Banding evident in gradient layer

Question

I have cut out a subject from a photo and put it onto a gradient layer (light blue) - it looks good on screen. This I have done for 3 different images. They have been printed and on the prints there are magenta bands across the images. I thought initially it was a printing problem, but when I looked back at the screen images, the banding is in the gradient layer, so it is an issue with the gradient itself.

How would I fix this? Changing to a higher bit depth didn't seem to do anything - would I need to delete the layer and then add it again at a higher bit depth? If I did that, how would I send it to the printer, as they only accept JPG and it would have to be downsized to 8 bit again? How do I get a non-banded gradient? Thanks.

D Fosse · Accepted Answer

Add a little bit of noise to the gradient layer. Not a lot, just enough to break up the banding.

Jpeg is the worst possible file format for this. Not only because it's 8 bit, but mostly because the jpeg compression algorithm compresses the color component much more aggressively than the luminance component. Color banding is very likely to happen with smooth gradients.

c.pfaffenbichler · Answer

Changing to a higher bit depth didn't seem to do anything - would I need to delete the layer and then add it again at a higher bit depth?

If the Layer is a Gradient Layer then changing to 16bit should affect it anyway.

If it is a plain pixel Layer then it obviously would need to be regenerated or edited to take advantage of the additional bit depth.

Did you check »Dither«?

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