Gradients / Halftones
Gradients
There are many factors in making good gradient screens and preventing the "banding effect." First, there must be enough (but not too many) shades of color to fill the area. Always create gradients in Photoshop® for large areas. Adding one pixel of gaussian noise to disperse the pixels eliminates most banding. Tip: Choose light colors when creating a gradient, as they will "fade" better than bold, bright colors. When possible, use an uncoated stock, and print in a coarse screen (ie. 133 LPI). This allows ink to absorb into the paper creating the illusion of a smooth blend at the end. Following these guidelines will help you create attractive, smooth gradients without banding.
Halftones
Although midtones are set by the designer's preference and objectives for the project, there are some general guidelines to follow for setting up the highlights and shadows. Tip: The highlight (or whitest point in the photo) should be about a 3% dot and the shadow (or darkest point in the photo) should be about a 93% dot.Got a Question? sales@whitmore.com
