Color banding
Also known as: banding, posterization, gradient stepping
Visible stripes or steps in smooth gradients such as skies or walls, caused by too few tonal values or heavy compression. It is common in 8-bit footage.
Updated
What it means
A clear sky at dusk fades gently from one shade to another. If the video does not have enough distinct values to describe that fade, it shows a series of flat bands instead of a smooth gradient. That is color banding, sometimes called posterization.
Bit depth is the main cause. 10-bit video stores 1,024 levels per channel, while 8-bit stores 256, so 8-bit gradients have far fewer steps. Compression makes it worse, because codecs flatten subtle variations to save data, and artifacts cluster in exactly these smooth areas.
Banding is easiest to see in skies, underwater scenes, studio backdrops and fades to black.
How it works in practice
Record in 10-bit when your camera offers it, especially if you shoot a log profile or plan to grade. Keep strong contrast and saturation changes for 10-bit footage, and be gentle with 8-bit skies.
In the edit, a light layer of film grain or noise breaks up the bands, because the eye reads the fine texture as a smooth transition. Exporting at a higher Bitrate also helps the gradient survive platform compression.
Some editors offer debanding filters, which smooth the steps while softening some fine detail, so use them only where the bands are visible.
What to watch out for
Grading can create banding where none was visible. Stretching a narrow range of sky tones across a wider range, as in a strong contrast or saturation boost, pulls the steps apart. Check skies at full screen after every major grading change.
Platforms often recompress uploads harder than your export, so a gradient that looks smooth locally can band online. Uploading a higher-resolution or higher-bitrate master gives the platform more to work with.
Finally, some screens show banding on their own. Check suspicious footage on a second display before spending time fixing it.
How RawClip handles it
RawClip uses your files as the source for the 4K and 1080p highlight and does not grade them. Upload the original files rather than recompressed copies, and gradients in skies and water stay as smooth as your camera recorded them in your highlight.