Why Gradient tool creates Lines instead of Smooth Transition?

[Le oN]

Hi!
got a problem – today I have noticed that Gradient tool creates lines as on screenshot instead of Smooth Transition. Does anyone know why it’s happening?

[Mike_Gondek · Accepted solution]

That happens over a long distance with a small  change in color. Is this project for print or digital image?

You would have to make the gradient in Photoshop and add some spatter for variability to hide the optical jump, so the eye is not drawn to symmetrical lines.

[Le oN]

1. Thanks for such a fast reply and solution !

Yes that project is for print.

So as I understood there’s nothing that I have incidentally pressed to make it create lines and it is a normal behavior of Gradient tool and I can’t do anything about it in AI if I need specifically those colors for the gradient and minimalist design?

[Doug A Roberts]

if this is for print, the banding you see on screen won't necessarily reflect what you get (although there may be banding, depending on the colours involved).

[Mike_Gondek]

Print has a different CMYK colorspace than  RGB preview to your computer, so the position and amount of the bands will be different and likely reduced. Print and digital both encounter the same issue when there is not enough colors to represent a gradient ramp over a distance, so when you see this on your screen this is somewhat of an indication you might see this in final print. Nowadays as compared to the 80s many rips have correction to reduce banding in gradients so the problem is not as bad or occurs as often back then.

Without knowing specifics of you final destination device is litho plate, rot gravure cylinders, fiery condone print, large format inkjet, lien screen, dot shape, etc. - that is abbot all I know.

You can lessen this by running spatter in photoshop, the icon explains what that does.

[Le oN]

Thanks a lot for sharing your time & Knowledge!!!

[Mike_Gondek]

For my part you are welcome.

[defaultys5yq58105pa]

Hi all is there a fix for this, within illustrator?

[Monika Gause]

Please post a screenshot of the issue.

Maybe View > Preview on CPU can help.

[defaultys5yq58105pa]

Hi thanks for the swift response, i can see something is moving but its the same when exporting, i ll share the Screenshot, this is when exported you see the background, thats the problem, can you tell me a fix for this, thanks

[Doug A Roberts]

I can just about detect banding in that if I study it zoomed in. Is that the issue?

[defaultys5yq58105pa]

yes banding only, correct, how to fix that, i tried to do the gradient in PS also, same problem there as well