color banding issue

[newcastle]

hi all,
have worked on a landscape image with a lot of sky. using a series of layers with masks I intensified the sky from the flat dull lazy light blue to somthing a lot darker, grading from light to dark. End result is showing banding across the sky, which looks to be associated with the various layers and masks (the masks were worked with the eraser tool set with a high feather rating and various opacities...). I thought (or hoped) that it may ponly be my very stanard monitor, and so proceeded with a decent sized print as a test - and hey presto, great print with obvious banding. I've used the layer/masking technique numerous times, without the banding occurring before, and am at a loss as to why....
I'm using windows 7 64 bit, CS4 64 bit.

any help or advice greatly appreciated.....

[dscholz]

Try flattening the image.

[dscholz]

Are you talking about when it prints out or on screen?

[Robin55brien]

Color banding refers to the inaccuracy of color presentation in computer graphics.

[hawkeye]

You might want to try working in 16 bit mode as well.

[SeniorS]

If i understand correct that you have problem something like that:


There is problem with color gradient which goes transparent...with all that kind i guess.
So try to avoid gradient from color to transparent or if use then try not corect it with curves, levels and so on. It just will make it look more and more terrible.
If i have no choise and have to use it, i blur it much as possible.

Or use "solid" gradient, color to color. For example, blue to white, instead blue to transparent.

This one have exactly same gradient, but "solid" one. Both have identical curve/level only diferrence is gradient type.



it have some problem with smooth color either but compared with first one it's perfect.