PS Gradient Overlay Dithering

I use PS CS3 , and annoyingly there is no ‘dithering’ option in the layer styles > gradient overlay.

I could obviously apply an extremely subtle noise filter to soften the banding, but is there a way to automatically handle this when creating UI elements that need soft gradients?

In the interests of keeping everything editable and parametric, I want the shape layer to be adjustable and the layer styles to add the subtle effects to the UI shape. Adding a ‘gradient overlay’ seems to just be a banded mess without dithering.

I’m hoping that ‘dithering’ was added to gradient overlay styles in CS4 or CS5 ?

Just checked, there is no dithering option on gradient overlay in CS4 .

There is one way to create shapes with dithered gradients which remain editable in CS3

1. Create a Shape layer in the form you need. I will name it “HansV Shape”

2. Go to the bottom of the layers window and using the little button there select: “Create new Fill Layer > Gradient”.

3. A Gradient Layer is created and a window pops up. Choose the Gradient you need and BE SURE to select the check box “Dither”

4. Be sure that the Gradient layer is selected. Then go to the bottom of the layers window and select: “Add Vector Mask” (Normally here would say: “Add layer mask”)

5.Then go to the “HansV Shape” Layer and select the shape. Copy it.

6. Go to the Vector Mask from the Gradient Layer and paste the shape. All of a sudden the gradient has only the form of the shape. And is dithered. As it is a Vector and a Gradient Fill in one, evrything is editable.

I hope that helps Motionreactor.

(The step with pasting the shape can be tricky because now you have a layer and a Vector mask. After pasting it to the Vector Mask you can deltte the Layer Mask)

Awesome thank you. I have a lot of experience with PS, but this little detail had eluded me. Cheers.

There is always more to learn

You are welcome, Motionreactor. Glad to know I could help.

I started with PS 5 .5, back in the day before layer styles or fill / adjustment layers. I used to make GUI elements pixel by pixel, apparently old habits die hard.

I’m now really pushing the layer styles as far as I can get them and starting to make some nice parametric / editable GUI Elements.

Wao. 5.5….. So your splash screen used to look like the one below? (I found the splashscreens in the internet)

I started with PS 7 .0 and I remember that I hated the fact that you could not select many layers at the same time in order to move them. If you wanted to do something like that you had to link them and then move them. hehe. And I remember how impressed I was by the Lens Flare effect…...

I was used to seeing this:

Lol, yeh I think I may have actually used 4.0 or 5.0 briefly before… but my real learning crunch time was with 5.5

Back in those days, you had to make layer style type effects with multiple layers and pixel by pixel adjustments. I don’t think we even had shape layers back then.