Problem with non-smooth Gradients

[zerocustom1989]

Hey guys,

I'm running into a problem with non-smooth gradients. I'm getting some odd banding in PS and im not sure how to fix it.

I'm actually worried that the screen on this MBP cannot display the colors properly because my external display doesn't show the same banding.

I'll post the picture that I notice banding on:

Is there a way to fix this and make something look decent on my laptop screen or an I SOL?

I've noticed that for making nice gradients this laptop screen is junk...
I'm hoping I'm doing something wrong or silly.

Thanks guys.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

A couple of guesses off the top of my head ...

• Check the Display prefernces for the laptop - make sure it's set to "Millions" of colours
• Check the view zoom in Photoshop - if you're looking at it as "fit to window" or anything less than 100%, then you may get peculiar looking results on-screen.
• Print it out - if it prints fine, then who cares what it looks like on-screen. (unless of course you're doing web work or similar.)

 

[MisterMe]

Hey guys,

I'm running into a problem with non-smooth gradients. I'm getting some odd banding in PS and im not sure how to fix it.

...

There is no banding evident in your posted image.

 

[zerocustom1989]

A couple of guesses off the top of my head ...

• Check the Display prefernces for the laptop - make sure it's set to "Millions" of colours
• Check the view zoom in Photoshop - if you're looking at it as "fit to window" or anything less than 100%, then you may get peculiar looking results on-screen.
• Print it out - if it prints fine, then who cares what it looks like on-screen. (unless of course you're doing web work or similar.)

1) Im not sure how to check the millions of color preferences in OSX

2)I dont think zoom was an issue cause it looked fine on my external.

3) I'm actually making a desktop background so that means It's more web-y?

(Can someone actually explain what it means to use web compatible colors? I've never totally understood that)


I was worried the banding wouldn't appear for other viewers, I think it's this MBP screen :\

Oh! could it be my color profile? Maybe some contrast settings are a little off. I've used SupCal is there another color calibrator?

 

[panoz7]

Your current working color space is set to your monitor's color profile. That may or may not be causing the banding problem, but regardless you should never work that way, especially if you're ever going to print. Your monitors color profile is used for viewing images on your monitor (photoshop coverts from you working space to your monitor's color profile on the fly) and that's it.

I'd start by converting your document to the sRGB color space. Do that by going to edit - convert to profile in photoshop. Once I do that most of the banding disappears on my MBP.

What's happening is that the color gamut of your image is exceeding the color gamut of your screen. The color gamut of your external screen is likely significantly greater than that of your laptop's screen which is why the banding isn't as apparent there.

 

[zerocustom1989]

I'd start by converting your document to the sRGB color space. Do that by going to edit - convert to profile in photoshop. Once I do that most of the banding disappears on my MBP.

All of my work has been in the sRGB color space i believe.... Im chalking it up to the screen cause on my externa its ok.

This other problem is more annoying.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/zerocustom1989/Screenshot2010-02-20at60003PM.png

Why does illustrator CS4 clip its gaussian blur gradients?

any help or ideas are appreciated.

EDIT!

fixed that problem, took more google searching but something about document raster settings came up, Thanks for the previous help guys.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

1) Im not sure how to check the millions of color preferences in OSX

I haven't got Mac OS X in front of me, but I think it's in the "Displays" panel of the "System Preferences".


If the "banding" is visible when using the image as a Desktop background, then it could be that the image is being shrunk / expanded to fit the screen size, and it's that causing the distortion. There's a setting there which uses the image "as is" rather than Mac OS X playing with it.