• Blog
  • Calculators
    • DoF Calculator | Lens Equivalent
    • Camera Bitrate Converter | Record Time Calculator
    • Diffraction Calculator
  • Memory Cards
    • SD Memory Cards Guide
    • CFexpress Type-A Memory Card Guide
    • Memory Cards For Canon Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Fujifilm Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Nikon Cameras
    • SD Cards For GoPro
  • Accessories
    • Canon
      • Canon R5 Accessories
      • Canon R6 Accessories
      • Canon EOS R
      • Canon RP
      • Canon M50 Accessories
      • Canon T7i / T6 / T6i / T6s
      • Canon SL3 / 250D
      • Canon M6 II
      • Canon M5
      • Canon G1X III
      • Canon G7X III
    • Nikon
      • Nikon Z6 II / Z7 II
      • Nikon Z6 / Z7
      • Nikon Z50
    • Fujifilm
      • Fujifilm X-T4
      • Fujifilm X-S10
      • Fujifilm X-Pro3
      • Fujifilm X-T3
      • Fujifilm X-H1
      • Fujifilm X-T200
      • Fujifilm X100V Accessories
      • Fujifilm X100F Accessories
      • Fujifilm X-E4
      • Fujifilm XT30 & XT20
    • Leica
      • Leica Q2 Accessories
    • Panasonic
      • Panasonic GH5 / GH5s
      • Panasonic LX100 II
    • Ricoh
      • Ricoh GR III
    • Sigma
      • Sigma fp
    • Sony
      • Sony A1 Accessories
      • Sony A7IV Accessories
      • Sony A7c Accessories
      • Sony A7sIII
      • Sony A7rIV / A9II
      • Sony A9
      • Sony A7 III, A7r III Accessories
      • Sony A6600 Accessories
      • Sony A6100 Accessories
      • Sony A6000 Accessories
      • Sony RX1R II
      • Sony RX10 IV / RX10 III
      • Sony RX100 IV / RX100 V
    • Drones
      • Mavic 2 Pro
    • Camera Cleaning Gear
  • Lenses
    • Canon RF Lens List
    • Fujifilm XF Lens List
    • Fujifilm G Lens List
    • Leica M Lens List
    • Micro Four Thirds Lens List
    • Nikon Z Lens List
    • Sony FF E Lens List
    • Sony APS-C E Lens List
  • Store
Alik Griffin
Alik Griffin
  • Blog
  • Calculators
    • DoF Calculator | Lens Equivalent
    • Camera Bitrate Converter | Record Time Calculator
    • Diffraction Calculator
  • Memory Cards
    • SD Memory Cards Guide
    • CFexpress Type-A Memory Card Guide
    • Memory Cards For Canon Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Fujifilm Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Nikon Cameras
    • SD Cards For GoPro
  • Accessories
    • Canon
      • Canon R5 Accessories
      • Canon R6 Accessories
      • Canon EOS R
      • Canon RP
      • Canon M50 Accessories
      • Canon T7i / T6 / T6i / T6s
      • Canon SL3 / 250D
      • Canon M6 II
      • Canon M5
      • Canon G1X III
      • Canon G7X III
    • Nikon
      • Nikon Z6 II / Z7 II
      • Nikon Z6 / Z7
      • Nikon Z50
    • Fujifilm
      • Fujifilm X-T4
      • Fujifilm X-S10
      • Fujifilm X-Pro3
      • Fujifilm X-T3
      • Fujifilm X-H1
      • Fujifilm X-T200
      • Fujifilm X100V Accessories
      • Fujifilm X100F Accessories
      • Fujifilm X-E4
      • Fujifilm XT30 & XT20
    • Leica
      • Leica Q2 Accessories
    • Panasonic
      • Panasonic GH5 / GH5s
      • Panasonic LX100 II
    • Ricoh
      • Ricoh GR III
    • Sigma
      • Sigma fp
    • Sony
      • Sony A1 Accessories
      • Sony A7IV Accessories
      • Sony A7c Accessories
      • Sony A7sIII
      • Sony A7rIV / A9II
      • Sony A9
      • Sony A7 III, A7r III Accessories
      • Sony A6600 Accessories
      • Sony A6100 Accessories
      • Sony A6000 Accessories
      • Sony RX1R II
      • Sony RX10 IV / RX10 III
      • Sony RX100 IV / RX100 V
    • Drones
      • Mavic 2 Pro
    • Camera Cleaning Gear
  • Lenses
    • Canon RF Lens List
    • Fujifilm XF Lens List
    • Fujifilm G Lens List
    • Leica M Lens List
    • Micro Four Thirds Lens List
    • Nikon Z Lens List
    • Sony FF E Lens List
    • Sony APS-C E Lens List
  • Store
  • Uncategorized

