GIMP could auto convert indexed images to RGB or prompt about it
GIMP version:
2.10.22
Operating System: Linux
Package: Installed from Arch Linux repo.
Description of the bug
I downloaded this image and opened it in GIMP. I tried using the bucket fill tool to change the black areas to gray, but it didn't work; I found that I could only change the black areas to white or transparent, but no other color. The issue turned out to be that GIMP was using an "indexed" color profile inherited from the image, as described in this StackExchange post.
I would like GIMP to either automatically open the image in RGB, or at least prompt about the issue. I think this behavior (always convert palette to RGB on import) should be a configurable setting.
I would also argue that this setting should be enabled by default on new installs (perhaps we could change it on the next major release of GIMP). I submit that GIMP has poor usability for novice users, and issues like this contribute to the problem. Most users don't care about palette-based images. If they edit an image that they downloaded from somewhere that happens to have a palette, they probably want it to just act like an RGB image. The behavior where palette-based images restrict the set of colors you can use is confusing (it breaks all the color-related editing tools in GIMP without warning), and the fix for it is hard to discover.
The ability to preserve the palette has value, but I think it's best not to expose users to this complexity by default.
Reproduction
Is the bug reproducible? Always
Reproduction steps:
- Open 38311.png
- Set foreground color to 7f7f7f
- Use bucket fill tool and click in a black area of the image
…
Expected result:
Black area changes to gray.
Actual result:
There is no noticeable effect.