Fixing flicker in post
Nov 8, 2018 11:04:26 #
Alll,
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
Nov 8, 2018 12:39:36 #
david vt
Loc: Vermont
hi
Once it is there, I don’t know how to get it out other than std PP type fixes
The root cause is the timing of your shutter vs the resonance frequency of the lights. Especially at SS > 1/60th, your shutter/meter are “firing” between the pulses of light, playing hell with the metering. And since, shooting sports, you are much, much faster than this, you are getting this in your images
Happens to me on occasion with my D7200
There are several post on this in the past here, as well as reference to other internet sources (sorry - no time to look at the moment), but as much as it pains me to say it, you may need a different body to fix this. Some of the newer ones, particularly those geared to sports, have a “anti-flicker” option which detects this, and can compensate
Others, more experienced than I, may be of more assistance, both in correction in PP and prevention while shooting
Good luck
Once it is there, I don’t know how to get it out other than std PP type fixes
The root cause is the timing of your shutter vs the resonance frequency of the lights. Especially at SS > 1/60th, your shutter/meter are “firing” between the pulses of light, playing hell with the metering. And since, shooting sports, you are much, much faster than this, you are getting this in your images
Happens to me on occasion with my D7200
There are several post on this in the past here, as well as reference to other internet sources (sorry - no time to look at the moment), but as much as it pains me to say it, you may need a different body to fix this. Some of the newer ones, particularly those geared to sports, have a “anti-flicker” option which detects this, and can compensate
Others, more experienced than I, may be of more assistance, both in correction in PP and prevention while shooting
Good luck
Nov 9, 2018 08:33:46 #
rthompson10 wrote:
Alll,
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
May need a faster shutter even if you have to bump your ISO. Grain is easier to control in post.
Nov 9, 2018 09:01:01 #
larryepage
Loc: North Texas area
This won't help you with your current equipment, but some of the latest camera bodies, like the D850, have a function which can be activated to reduce flicker. I haven't tried it out yet, but my understanding is that it somehow synchrronizes frame exposures with the light pulses. Perhaps someone with more experience with this feature can let us know more about it.
Nov 9, 2018 11:41:21 #
rthompson10 wrote:
Alll,
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
As stated previously, it *is* a cycling of the stadium lighting (probably sodium vapor...but could be mercury vapor. Both will play heck with your white balance). I shoot with a Nikon D5 (...your 1DX should be quite similar, although a generation back. Dunno 'bout the flicker reduction feature in your Canon, tho.) The flicker reduction in my camera does a good job, but when I was using older equipment I had to make different LR presets for different casts. These efforts were adequate but I rarely could nail the rightness factor, and it looks like you're experiencing the same thing. All I can say is, keep fiddling and save presets for each particular stadium!
Nov 9, 2018 11:44:48 #
rthompson10 wrote:
Alll,
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
Using a 1DX camera to shoot HS sports and night and encountering flicker from the lights. Any quick and easy lightroom fixes. Can't seem to get a look I like
Thanks!
RT
No.
Better to use a camera that has an anti-flicker function. Fixing in post is horrendous - you have to deal with the uneven light levels and the uneven color.
Nov 9, 2018 11:51:18 #
pithydoug wrote:
May need a faster shutter even if you have to bump your ISO. Grain is easier to control in post.
That will cause more flicker, and it will be a narrower area of an image that will be affected. The better way is to either "strobe" the venue and use wireless triggers, or to keep your shutter speed to less than 2X the frequency of the AC - in the US that would be 1/125
https://photographylife.com/light-frequency-issue
Nov 9, 2018 17:09:00 #
One way to mitigate flicker might be to high-speed multiple exposures. One or more might catch things just right.
Nov 9, 2018 18:56:18 #
Gene51 wrote:
That will cause more flicker, and it will be a narrower area of an image that will be affected. The better way is to either "strobe" the venue and use wireless triggers, or to keep your shutter speed to less than 2X the frequency of the AC - in the US that would be 1/125
https://photographylife.com/light-frequency-issue
https://photographylife.com/light-frequency-issue
...he's shooting high school sports (I would assume football or soccer), Gene. Biggest hole, fastest shutter you can get...
Nov 9, 2018 19:11:56 #
david vt
Loc: Vermont
chasgroh wrote:
...he's shooting high school sports (I would assume football or soccer), Gene. Biggest hole, fastest shutter you can get...
Your advice is correct in general (biggest hole, fastest shutter speed), EXCEPT for the flicker issue. Gene is correct in this relative to these lights (indoor or out, but outdoor are worse in this issue). Fast shutter speeds give you a narrower time window relative to the sine-wave pattern. Fast SS means that you are not getting as much averaging in the curve, and can hit the top or bottom more directly.
The only really good fix is a body with the anti-flicker feature, which measures this and “times” the actually shutter actuation to correct for it.
Nov 9, 2018 19:45:02 #
david vt wrote:
...The only really good fix is a body with the anti-flicker feature, which measures this and “times” the actually shutter actuation to correct for it.
...The only really good fix is a body with the anti-flicker feature, which measures this and “times” the actually shutter actuation to correct for it.
I had been suffering from flicker at events like graduation in the university gym. I was getting erratic exposure and color balance with my Nikon D810. Borrowed a D500 from Nikon and the issue was pretty much went away. Some really smart engineers!!
Nov 9, 2018 20:53:49 #
BarneyB wrote:
One way to mitigate flicker might be to high-speed
multiple exposures. One or more might catch things
just right.
One way to mitigate flicker might be to high-speed
multiple exposures. One or more might catch things
just right.
If you don't really mean multiple exposure, that is
if you mean burst shooting numerous frames, that
really IS the best practical solution. At least half of
the frames in the burst will usually be good.
Unfortunately, older SLRs don't have truly fast burst
rates. But it's still your best bet for usable frames. A
really fast burst will get you more selection, which is
gonna be more likely to include a decent moment in
the action of the subject. With slower burst rates it's
always frustrating to discover that the best moment
is all too often in one of the corrupted frames :-(
`
Nov 9, 2018 22:48:01 #
david vt wrote:
Your advice is correct in general (biggest hole, f... (show quote)
...yes, you are correct! But what I'm saying is; if you want to shoot sports under stadium lighting, and *don't* have the modern body, be ready to deal with this condition in post because you *must* get your shutter speed up and be able to expose the image...and you simply have to take the shot whenever it presents itself. Rock and hard place, I know, I went from a D4 (that I loved!) to the D5 and the problem pretty much disappeared. I can still tell, and make slight WB adjustments on the fly in post, but Nikon nailed it for cycling lights...and my D500 works just as well.
Nov 9, 2018 22:49:11 #
User ID wrote:
If you don't really mean multiple exposure, that i... (show quote)
...I think this is good advice.
Nov 10, 2018 06:20:32 #
chasgroh wrote:
...he's shooting high school sports (I would assume football or soccer), Gene. Biggest hole, fastest shutter you can get...
Been there, done that. Yes, you may get a lucky shot. But a camera with an anti flicker feature is the correct answer, since "strobing the venue" is not a real option. This article shows exactly how a faster shutter speed works in a burst, and why it's a bad idea.
https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/flickering-lights.aspx
If you have examples of what you are talking about, please share.
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