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brandonish
brandonish
Participant
August 2, 2024
Question

Curve layer with gradation creates banding in image

  • August 2, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 445 views

Quite often, I will take a image that is a little dark on one side and add a curve layer that increases brightness by a little bit, fill the mask with black, then use gradation tool dragging it from one side to the other to bring up brightenss on that one side.  in doing so, I see banding in the image on this side.  Is there a way to do this without getting banding?  I've tried 16 and 32 bit, which helps alittle, but I'd rather not have banding in the first place and still getting the same increase brightness results I'm looking for. Everyone online talks about how to remove banding, but how to get the same effect without banding is what I'm looking for.
Newest version of photoshop, mac w latest version OS, 50mp file at 8bit.  canon image.  

thx!

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2 replies

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 5, 2024

Could you please post screenshots taken at View > 100% with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Options Bar, …) visible? 

Stephen Marsh
Community Expert
Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 3, 2024

Masks are 8 bpc, even in 16 bpc mode docs.

 

Banding may be a display issue, or could also affect the pixels.

 

Do you have dither active in the gradient tool when creating the graduated mask?

 

One can also add minor noise to the mask. Standard application of noise affects highlights and shadows, but with a little creativity, one can avoid this in the mask if desired.

 

 

 

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 3, 2024

    Actually, masks are document bit depth. If the document is 16, then the mask is 16.

     

    However, selections are always 8 bit depth, and a mask created from a selection will inherit that 8 bit depth.

     

    Generally, if the data are all 16 bit depth, any banding you see on screen is in your display system, not the file.

     

    There used to be a gotcha in that zoom ratios less than 66.67% displayed everything at 8 bit depth, but that has been fixed with this checkbox:

     

      Stephen Marsh
      Community Expert
      Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 3, 2024

      @D Fosse - Thanks, I was saying to myself "are you sure that you remembered that correctly"!

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