How to reduce banding in AI video

Banding is a gradient problem

Banding looks like visible boundaries between shades where the image should change gradually. In AI-generated footage, check skies, fog, walls, shadows and the glow around lights. It is different from a motion hitch, which you notice as the clip moves.

If the image is clean when paused but motion catches during playback, start with the guide to choppy AI video instead.

A real Seedance 2.0 before-and-after

Without Deband

This comparison uses a foggy night scene generated with Seedance 2.0. Both sides have the same shadow lift, so you can compare the rings around the lamp under the same grade. Drag the divider to inspect the transition and nearby detail.

This is one test scene, not a promise for every clip or model. Our published examples use Seedance 2.0; importing another model’s MP4 or MOV does not establish that it will show the same improvement.

Try it on a short clip first

1. 1

   Check the original and your grade

   Look at the same frame in the original clip and in your edit. If the rings appear only after lifting shadows or adding contrast, compare with the grade disabled. Check another player too, so you can tell whether the artifact is in the image or only in one viewing setup.

2. 2

   Choose a short SDR clip

   Start with a representative MP4, MOV or M4V: SDR, up to 2 minutes and up to 4096 pixels on the longest side. Frame Repair requires an Apple Silicon Mac and macOS 14 or later. HDR and wide-gamut footage are not supported.

3. 3

   Check motion repairs separately

   Import the clip and review the analysis. Motion-jump repair and debanding address different problems. Do not apply a motion repair merely because you see stripes in a sky; review any selected repair before export.

4. 4

   Export ProRes with Deband

   Choose ProRes export and enable Deband. Export the same short clip without Deband as a reference, keeping your other settings and motion-repair selections the same. Deband is an export option for ProRes 10-bit, rather than the H.264 export.

5. 5

   Compare in your editor

   Bring both exports into the same timeline and apply the same grade to each. Check the gradient, fine texture and clear edges at full size, then play the clip at normal speed. Keep the version that improves the image without an objectionable loss of detail.

6. 6

   Restore sound and check the final delivery

   Frame Repair exports picture only. Re-attach the original sound in your editor. If you also inserted or dropped frames, check timing and sync. Finally inspect your delivery export: the result that matters is the file your audience will watch.

Why the export setting matters

The Deband option in Frame Repair is available for ProRes 10-bit export. Choosing a 10-bit format alone is not the same as applying debanding, and it does not recover detail already missing from the source. Compare the actual image, rather than relying on the format label.

Use the ProRes file for the next stage of your edit. After grading and making your final delivery file, check the same gradient again. A clean intermediate is useful only if the finished result also looks right.

What Deband will not fix

• Deband does not repair faces, hands, text, warped shapes or missing scene detail.
• Motion jumps need separate review and, where appropriate, frame interpolation.
• Do not assume every stripe is banding; repeating patterns and other artifacts may need a different treatment.
• Frame Repair does not support HDR or wide-gamut input, and exports no audio.
• Results vary. Inspect texture and edges as well as the gradient.

Test before you buy

The Mac app includes 3 free watermarked exports, then costs €49 once. A baseline export and a Deband export let you compare the result on your own shot before buying. You can find the requirements and license details on the homepage.