Fixing Color Banding in Photos and Video

  • February 9, 2017
  • Alik

One of the things you'll have noticed if you're a photographer, videographer or motion graphics designer, is color banding artifacts when converting your work to 8bit web formats. This happens because each color of an 8bit image only has a color range of 256 values. So say you have a sunset that's orange and shifts into a purple or black. Between those two colors there might not be a large enough range in color to create a smooth transition between the two shades.

This is why you often don't notice these things in Lightroom but when you export to JPEG or H264 for the web, these things appear. There are a few ways to fix this. 

Fixing Color Banding in Photos and Video

– Often in photography it happens when you apply too much noise reduction. Noise can have a lot of variation of color that will add extra information outside the single shades 256 range. So if you notice banding a simple fix might be to dial back your grain reduction. 

– This leads to the next trick. You can add grain back in. This usually is what I do. Adding grain helps break up the color so it's not so smooth at the areas of the banding. 

– The last trick I'll use involves adding a very light gradient of a different color. This introduces extra colors to that single colors 256 range increasing the possible values of color the image can now have. It's really easy to do on a sunset. In Lightroom you can just apply the Gradient Filter. In after effects or Photoshop there are several different ways to add color gradients. You can use a four point gradient set to 2-5%. Or even a simple ramp set to a very low value. Just remember set the value as low as you can until the banding goes away. 

I learned this gradient trick from the Greyscalegorilla who is an awesome designer that posts a lot of tutorials for Cinema 4D and After Effects. You can check out his video here: http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/10/how-to-remove-banding-artifacts-in-after-effects/

Also check out my Digital Photography Tips page for more tutorials which I am always adding to. 

Clear Skies In Malibu

This was taken at Matador Beach in Malibu California. Shot with the 5Dmkii and the 24-70mm f2.8L USM. One thing I've learned when shooting at beaches like this (since I've been doing it a lot). The longer you have your lens out the more haze covers the glass from the salty air. I noticed this one night when I was shooting with my 40mm f2.8. After about 45 minutes of using this lens, my images were getting more bloomy from the film that was forming on the UV filter. It actually created a rather nice effect. It happened slightly in the image below. To avoid it, you really have to constantly clean your glass. 

Malibu Beach Clear Skies HDR

**This website contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click them to make a purchase.
Alik

Professional editor, blogger and photographer from Los Angeles California.

Related Topics
  • Photography Tips
You May Also Like
Popular Articles
  • Moment Cinebloom Diffusion Review 1
    Moment CineBloom Filter Review & Sample Photos
  • Voigtlander Lenses 2
    Understanding Voigtlander Lens Naming
  • 3
    Kipon Ibelux 40mm f0.85 III Review & Sample Photos
  • Best CFexpress B Memory Cards 4
    Best CFExpress Type-B Memory Cards For Your Camera
  • 5
    Best CFexpress Type-A Memory Cards For Your Camera
Join The Fun! Sign Up To The Newsletter!


*You will need to confirm your email. Check your spam folder after hitting subscribe.

About Me

A professional freelance trailer editor. I've been blogging for a decade and this site focuses on benchmarking memory cards, camera accessories, and lens reviews. There will be a shift towards more education with color and editing so be sure to hit the bell in the bottom right to subscribe for updates. Read About to learn more.

Popular Lens Reviews
  • 1
    A Complete List Of Fujifilm Lenses | X-Mount
  • Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 S Lens Review 2
    Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 S Lens Review & Sample Photos
  • 3
    Kamlan 50mm f1.1 II Review & Sample Photos
  • 4
    Meike 35mm f1.7 Review & Sample Photos
  • 5
    Meike 35mm f1.4 Review & Sample Photos
Memory Card Guides | Benchmarks

Memory Cards For Canon R5

Memory Cards For Canon R6

Memory Cards For Nikon Z6II / Z7II

Memory Cards For Nikon Z5

Memory Cards For Fujifilm X-T4

Memory Cards For GoPro Hero 9

Memory Cards For GoPro Hero 8

Privacy Policy | Ethics Statement | Licensing

Copyright © Alik Griffin Inc. 2021

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

This site uses cookies.Learn More

OkRefuse