I need to convert 16- and 24-bit bitmaps into 8-bit ones. I can''t just load them up and save them 256 color bitmaps. How would I go? No matter the detail or color loss. Also, it''s a major pain in the butt when all the bitmaps use different palettes. Is there a utility or something that can merge palettes or in some way make them use the same palette and still look good?

Put them all together on a single image, convert that one to 256 colors, and crop them out again. That way they all share the same palette (Photoshop is really good at calculating the optimum palette).
You might need to do some touchup here and there.
Disable dithering.
Doesn''t work out nice if your images have too much different colors, though.

Hey thanks, good idea.

Although, it does not work very well

The thing is, I can''t draw something in let''s say MS Paint, save the bitmap as 256 colors and load it in my app. It fails. I can load other 8-bit bitmaps though. If I modify them and save them it works.

Maybe I didn''t understand you correctly.
What is it exactly you want to do?

BTW MSPaint really sucks, try Paint Shop Pro if you can''t afford Photoshop.

Paint was just an example. My problem is that when I create a 8-bit bitmap in Photoshop or anything it''s rejected in my engine when I try to load it (because it''s not 8-bit). I have other premade 8-bit images (bitmaps) that loads perfectly alright. I can modify those and save them and it will still work. Why is this? And why doesn''t Photoshop converted images work?