Color grading problem

[fiaka.us]

Hey everyone. I design stuff in 3D and import it to photoshop for a quick touch and color balance. But since I'm playing around with lights on 3D software there are usually too much shadings, lights and shadows. And when I use the color balance in Photoshop, also with brightness and contrast, it's usually giving me a layered shading like vawes instead of smooth shading as you see in the picture. How can I make it smoother? Btw, I convert my designs in to CMYK because I sell them online. 3D finished Images are in 72 DPI (no any higher) RGB. Increasing it to 300 DPI in photoshop doesn't help either... When I play with color balance, its gone... Images are right below, you ll notice the difference. Thanks

[Francesco Della Peruta]

Hi, are you sure that the banding effect are not present in 3D output file? Maybe it is hidden by the dark shadow.

However take a look here for some example to how remove banding from images:

[fiaka.us]

You are the true champ!

[davescm]

For the banding - render your 3D output from your 3D application to a 16 bit file and remain working in 16 bit for all your adjustments until you are ready to export. Only then Export to an 8 bit format for the final step.

I convert my designs in to CMYK because I sell them online. Bad idea. There is no generic CMYK and the conversion to CMYK should only be done before printing on a printing press (not an RGB inkjet) and then only to the specific CMYK color space required by that press. For selling online, where you do not know the final output device (press, inkjet or screen)  use RGB and  embed the RGB color profile (and for generic use convert to sRGB first)

Dave

[fiaka.us]

Hi Dave, I have fixed the banding problem. Now, I sell images online for people to download and print for decoration for themselves. I get you too, I didn't mention the printing part. CMYK for digital presentation is nonsense. I wish CMYK never existed 🙂 If I was selling my arts framed, I would definitely find the best RGB printer, pay more and sell them. But for now, selling digital.

[davescm]

Selling digital images for people to print themselves is precisely the reason not to supply as CMYK. The single exception to that is where your client asks for the image to be supplied in a specific CMYK colour space to match their press. As I said above, there is no generic CMYK and converting one CMYK space to another for final printing is a bad idea.  Unless you know the specific final output device on which the image will be printed, and if people are printing themselves it is likely to be a photoprinter where the print driver is looking for an RGB input, then you a better to supply in RGB format with an embedded RGB profile.

Dave

[fiaka.us]

I edit in CMYK and save it as RGB mostly. Working with RGB and saving as it is will most likely be more trouma for customers. Thanks for your time.

[davescm]

I'll not prolong this but you are showing a misunderstanding of CMYK. There is no generic CMYK. If working in CMYK then you must know the specific output device specifications and therefore the specific CMYK colour space (which if you are selling the digital image to many customers you do not).

Good luck 🙂

Dave

[NB, colourmanagement net]

fiaka.us - you write: "I edit in CMYK and save it as RGB mostly. Working with RGB and saving as it is will most likely be more trouma for customers. Thanks for your time."

There is no value to editing in CMYK in this scenario.

CMYK file production is only of value if you are targetting a single SPECIFIC output process using it's ICC CMYK profile. 

Working in CMYK and saving as RGB to save seems crazy to me.

Dave has given you the right advice, stick to RGB throughout.

You write "Working with RGB and saving as it is will most likely be more trouma for customers"

How can this be? please explain your opinion

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net :: adobe forum volunteer
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management
[please only use the blue reply button at the top of the page, this maintains the original thread title and chronological order of posts]

[D Fosse]

Just in case we haven't gotten the point across yet 😉

CMYK makes absolutely zero sense here. CMYK > RGB makes even less sense. Do this in RGB, period. End of story.