Have you ever recorded a video indoors, only to discover that the lighting appears to flicker or strange dark bands move across the footage? The lights might look perfectly normal to your eyes, making the problem even more frustrating.

This is a common issue when filming under certain LED lights, particularly when the camera’s shutter settings interact with the way those lights produce illumination. Fortunately, understanding the cause can make the problem much easier to avoid.

Why do LED lights flicker in videos?

LED lights don’t always produce a perfectly continuous level of brightness. Some LED lighting systems rapidly change their output as part of their electrical operation or brightness control.

This can happen because of alternating-current power supplies or a technique called pulse-width modulation, which controls perceived brightness by switching the light output on and off very quickly. Although these changes may be difficult to notice with the human eye, a camera can record them.

When the camera’s exposure timing interacts with the changing light output, visible flickering or banding can appear.

Why do dark bands appear across the picture?

Many digital cameras use rolling shutters, which expose different parts of the image sensor at slightly different times. If the brightness of an LED changes while the camera is capturing a frame, different parts of the image may receive different amounts of light.

The result can be horizontal bands moving across the footage. The exact appearance depends on the lighting frequency, camera settings and sensor readout behaviour.

Can changing shutter speed fix LED flicker?

Often, yes. In countries using a 50Hz electrical supply, shutter speeds such as 1/50 or 1/100 second can be useful starting points when working with lighting influenced by the mains frequency. In regions using 60Hz electricity, settings such as 1/60 or 1/120 second may be more suitable.

However, these settings aren’t guaranteed to eliminate flicker from every LED light. Some lights use electronic drivers or dimming frequencies that don’t correspond neatly to the mains supply. If your camera includes an anti-flicker or variable-shutter setting, this may help you fine-tune the exposure timing.

Does dimming an LED make flicker worse?

It can. Some LED lights use pulse-width modulation when brightness is reduced. Depending on the modulation frequency and camera settings, dimming may make flicker more visible.

If you notice problems when filming with a dimmed light, try increasing its brightness and adjusting the exposure using other camera settings or light modifiers. For more demanding video production, lighting designed with flicker performance in mind can provide more predictable results.

What if the flicker is already in your footage?

Some editing applications include deflicker tools that can reduce brightness fluctuations. These may help with relatively mild flickering, but they aren’t guaranteed to remove severe rolling bands or recover missing image information.

Prevention is generally easier than correction. Before recording an important interview, product demonstration or client video, shoot a short test clip using your intended frame rate, shutter speed and lighting arrangement. Review it on a larger screen before beginning the full recording.

Consistent lighting makes editing easier

Good lighting isn’t simply about making a scene bright enough. Consistency matters too, especially when you’re combining several shots or filming a sequence that needs to look continuous. Taking a few minutes to check your lighting can save considerably more time during editing.

Once your visuals are ready, suitable music and sound effects can help bring the finished video together. Explore RouteNote Licensing for music and sound effects for your next production.

Stop risking your channel’s revenue and momentum through uncertainty over music rights.Use RouteNote Licensing to explore music licensing options and check the relevant Content ID guidance.

Click Here to start exploring today!