Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

[Hopkins Printing]

As of late, I've had several InDesign jobs containing 3 inch (from the center to the outside) circular gradients where banding can be easily seen in the InDesign file, the PDF that is made, and into our workflow system.

The jobs vary in terms of the color being used in the gradient. Some are just process, some are spot to spot, etc. Normally, I can completely obliterate the banding by changing the screen angles of the used colors (pretty cool actually) without affecting the final overall color itself.

Ultimately though I would like to know why in the world of Postscript level 3 can't InDesign generate smooth circular gradients.

Adobe has suggested that I not use dark colors to which I explain to them that I just can't change colors because it would change the design from what my customer gave us (hello?!)! Then they tell me to modify the gradient from a 0-100% gradient to a 3 or 4 to 98% gradient which still gives me banding.

Can anyone shed some light on this or have a solution/workaround - that doesn't involve Photoshop?

Thanks,
Jon Morgan
Hopkins Printing

 

[devo]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

Could you recreate the gradients in Illustrator?

Or, if you want to stick with InDesign, what about adding in smaller steps. If, for example, you were going from 100%k to 0%K, adding in 75%k, 50%k and 25%k at the right points might help it generate the gradient. Or it could just mess everything up.

-d

 

[Dov Isaacs]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

Gradients produced by InDesign and Illustrator are generated similarly, so I wouldn't expect to see any +improvement+ simply by generating the circular gradients in Illustrator and bringing those into InDesign. And the fact is that both InDesign and Illustrator do use PDF 1.3 smooth shading (comparable to PostScript language level 3 smooth shading).

Perhaps the original poster can attach some samples of the problems he is seeing so that some of us can take a look and try to analyze what's going on.

- Dov

 

[Hopkins Printing]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

> {quote:title=Dov Isaacs wrote:}{quote}
> Perhaps the original poster can attach some samples of the problems he is seeing so that some of us can take a look and try to analyze what's going on.
>
> - Dov

Attached is a PDF exported directly from the InDesign file. The site would not allow me to attach the original InDesign file, nor a .zip file, nor an .sitx file. For those interested in looking at the InDesign file, please email me at: jmorgan {at} hopkinsprinting {dot} com.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[rkortz]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

We usually recreate these in Photoshop and add a little noise to cover the banding. Sorry.... just reread your post and you said "that does not involve photoshop"...... my bad

Edited by: Rick Kortemeier on Apr 10, 2008 7:25 AM

 

[Hopkins Printing]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

> {quote:title=rkortz wrote:}{quote}
> We usually recreate these in Photoshop and add a little noise to cover the banding. Sorry.... just reread your post and you said "that does not involve photoshop"...... my bad

Hi Rick. No worries. I appreciate your reply all the same!

Sadly I wonder if this is how we will have to cure gradient banding...by adding noise.

Thanks a bunch!
Jon

 

[nakulpadalkar]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

hey can you provide color details for the gradient, i will try do do it, i know you have tried many times buts still can I?

Thanks

 

[nakulpadalkar]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=288

hey try this link, hope this will be of some help!!

Nakul Padalkar

 

[WiseGuy]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

Just so you know... there are some things that can affect how smooth your gradients are out of any application.

Resolution of your output: The higher the resolution the more dots can be put down per-inch.

The range of gradient: 0%-100% gradient has way more range of grays then 50%-100%.

Line screen frequency: of course, the higher the LPI the more levels of grey can be produced.

Length of the Gradient: of course, longer or larger area's with a gradient will band easier than a small area.


I use to know a calculation for figuring out the levels of gray you could get for any particular gradient so you could predict if it would band or not. But that was a long time ago (back to 1990). So the memory banks aren't that good.

If InDesign is not producing levels of gray as well as others, then I would double check your settings of the above items. My guess is one of them is off causing the banding.

I hope this helps!

Michael

 

[leonardr]

Re: Why can't InDesign generate SMOOTH circular gradients?

I missed the original message of this thread, so I guess I don't understand
where you are seeing these problems.

InDesign supports the same native SMOOTH gradients provided by the
Postscript Level 3/PDF languages - so they will print correctly (to a
compatible printer) or generate into PDF when using File->Export.

Where is it that you don't see this?

Leonard