Add noise/dithering to gradient when exporting?

[feklee]

When exporting to 24 bit (!) JPEG or PNG, I would like to add some noise/dithering to gradients - is this possible?

Here is why: When gradients are too clean, stripes / banding may be visible when printing.

[gwpriester]

What product are you using? Your Profile does not say.

[mwenz]

When exporting to 24 bit (!) JPEG or PNG, I would like to add some noise/dithering to gradients - is this possible?

Here is why: When gradients are too clean, stripes / banding may be visible when printing.

I don't know about some of the other Xara products, here I am using Designer Pro.

Select your object, Live Effects (ctrl+F5, the plug icon), Distortion Filter, Add noise.

Take care, Mike

[feklee]

I just applied the solution recommended in another thread, and it seems to do the trick: Apply the Diffuse live effect, and clip the object with the desired shape.

It would be nice, though, if there was an easier way in Xara Designer.

[angelize]

Mike's solution above is better than diffuse as you can easily set the strength and density of the noise and no clipping is required.

[feklee]

Frances, I checked the noise effect as well, and in fact I use it somewhere in that illustration. However, for the gradient I believe that diffusion is the higher quality option, although a bit cumbersome.

[gwpriester]

How are you exporting your image? And at what color depth?

[feklee]

How are you exporting your image? And at what color depth?

Hi-res 24bit JPEG with 100% quality.

Currently the target is a photo printer which works with sRGB color space (prints are developed). In the illustration there is a gradient taking up a major part of the page, and in tests with dye-sublimation printers (CMYO), I have seen ugly banding. Applying the diffuse filter makes the banding disappear.