diff --git a/src/_imaging.c b/src/_imaging.c
index 1c25ab00c..e7e403c95 100644
--- a/src/_imaging.c
+++ b/src/_imaging.c
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ getink(PyObject *color, Imaging im, char *ink) {
     int g = 0, b = 0, a = 0;
     double f = 0;
     /* Windows 64 bit longs are 32 bits, and 0xFFFFFFFF (white) is a
-       python long (not int) that raises an overflow error when trying
+       Python long (not int) that raises an overflow error when trying
        to return it into a 32 bit C long
     */
     PY_LONG_LONG r = 0;
@@ -502,8 +502,12 @@ getink(PyObject *color, Imaging im, char *ink) {
        be cast to either UINT8 or INT32 */
 
     int rIsInt = 0;
-    if (PyTuple_Check(color) && PyTuple_GET_SIZE(color) == 1) {
-        color = PyTuple_GetItem(color, 0);
+    int tupleSize;
+    if (PyTuple_Check(color)) {
+        tupleSize = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(color);
+        if (tupleSize == 1) {
+            color = PyTuple_GetItem(color, 0);
+        }
     }
     if (im->type == IMAGING_TYPE_UINT8 || im->type == IMAGING_TYPE_INT32 ||
         im->type == IMAGING_TYPE_SPECIAL) {
@@ -531,7 +535,7 @@ getink(PyObject *color, Imaging im, char *ink) {
             if (im->bands == 1) {
                 /* unsigned integer, single layer */
                 if (rIsInt != 1) {
-                    if (PyTuple_GET_SIZE(color) != 1) {
+                    if (tupleSize != 1) {
                         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "color must be int or single-element tuple");
                         return NULL;
                     } else if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(color, "L", &r)) {
@@ -541,7 +545,6 @@ getink(PyObject *color, Imaging im, char *ink) {
                 ink[0] = (char)CLIP8(r);
                 ink[1] = ink[2] = ink[3] = 0;
             } else {
-                a = 255;
                 if (rIsInt) {
                     /* compatibility: ABGR */
                     a = (UINT8)(r >> 24);
@@ -549,7 +552,7 @@ getink(PyObject *color, Imaging im, char *ink) {
                     g = (UINT8)(r >> 8);
                     r = (UINT8)r;
                 } else {
-                    int tupleSize = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(color);
+                    a = 255;
                     if (im->bands == 2) {
                         if (tupleSize != 1 && tupleSize != 2) {
                             PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "color must be int, or tuple of one or two elements");