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Photos have banding when it comes to gradients vs GIMP or Windows Preview which do not


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I'm trying to touch-up my Drone photos, but they look horrible in Affinity Photo compared to Windows Preview or even Gimp :(

Here, the original file has a very very smooth gradient coming from that lamp.  But as soon as I open the file in Affinity Photo, the glow from the lamp turns in to blocky color bands..  It's almost like it tries to convert it to web-only colors or something because the quality is horrible.  (below, you will probably see some banding in your web-browser, it's actually WORSE in Affinity Photo)

 Download this image and view it locally, to see it without banding.  If you still see banding when you open it locally, sorry your monitor sucks :)

DJI_0463.thumb.JPG.173e976ef0f7a2ed01dacf8d72a0b104.JPG

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Do you get this when you view your image in Affinity Photo at 100%?

I assume the image shown here is the original and has not been through Photo.

John

Windows 10, Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Designer 1.10.5 and Publisher 1.10.5 (mainly Photo), now ex-Adobe CC

CPU: AMD A6-3670. RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @ 666MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630

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7 hours ago, John Rostron said:

Do you get this when you view your image in Affinity Photo at 100%?

I assume the image shown here is the original and has not been through Photo.

John

Yep, same problems at 100%..  It seems to save fine (and view via Windows Preview), it just looks like garbage whenever I view it through AP.

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Did you open as "new file"? Is it a fresh file? Or did you "place" it anywhere and now a filter/adjust is effecting you dont know? Looks crank or effected, even with 20 time bigger resolution... you would get other "artefacts" than this. Open the file again in fresh document.

OSX 12.5  / iMac Retina 27" / Radeon Pro 580X / Metall: on! --- WWG1WGA WW!

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5 hours ago, Polygonius said:

Did you open as "new file"? Is it a fresh file? Or did you "place" it anywhere and now a filter/adjust is effecting you dont know? Looks crank or effected, even with 20 time bigger resolution... you would get other "artefacts" than this. Open the file again in fresh document.

Yes, its a fresh file.  File > Open

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21 hours ago, hecktarzuli said:

Can anyone help?  I'm about |--| this close to uninstalling this #@$#K thing and just using GIMP :(

No matter what I do, when I load these images into AP, they look like garbage.

The file you posted looks fine to me, too.

I notice that it does not have a color profile embedded in it. That means that Photo would assign a working profile based on the Preferences you have established. If you open the Preferences (Edit > Preferences...) and look in the Color section, what do you have specified for the RGB Color Profile? I'm using sRGB IEC612966-2.1. If you're using something different perhaps that explains the problem you're having. (That's just a guess, but since your image is working well for everyone else who has responded, I figured I might as well suggest this possibility.)

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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21 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

The file you posted looks fine to me, too.

I notice that it does not have a color profile embedded in it. That means that Photo would assign a working profile based on the Preferences you have established. If you open the Preferences (Edit > Preferences...) and look in the Color section, what do you have specified for the RGB Color Profile? I'm using sRGB IEC612966-2.1. If you're using something different perhaps that explains the problem you're having. (That's just a guess, but since your image is working well for everyone else who has responded, I figured I might as well suggest this possibility.)

I have the same thing selected.  At this point I feel like I've tried about everything.

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On 12/3/2018 at 2:35 AM, Fixx said:

I do, and I have it assigned to my monitor.  I tried it both with and without, even rebooted between selections in Windows.

I've tried converting the image to 16 bit - looks bad, converting to 32 bit - looks bad, tried literally every color profile in the list -- looks bad, tried all Soft Proofs -- look bad

Tried a PNG vs a JPG - still looks bad

The only way to make it normal is converting it to 32 bit (which still looks bad), then going to 32 bit preview and turning Display Transform to Unmanaged (then adjust gamma/exposure.)

I feel like this is a bug in AP.

 

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29 minutes ago, hecktarzuli said:

I do, and I have it assigned to my monitor.  I tried it both with and without, even rebooted between selections in Windows.

I assume you were responding to @MEB's question about a color profile.

Can you give us a screenshot of the Windows Color Management panel showing the profile you have assigned?

