Help removing horizontal banding due to camera settings/light sync issues

[ucmj22]

Hello! I conducted 4 interviews on friday and I'm concerned that I botched them by not having my camera and/or light settings dialed in. This was my first set of interviews using a new camera and light setup and I wasn't paying enough attention. I am hoping that there is some way to remove this banding that rolls from bottom to top using Premiere Pro; and maybe a tip on avoiding this issue in the future. I saw in another post that someone recommended a De-Flicker plug-in by Digital Anarchy that looks like it would do the trick, but I'm operating on a company computer so getting purchase approval and having IT download and install it could take a while, so I was really hoping there was something in Premiere Pro already that could take care of this.

Also, I just uploaded a quick sample to post here, and while the HD version is still processing, the SD version that is currently viewable shows considerably less banding that fades in and out, so just know that what I see in the original is bad enough to require a reshoot.

[video]

[ucmj22]

Follow-up: I have tried stacking the video x2 with top layer offset 1 frame and dimmed to 50%, and stacking the video 3x with middle layer at 66% and top layer at 33%. Neither attempt showed any real improvement. I also tried using the Reduce Interlace Flicker with no improvement. Thanks!

[Ann Bens]

DEFlicker - RE:Vision Effects

[ucmj22]

Yes, I am aware of a couple of plug-ins that may do the trick; however, as I stated, I am working on a company computer, and it will take some time to get a purchase of the license approved and installed. I'm not sure why Adobe doesnt have this already as a feature....

[Ann Bens]

Premiere Pro: User Voice 

[Kevin-Monahan]

ucmj,

Sorry. And you tried the built in Anti-Flicker filter controls? Use the trial version of the plug-ins. If they fix your situation, then see if the company might purchase the plug-in. You can say that this kind of situation happens not only in this case but for other situations, as well.

I have a beautiful shot of Notre Dame from my iPhone, but I noticed in post that a single cafe has a flickering light that I didn't catch as I was shooting it. It happens to everyone, that's why the D.A. plug-in is very popular. The RE:Vision one is good too. I know both these developers and can vouch for their quality.

Thanks,
Kevin

[ucmj22]

I did download a trial of the DA plugin and actually was able to install it witout admin privelages via a loophole I found. It did fix the issue, however, it took 10 minutes to export/encode the 11 second clip from above. On top of that, I had multiple Pr & Me crashes before it successfully completed the export. With an hour of footage to repair, I might be babysitting this process for the next several days.

[salvo34]

I have no clue what this means.

===

Follow-up: I have tried stacking the video x2 with top layer offset 1 frame and dimmed to 50%, and stacking the video 3x with middle layer at 66% and top layer at 33%. Neither attempt showed any real improvement. I also tried using the Reduce Interlace Flicker with no improvement. Thanks!

==============

don't know how to even explain stuff. I watched your video ( good job putting that up) and played it about ten times and IMO the stuff you don't like only effects the background and not the model ( head shot actor).

If this was a lighting problem ( flicker ) it would be on her face too.

unless you lit the back wall with totally differnent lights which is doubtfull...probably green screen and hence different lighting ? kinda hard to figure out without my brain getting more info ( why stack clips for a head shot ? I don't get it ).

hmi lights for movies require square wave ballasts, cause sine wave ballasts cause flicker, but it's over the entire image, not just a background.

so what did you do to light this and 'stack' stuff ??? why stack stuff ??

[salvo34]

for god's sake, don't buy plug ins or anything until you spend time considering how you shot it and stacked it etc.

led's come in many varieties ( the little full wave rectifier from ac to dc are all different and of different quality ). some are horrible for a smooth light and so on.

it aint magic.... just get with the basics first and then figure out the solutions

[ucmj22]

I watched some videos that showed duplicating layers in Pr and stacking them (2 or 3 layers) then offsetting them by 1 frame each with a reduction in opacity for the top layers. This does seem to fix flickering or rolling band issues for many people with a tradeoff in sharpness, however it showed only very slight improvement for me. I also noticed what you are talking about with no issue on the subject and all banding showing in the background. I think that any flickering created by the LED light may have been exacerbated by high ISO settings. I think I was shooting this at 1200 or 1600 ISO for no good reason. Thats why I mentioned in the OP I believe the issue came from a combination of Camera Settings/Light Sync.

[salvo34]

are you selling your product here ?

Flicker Free Plugin : Deflicker Time Lapse, LED and Slow motion / High Frame Rate in HD and 4K :: Di...

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hello Salvo,

No one selling anything here, that's just the plug-in that many users report success with. Jim Tierney is the owner of Digital Anarchy (nice guy), and though he does engage on Facebook Premiere Pro groups, he does not regularly engage here. It can fix the weird lighting flickers that happen in everyday life. I do think you're right in suspecting that ucmj can probably fix this with a combination of camera settings and, possibly, an adjustment on the lighting ballasts.

Thanks,
Kevin

[ucmj22]

I am not "selling" my finished project. This is an internal video project, there is no external client. Re-shooting would be an absolute last resort as one of the subjects was the VP of operations, soI really dont want to have to tell him I botched the shots and waste another 20 minutes of his time.

[ucmj22]

By the way, I was using a Falcon Eyes SO-68TDX II in a 1 light setup with a 36" reflector on the shady side.

[salvo34]

thanks for info everyone.

I have to admit I never ever saw anything like your problem ( rolling light bands on background ). how weird. also no clue how to fix it cause I don't know what caused it.

interesting post.

🙂

[Juan Ordonez]

Why are we still buying plugins for these fixes instead of Adobe making a change? Same with noise reduction.