Premiere Pro sky banding issue after export (with example)

[solskens]

I'm pretty new to shooting/exporting videos, so forgive me if this turns out to be a basic answer !

The videos I have look good while I'm editing in program, yet when I export them they have a ton of banding.

This has only really been a problem recently when shooting videos of the sky/soft color fades. Everything else I have done has turned out alright.

I've included an example in the video below (disregard the audio) of some footage I have shot and the banding that occurs. Shot on a Sony A7iii, with an olympus OM 75-150mm lens.

I took the footage into PP and edited the speed and added a LUT. (even when I do NO editing at all and only export, banding occurs. The original footage -- while slightly grainy -- has no banding and looks smooth.

My exporting is very basic and I've looked up different options on other sites and nothing has really helped. Not really looking for any specific purpose with this footage (youtube quality or better), just want a solution to make it export smooth and any resources/tips on exporting.

Wondering where the issue could be from: the set up, something in camera, the exporting. If you have an idea or a direction you could point me in, let me know!

[davidu91722252]

The frame rate of the composition is probably not working well with the frame rate of the video.

[Carlos Ziade]

I don't think this kind of banding relates to mismatched frame rates

[R Neil Haugen]

Could you make a screengrab of your Export dialog box and drag/drop that in your reply?

Neil

[davidu91722252]

Actually I think the issue is after effects doesn't work well with mp4s. Try rendering the file with media encoder into a quick time file

[Carlos Ziade]

This is premiere pro and not after effects, no mention for mp4 files, we are still waiting for more details from the original poster of this thread, screenshots of export setting etc... just as Neil requested

[davidu91722252]

My apologies, was getting the forums I was commenting on mixed up.

[Carlos Ziade]

no problem just to avoid getting users confused... it happens

[rodneyb56060189]

unfortunately, a friend of mine who shoots some stuff with sony s log ( saving on SD card as 4.2.0 I think...?? ) gets some banding now and then. It only happens in very big areas of subtle tonal changes of hue ( like a blue sky etc. )

Sorry, but I deleted all his source material a while back after doing this edit ( he did me favor and sent stuff via memory stick and it was 4k S LOG that I wanted to test on my edit computer )

Same camera as poster.

TOM FINISHED on Vimeo

probably have to play twice to buffer OK... is only a couple min long at 720p

There are issues re: banding and also lights flickering, with some of these cameras.. and usually it boils down to the " in camera' settings to best address the issues.

good luck !

[Jeff Bellune]

When video is temporally encoded (MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264 for example), anything less than 10-bit or 12-bit color will exhibit banding in large areas of subtle or gradient color changes. Since most encoding is done in 8-bit color, this is a problem almost everywhere.

Check out a DVD or Blu-ray commercial disc on your player/TV combo and you will see what I mean.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Solskens,

I advise you to export using an intraframe codec, ProRes 422 should do it. H.264 doesn't have the spec to display natural gradients very well at all as Jeff was saying.

Let us know the results.

Thanks,
Kevin

[nolimitpr]

I have the same problems with the sky. (Not all the time) Panasonic Eva 1 10 bit 422. If i export in ProRes, can i uploud to You Tube with that codec?

[nolimitpr]

Please look at the 2:26 Minute

[R Neil Haugen]

You've got a wide 'natural' dynamic range there, and a fair amount it appears of color mods going on. Even with a 422 capture, that could stretch things out enough that an H.264 method of compression might to show some banding.

I know people able to upload to YouTube in DNxHD/R mxf, so you might try that.

Capturing sky & cloud details while getting the shadows of those up close can be a right pain. It's one of those things where, if using a LUT for log capture or look, you really must apply the LUT after the first level of tonal controls, so you can use tonal controls applied prior to the LUT to "trim" the exposure data into the proper levels to work with that LUT. Or it will clip.

And even with "422" files, if they're very compressed in-camera, highlight data can be prone to banding. It may be just below visibility in the original file, but ... make the slightest change ... and there it is.

Neil

[nolimitpr]

Thank You! I will try that format and yes, the banding was not visible in the original file.