Gradient guide
Gradient Banding Test
A clean gradient should change smoothly. Visible bands, sudden jumps, or crushed tones can point to panel limits, color settings, browser color management, or compression in the content itself.
Change the step count
Lower step counts make boundaries obvious. Higher step counts should look smoother. If a 128 or 256 step gradient still shows strong bands, check display settings and color depth.
Test more than white
White gradients are useful, but cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green, and blue can reveal channel-specific transitions.
Separate the screen from the source
Banding in one video or image may be caused by compression. If the same bands appear in generated browser gradients, the display path is more likely involved.