Photoshop & Illustrator gradients?

[Matt Bleck]

Nothing to do with bikes at all, but I know there is a few people on here useing Photoshop and hopefully Illustrator.

Does anyone have an idea on getting smooth graidents. Mine are always more monocromatic than smooth?

I currently use cs3 versoins of both applications.

Anyone?

[bungbung]

Can I have some more info:

Do you really mean monochromatic?

Is the use for print or screen?

Do you have banding problems?

Do they change too abruptly?

[Matt Bleck]

Can I have some more info:

Do you really mean monochromatic?

Is the use for print or screen?

Do you have banding problems?

Do they change too abruptly?

In Illustrator they go monochromatic. You can see the steps/bands as it goes from one colour to the other

But in Photoshop it seems to add random bands of colour. It does seem to be better when changing the Image Interpolatiion setting to Bilinar rather than Bicubic. (I think this could be the answer.)

This is for wide format digital printing using colorgate production server 4 pro.

I deal alot with other peoples files who normally have no idea how to setup print files, and are using all sorts of applications to do it ie. Indesign, Freehand, Coreldraw etc etc. Most of the time I have to open their files in Photoshop to flatten them, but always run into problems with gradients.

[nodrog:Me]

is MS paint no good bro?

[Matt Bleck]

is MS paint no good bro?

no, you not busy today?

[nodrog:Me]

no, you not busy today?

im never too busy for you.

[bungbung]

Illustrator sometimes will bollox up PS gradients that arrive in an old EPS container. They normally disappear though. It sounds like your application is reducing the bit depth of the gradient, causing banding etc.

Do you know what the original app is?

[Big Dave]

There is a 'number of steps' in the gradient preferences somewhere. (Or there used to be)

Try searching illustrator help on gradient steps.

[johan]

[snip]

But in Photoshop it seems to add random bands of colour. It does seem to be better when changing the Image Interpolatiion setting to Bilinar rather than Bicubic. (I think this could be the answer.)
[snap]

It sounds like you're scaling up the image and this introduces the banding? You could try to do the image re sampling in 16bit to give the application more numbers to play with.

Also, a very subtle noise on the gradient can smooth out the banding.

[Matt Bleck]

I don't have a job on at the moment that this problem apply's to, I'm just trying to see if there is a quick fix or setting I have wrong for the next time I come across this.

[Matt Bleck]

They are always set up at print size, so there is no enlarging going on.

[jrandom]

It really sounds like your output problems are a result of dithering into a reduced bit colour depth, but I know nothing about the actual products in question, so I can't tell you how to fix it...

[Krayy]

This may be REALLY obvious, but your screen display is set to 32 bit colour depth isn't it?

[buellbabe]

I don't quite understand why you are opening and flattening in PS. I would be PDFing the Indesign and Illustrator files and postscripting the Freehand...
Also the resolution of the original files is of vital importance...plus the rip could also be an issue... so many factors to consider...

Basically the more you f**k with a gradient the more likely it is to develop obvious banding. In the good old days when using actual FILM you could change the dot angle on one of the colours to hide a myriad of problems...

Here is what I have done when necessary.
On some occasions I have had to alter the hue and contrast on a previously created, some banding has resulted so I change the layer to smart filters and do a gaussian blur followed by noise. Using smart filters enables you to re-adjust the strength/opacity of the 2 filter layers til you get the desired result. Sometimes just a noise filter will fix it.

BTW smart filters are only available in CS3, if using CS2 then you will have to do it the 'old fashioned way' of trial and error...undo...change...

As for Illustrator gradients??? To the best of my knowledge there are no 'extra' controls...as for turning monochromatic... do you import the illustrator file into PS?? I have never had that happen so am not sure what to advise, I would be checking the preferences maybe...

Hope this is some help!

[Skunk]

You need to add about '4' noise to the gradient at print size if you're using Photoshop (can't be done in Frustrater or InDesign). The resolution of your document is vital. So too is the % change in the gradient and the length the change takes place over. Most gradients are limited to 256 steps of grey. That's a step every half %.