Using the Gradient Fill to reduce banding

[chrishiggy]

I read your reduce banding tutorial, but I don't understand how to use the Gradient Fill layer - how do you pick your colour?  I photograph on white for the most part, I get a lot of banding, I've learned to now edit in 16-bit, which I will do going forward.  

Here is an image I took and edited.  Banding is evident.  I am trying to figure our the Gradient Fill layer, but I'm stuck here.  

Can you help, or point me in the right direction of a tutorial to explain this tool

here is the edit without the gradient tool

[Christina Keddie]

Have you read this tutorial?  I think the basic principles in it will help you here.

[chrishiggy]

no, thank you, I'll read it now.  Another question, though, in the replacing the backgroud article, Damien mentions banding doesn't occur on a raw image.  I just did a test similar to the image above, and when I pulled the RAW file up in ACR, I could already see banding.  I have a thunderbolt monitor, I don't assume it's my monitor?

[chrishiggy]

I'm working from this tutorial, in my set-up, the lighting is coming from camera left, thus bright on the left, and dark on the right.  What is the best Gradient Fill Style to use?  Linear or Radial?  Linear goes top to bottom ... 

[Damien Symonds]

4 hours ago, chrishiggy said:

  Linear goes top to bottom ... 

It goes in whichever direction you choose.  Change the angle setting to whatever you want.