LocalHero1953 Posted April 11 Share #1 Posted April 11 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I took photos of a stage performance yesterday in a small venue that I know does not have the latest and best lighting. Shooting for a live production, I had to use the silent electronic shutter. I've encountered problems with banding from the venue lighting before, and I tried to select a shutter speed that minimised it. It still shows up on my monitor, although I can probably get away with it. This ought to be a problem readily corrected in post, especially with AI tools: a tool that analyses an image, identifies the banding frequency and amplitude, and quickly corrects it. I believe Sony has a flicker free setting for correction in camera, but I don't know how it works: does it just select a low risk shutter speed, or does it remove banding from the raw image? Does anyone know of such a tool for post processing, either self contained or a Lightroom plugin? Edited April 11 by LocalHero1953 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 11 Posted April 11 Hi LocalHero1953, Take a look here Banding from artificial light - tools for removal?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Chris W Posted April 12 Share #2 Posted April 12 This happened to me once and I'll never use an electronic shutter for live performance again. I haven't come across a software solution that works. The other problem is that in my shots the banding was variable, sometimes strong and obvious, other times just visible in the dark areas. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHatt Posted April 12 Share #3 Posted April 12 You can try different shutter speeds to try to find one not effected by lights In photoshop try creating a duplicate layer & use the surface blur filter (Radius 35 ish, threshold 4 ish) on the top layer and mask though any fine details lost by the blur 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted April 12 Author Share #4 Posted April 12 5 minutes ago, PeterHatt said: You can try different shutter speeds to try to find one not effected by lights In photoshop try creating a duplicate layer & use the surface blur filter (Radius 35 ish, threshold 4 ish) on the top layer and mask though any fine details lost by the blur As I noted in my first post, I tried to pick a shutter speed that minimised the effect, but it varied too much during the performance for me to keep up. I suspect that only some of the lights in the venue have the problem, and it depended on the lighting scheme and whether they were dominant or not. I'll experiment with the surface blur filter - thanks. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHatt Posted April 12 Share #5 Posted April 12 I should have mentioned make your duplicate layer a smart layer to give yourself flexibility 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted April 12 Share #6 Posted April 12 32 minutes ago, PeterHatt said: You can try different shutter speeds to try to find one not effected by lights I've also done this to no avail. Apart from the shutter speeds not being ideal for live action, I found that the LED lights constantly changed in intensity from one moment to the next leading to an ever changing impact from strong banding to light banding, but hardly ever no banding. Mechanical shutter for lit events from now on. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted April 12 Share #7 Posted April 12 Advertisement (gone after registration) Never tried it. https://www.lsp-actions.com/products/banding-buster-photoshop-mini-action-photoshop-creative-cloud-only 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHatt Posted April 12 Share #8 Posted April 12 I’ve had an idea, & this is me thinking out loud - shoot a short say 5 second video at the highest quality & nick stills from it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzajl Posted April 12 Share #9 Posted April 12 Are you able to share an example, so we can get an idea of the specifics? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted April 12 Author Share #10 Posted April 12 1 hour ago, Dazzajl said: Are you able to share an example, so we can get an idea of the specifics? I'm in the middle of editing them, but will try to post an unedited one later. I have yet to send the images to the performers. Most of the public performances I shoot are not as loud as rock concerts, so the mechanical shutter is definitely not an option. Rehearsals are a different matter. This performance is a less common one: improvisational theatre, where every show is different and they rarely have a full scale dress rehearsal. With this particular group they ask me to shoot one of their performances. I've explained the lighting problems to them before, and they accept the limitations. It's mainly my technical frustration that's driving me to look for a solution! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzajl Posted April 12 Share #11 Posted April 12 Completely understand. Sounds like a great excuse, I mean reason to get yourself a nice camera with a leaf shutter. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted April 12 Author Share #12 Posted April 12 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Dazzajl said: Completely understand. Sounds like a great excuse, I mean reason to get yourself a nice camera with a leaf shutter. I have used the Q2 and Q3 43, but they can't keep up with the SL2-S in low light. Here are examples. They have all been through AI Denoise in Lightroom, but I've removed the masks that I used to treat the face and body skin where the banding is prominent (typically brightening, reduced clarity and reduced contrast). All taken at 1/125s, which, from tests before the show started, looked like the best option. I would normally aim for 1/250s. The first: the banding here is vertical because that's how I held the camera, and is mainly a problem on her face and legs, but also on the box she is sitting on.. ISO 20,000 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ISO 3200. Banding on her chest and his shirt. ISO 8000. Banding on the boxes to the left and on the dark backdrop Edited April 12 by LocalHero1953 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ISO 3200. Banding on her chest and his shirt. ISO 8000. Banding on the boxes to the left and on the dark backdrop ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/420396-banding-from-artificial-light-tools-for-removal/?do=findComment&comment=5785497'>More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted April 12 Author Share #13 Posted April 12 2 hours ago, jaapv said: Never tried it. https://www.lsp-actions.com/products/banding-buster-photoshop-mini-action-photoshop-creative-cloud-only From a quick glance that looks like an action to remove irregular banding caused by (e.g.) not enough bits to represent large areas of similar tone, such as sky, or the backdrop shown in the image. It doesn't look like it's aimed at frequency interference banding from artificial banding. I'll have a further look. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted April 12 Share #14 Posted April 12 (edited) I guess that's why a lot of theatre photography is done at final dress rehearsal. I'm not sure my X1D2 leaf shutter is much quieter? Edited April 12 by Chris W Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted April 12 Share #15 Posted April 12 From the video I got the impression that it seems to work with all kinds of banding, but as I said, I have never used it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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