Also:

  1. Do you use multiple monitors, or just one?
  2. Can you give us a screenshot of how that photo looks in Affinity Photo on your machine immediately after you open it? Include the complete Photo window, please.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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S2209W, right ? Out of curiosity ( fully unrelated, is obviously sth happening with a color profile there, but wanted to chime in, as I think is a nice monitor)  checked the specs (triggered me the "sorry, your monitor sucks if so" ;D ...am always interested in mainstream monitors with high end performance, if only to recommend them) , It is a non professional monitor, but very nice for a mainstream:  contrast  is 1000:1. Color space support, it just says 85% color space support in certain PDF, without specifying the space, :( ... only a foot note says that 85 is according to  CIE1976...., while much more common (in monitors ads) is to refer to CIE1931, and that would mean the so very common 72% (said also in the tiny foot note). In all cases, IMO seems is a % of the NTSC space (so, 72% NTSC, nothing great, but can do), almost convinced of  that. Typically means an almost 100% of sRGB coverage. Couldn't find anywhere if it is a real 8 bits panel or a 6 bits + FRC , I'd hate the latter, as is one of the specs that could trigger banding or noise in some cases. A better scenario for gradients and other matters than 8, is 10 bits, years ago only seen in pro monitors, counting on display port to be able to use it (in the g. card and as monitor connecting option). In a 6 bits you could have suddenly banding in situations you wouldn't expect ( I believe depends what's in screen at a time and other matters), and often not very predictable. Worse in mainstream TN panels. But as mentioned, as the gradient shows smooth in other apps, seems unrelated, then. And more of a profile conversions thing.   I checked it, so, thought I'd put what I found as a side data or sth....

In that screenshot...He has a 32 bit sRGB profile the 32 bits field, but specifying (linear) in the name of the profile. What does this mean ? That this profile applies gamma of 1.0 (kind of removing gamma applied then ?). I thought sRGB can't be linear... and that conversion between linear <-> certain gamma (I think is from linear to gamma based, so, might be that his image was linear and once imported is applied a gamma, and then the banding happens?) can produce banding. But I know close to nothing about these technicalities. I'm just left wondering why in his trick to solve it he has to apply a gamma correction to fix the image after going to 32 bits mode. There's perhaps some stuff going on with "linear" and gamma, and I don't know if the banding could have some relation with if a certain sRGB or other color space and profile, inside Affinity or in his system, in the journey of that file to reach there, if it is doing some undesired stuff to the whole gamma space / linear thingy , forcing the banding appear. Sorry for chiming in....I just hate banding. I have loaded that image in my AP 1.7 customer beta, in which I have my now OS main profile, a sRGB custom profile from hardware calibration, lately (as what am sending to print, they base all in sRGB) and I don't see that banding. Neither when viewing it locally outside Affinity, nor in my Chrome. 

AD, AP and APub. V1.10.6 and V2.4 Windows 10 and Windows 11. 
Ryzen 9 3900X, 32 GB RAM,  RTX 3060 12GB, Wacom Intuos XL, Wacom L. Eizo ColorEdge CS 2420 monitor. Windows 10 Pro.
(Laptop) HP Omen 16-b1010ns 12700H, 32GB DDR5, nVidia RTX 3060 6GB + Huion Kamvas 22 pen display, Windows 11 Pro.

 

 

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@hecktarzuli, I suggest, as an experiment, modifying your Windows Display setting. I would try replacing that monitor ICC profile with a standard sRGB profile, which should be available on your system already if you press the Add button. Then you can Remove the current one and see if that helps. 

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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That initial Drone photo looks everywhere the same here at a 100% zoomlevel in APh, GraphicConverter, PSE ... etc. Though I'm previewing it actually under OSX here instead of Win.

no_diff_aph_gc.thumb.jpg.daccda789846be64d7667cec1689fd39.jpg

 

☛ Affinity Designer 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Photo 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Publisher 1.10.8 ◆ OSX El Capitan
☛ Affinity V2.3 apps ◆ MacOS Sonoma 14.2 ◆ iPad OS 17.2

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