File formats

Gradient Tools imports palettes from several common formats and exports to its own JSON. Format is detected automatically from the file extension.

Import

JSON — .json (round-trip)

Gradient Tools' own format. It stores everything: strip names and types, full gradient Color Ramps (stops, positions, interpolation, hue path), the grid layout and the texture size. Re-importing a .json restores the palette exactly.

This is the format Export writes, and the only one that survives a full round-trip.

Adobe Swatch Exchange — .ase

Binary Adobe swatch files. Gradient Tools reads color blocks in RGB, CMYK, Grayscale and Lab color models (group markers are skipped). Each swatch becomes a Flat strip.

GIMP Palette — .gpl

The standard GIMP / Inkscape palette format (R G B Name per line). Each entry becomes a Flat strip.

PaintShop Pro / JASC — .pal

JASC-PAL text palettes (the JASC-PAL header followed by R G B lines). Each entry becomes a Flat strip.

Plain text — .txt

A loose, forgiving format. Gradient Tools scans each line and accepts:

• Hex tokens — #RRGGBB, RRGGBB or 0xRRGGBB.
• R G B triples (0–255).

One color per swatch; anything it can't parse is ignored.

Hex list — .hex

A list of hex colors, one per line — #RRGGBB, RRGGBB or 0xRRGGBB.

Import size

Files that don't carry their own size (.ase, .gpl, .pal, .txt, .hex) are imported at your default texture size. Only .json restores a saved size.

Export

Action	Format	Keeps
Export	.json	Strips, gradients, grid layout, and texture size

Why export only JSON?

The other formats describe flat color lists — they can't represent gradients, interpolation modes or grid metadata. Exporting to JSON preserves the full palette so nothing is lost.