Adobe® Photoshop® CS2 Studio Techniques

Eliminating Posterization

Here's a trick that can minimize the posterization. I should warn you that you have to apply this technique manually to each area that is posterized. Although it might take you a little bit of time, the results will be worth it.

To begin, select the Magic Wand tool, set the Tolerance to 0, and click on an area that looks posterized. Next, choose Select > Modify > Border, and use a setting of 2 for slight posterization or 4 for a moderate amount of posterization. Now apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur until the area looks smooth (Figures 5.36 and 5.37). Repeat this process on all of the posterized areas until you're satisfied with the results.

Figure 5.36. Turn off the Preview check box to see the edges of the posterized ...