Banding can occur in gradient blends when they are spread across large areas or using colors that are very similar. There are sometimes simply not enough colors to create a smooth transition. InDesign and Illustrator can produce acceptable results but sometimes Photoshop’s dithering is best.

To take advantage of this, work with only the gradient at first. Make a new document with the size of gradient you desire to the resolution you need but choose 16 bit mode instead of 8 bit mode. Create your gradient. It will still look like it has banding at this point since Photoshop’s preview is 8 bit.

Go to EDIT>COLOR SETTINGS. Click on MORE OPTIONS to the right if available. Make sure the option “Use Dither (8 bit/channel images)” is checked.

Go to IMAGE>MODE and change the file to 8 bit/Channel. Gradient banding should be much less prominent. If there is still too much banding, this can be further hidden using FILTER>NOISE>ADD NOISE, adjusting amount to preference.