Alright, so I feel like this is going to be one of those questions y'all have heard a lot, and probably have a rehearsed answer for. I've been all over the internet looking for some kind of help with picking palettes. I just can't wrap my head around it. I feel like a proper palette is the big thing holding me back from getting some decent work done. Sure, I could find drawings I like and steal the palettes, but that's not really what I'm about. Besides, I feel like picking your palette is part of that pesky "art" word in pixel art. I just cant seem to find colors that convey depth, or work well together. They look forced.

To summarize, how do y'all pick your palettes? Is there some kind of rule in adjusting HSL that I've not found? If not, is there a kind of beginner's rule of thumb that might help me limp along until I can get a little more familiar with what good color combinations look like?

I'm particularly interested in backgrounds at this point, by the way. I'm also floored by the stuff on this thread http://wayofthepixel.net/index.php?topic=15712.0