA, the right way

Reducing a PNG to CGA isn't just "snap every pixel to the nearest of four colors." Which four colors are even available is dictated by the hardware: a freely chosen background plus a fixed three-color group selected by the palette and intensity bits (palette 0 = green/red/brown, palette 1 = cyan/magenta/white), or the undocumented mode 5. This converter uses those authentic groups — the same data behind the CGA palette reference and mode simulator.

Then there's dithering, which fakes shades the four colors can't show. Floyd–Steinberg and Atkinson diffuse the quantization error for organic gradients; Bayer is an ordered pattern with a retro cross-hatch; none gives flat blocks. And if you switch the monitor control to NTSC composite, you'll see how the dithered dot-patterns blend into artifact colors on a TV — decoded properly, not faked. This is the same engine as the general image converter; for EGA output see the image-to-EGA converter.

All of it runs locally on a canvas — your PNG never leaves the browser, and the downloaded result is a clean PNG at the working resolution.

Frequently asked

Is my PNG uploaded anywhere?: No. Conversion happens in your browser with JavaScript and a canvas; the file stays on your device.
Can I get the composite/TV look?: Yes — set the monitor control to "NTSC composite". It decodes the real artifact colors from the dot pattern rather than sampling RGBI. See the composite simulator for a side-by-side.
What about other formats?: Any image your browser can open works (JPG, GIF, WebP, etc.), not just PNG. Output is always PNG.

General image converter · Image to EGA · CGA palette