Gradient Issue : looks streaky

**AndyD** · 15 June 2007, 02:09 PM

HI there,
I'm trying to make a header graphic for a site and have a photo then added a coloured box. I then chose to try to blend the box and photo by adding another box with a gradient. Unfortunately the gradient seems to have a streaky appearance. I wondered whether I had done something wrong or whether it is my LCD monitor/laptop representation?

Cheers
Andy

**glenngosack** · 15 June 2007, 02:28 PM

I'm at work with a 1600x1200 LCD monitor and don't see any problems with the image.

**AndyD** · 15 June 2007, 03:01 PM

HI Glen,
Might just be my clockwork laptop....

Cheers
Andy

**Soquili** · 15 June 2007, 03:04 PM

It looks fine on the CRT monitor I use at work and on the LCD display on my laptop.

**The Alien** · 15 June 2007, 07:05 PM

I can see the vertical streaks that you're talking about. You have to be pretty trained to see this though (I once had a thread about .gif buttons that looked speckled, but no one could see what I was talking about

The streaks are not your fault. They should be quite subtle, too. If they're very prominent, it's very possible that your color depth is 16-bit (or 24-bit) instead of 32-bit. Right-click on the desktop > properties > settings tab and make sure the settings quality is 32-bit.
Other than that, it's nothing serious to worry about. Or maybe I should put it differently: are there any specific concerns you have? Perhaps you want to print this image and are not sure of the end result?
You could edit the pic (in a raster editor, like photoshop/psp/gimp etc.) after you've exported it from xara in order to "soften" the gradient. It should help.

**steve.ledger** · 15 June 2007, 10:09 PM

I agree with what the Alien says, you may be seeing what's called 'colour banding' due to your display being set at 16bit rather than 32bit. You'd be seeing bands of colour graduations rather than a smooth gradient?

**dpt** · 16 June 2007, 04:11 PM

You may just be seeing the limitations of your screen.

Flat panel screens often have a limited range of colours (comonly 6 bits per component) so use a temporal dithering effect to increase the amount available.

**parahandy** · 16 June 2007, 05:25 PM

A friendly word of advice. If you are going to put it into a site make sure the photograph is your own composition as it may be subject to copyright.
I cannot see the streaks referred to but I think the blue effect is rather long,
a bit more transparency wouldn't do any harm but that is my own personal opinion.