What is color banding?

Color banding appears as visible stepped transitions between color shades rather than smooth gradients. In digital images, this occurs when the color depth cannot represent enough intermediate values, creating distinct bands or stripes instead of seamless blends.

Banding commonly appears in gradients, skies, and areas of subtle color change. The effect becomes more pronounced with heavy JPEG compression, limited color palettes, or when images are processed through multiple generations of editing.

In glitch art, banding is sometimes intentionally exaggerated for aesthetic effect through posterization, bit depth reduction, or specific compression artifacts. The stepped colors create a stylized, digital look that contrasts with photorealistic expectations.

To fix unwanted banding, increase bit depth when working, add subtle noise or dithering to break up transitions, or export in formats supporting higher color fidelity. For artistic banding effects, explore our color reduction techniques guide.