{"id":155359,"date":"2021-06-08T10:51:04","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T15:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=155359"},"modified":"2021-06-08T14:44:06","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T19:44:06","slug":"debanding-footage-davinci-resolve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/debanding-footage-davinci-resolve\/","title":{"rendered":"Methods for Debanding Your Footage in DaVinci Resolve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Try a few simple but effective methods to nullify banding in your footage using the Deband tool in DaVinci Resolve.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Banding. Ah, how I hate it so. Unfortunately, when dealing with images with a color gradient that spans multiple hues, it\u2019s likely a factor that you’ll encounter if you’ve recorded with a camera that only has 8-bit color or you’re exporting to an 8-bit format. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve stumbled onto this article and you\u2019re not sure what banding is or what it looks like this, it\u2019s when similar colors appear “posterized” in your video image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Banding\"<\/a>
Often times banding takes place in the early morning or evening skies.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is often the result of using a camera with a low bit depth, and filming or photographing a composition with various color changes. You’ll usually see this take place in the early morning or evening skies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blackmagic explains bit depth as the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term bit depth describes how many colors are available in the color palette used to make up an image. The higher the bit depth, the greater the precision of color in the image and, therefore, the greater the color reproduction. The higher precision is most apparent in gradients with subtle changes. Lower bit depth gradients have noticeable banding artifacts, whereas higher bit depth images can reproduce more colors\u2014so fewer, if any, banding artifacts occur. <\/p>– Blackmagic<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, you\u2019re not going to be able to completely remove the banding without doing a sky replacement. However, you can<\/em> nullify the banding. Let\u2019s look at a few methods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Deband Filter<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This shot was filmed at 8-bit. And, with the setting sun creating a gradient of colors from light orange<\/a> to deep blue<\/a>, it’s the perfect culprit to cause banding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"S1H<\/a>
Filmed at 8-bit.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Due to the compression of the images on the blog, the banding may not be inherently visible, so I’ll dramatically increase the contrast for the sake of the tutorial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Banding<\/a>
Dramatically increased contrast.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the contrast increased, we can really see how poorly the 8-bit footage holds up. When uploaded online and in motion, it’s incredibly noticeable. With that, let’s add the Resolve Revival<\/strong> tool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Effects<\/strong> panel\u2014both on the Edit<\/strong> page and the Color<\/strong> page\u2014you\u2019ll find a Deband<\/strong> effect you can apply to your media. As always, I recommend using any form of image and color manipulation effects to a node on the Color page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Deband<\/a>
Apply the Deband effect to your media.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Upon adding the effect to a node, a filter will be applied to isolate the edges of the color banding, and then minimize them by dithering pixels from either side of the banding. This will soften the patchy area of transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may find that when initially adding the Deband effect, the entire image looks like it\u2019s been attacked by a primitive Photoshop filter<\/a>. This is because Deband doesn\u2019t automatically find the banding. As a result, it’s best to first isolate the sky, or where the banding exists, with a qualifier or window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Banding<\/a>
For the best results, begin by isolating the sky.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here, I’ve quickly (and somewhat poorly) isolated the sky and added the Deband tool, and straightaway, we can see that the transition between the colors is a bit more soothing. It’s not the perfect fix, but just in the default state, it’s a lot better and less of an eyesore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are then four parameters you can adjust to further refine the deband:<\/p>\n\n\n\n