Fix VIDEO FLICKER in 30 Seconds WITHOUT Plugins

The actual method really does take only about 30 seconds. I've included additional info as well in the video so that you can get even more out of this trick, so that's why the video is longer than 30 seconds. :-)
This method of removing video flicker is a variation of a method I first learned from Philip Bloom, which I ended up using extensively (and adapting as-needed) when working with slow motion footage that I shot in Europe this past May.
The best way to deal with flicker is to shoot in such a way that you don't have it in your footage in the first place. This can be done by ensuring your frame rate and shutter speed are offset from the speed of a flickering light source, such as LEDs or Fluorescent lights.
But what if you've shot something and you didn't realize there were flickering lights until you were reviewing the footage later? In this case, here's a quick trick that can help fix it. This won't work in all scenarios, but it's an easy first step to take to see if it works.
I hope this was helpful!
All camera footage (aka non-screen recordings) in this video was shot on the Panasonic GH5: www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ3LQQ5/...
With a Voigtlander 25mm f0.95: www.amazon.com/dp/B00IGQV17Q/...
And a RODE Stereo Videomic X: www.amazon.com/dp/B00O5B3KCU/...
Here's the equipment I use regularly to make my videos: www.amazon.com/shop/bluemantl...
These are Amazon Associate links. If you're interested in buying some of this equipment, following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me the opportunity to continue making creative videos.

[@michandr1975]

Found the same issue when watched and glad to see comment of Mathieu Lalonde :-) It does not matter how many layers you mix. if you want equal mixing then second layer needs to be 50%, third - 33%, forth - 25%, fifth - 20%, etc. Basically each next layer Opacity = 100% divided by number of the Layer on top of the original one. Btw it's easy to check if you mix for example Red, Green, Blue solids and check resulted color. :-) I love this method to denoising some footage, sometimes upto 10 layers.

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Thanks for the feedback. As far as the math goes I'll have to trust you on that one. I don't understand the math well enough to know which is the 'correct' way of doing it. After @Mathieu Lalonde's comment I decided to do some tests: First, I went to the clip I used as the sample (my hand going down a banister) and tried 50% and 33%, and it didn't work...it had more flicker than when I did 67/33. But, that said, secondly I went to another clip that I hadn't been able to fix with 67/33, and I tested at 50/33, and for that clip it did work. I also had another one that I hadn't been able to get working, and neither 67/33 nor 50/33 worked, so instead I did four layers (three on top of the main clip) at 75/50/25 and that worked flawlessly. So, bringing it full circle...I still don't understand the math side of things, but I am realizing it's not a one-size-fits-all sort of fix...it needs to be played with to find the right number of layers and the right opacities for those layers. On a different note: I've also used this for denoising. In my recent timelapse video, Pinnacles National Park, many of the clips I ran through this process and was able to vastly clean up the clips. Unfortunately the clips that contained more noise, the nighttime clips, were ones that I didn't want to use this process because then the stars would have been blurry. Oh well, nothing's perfect I guess.

[@michandr1975]

I guess there might be not just opacity math but also some nature of flickering itself involved whch may vary. Anyway for complex issues sometimes there is no universal solution, and flickering one of such issue which is easier to escape than fix. :-)

[@BlueMantleFilms]

I've pinned your comment at the top of the comments so that if this question comes up with other viewers that they'll be able to get a little more info from this exchange. Thanks again for your feedback!

[@paperwolfproductions4392]

Yo after trying this technique previously multiple times and failing, the combined stacking in OPs original video and your math have actually remedied it. Thanks so much!

[@lance_oquendo]

Andrey Mishchenko, how do you do that to denoise video? please teach me

[@satnzaalley]

Four hours faffing around with probing expressions in fusion with no luck and this fixes it in a couple of minutes. You deserve a medal.

[@BlueMantleFilms]

I had heard of a variation of this hack probably two years before I ever needed to use it, but then after a trip to Europe last year, in which I filmed a fair bit of slow motion footage, I ended up having a lot of footage with flicker, so thankfully was able to find this hack again. The version that I had seen (using only one extra layer at 50% opacity) didn't work for me, so I experimented with the settings and found this worked really well.

[@ippulnugroho]

I spent almost 6 hours searched all over the internet finding flicker free full version without buying them. But You you YOU REALLY REALLY DESERVE A MEDAL! THANKS, MATE

[@bruticusgamer1049]

@@BlueMantleFilms how to do it on a 3 minute vid with flicker?

[@lloydjefferies2048]

Thanks for getting straight into the fix and not making us 10 mins for a 5 second fix! much appreciated!!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

You’re welcome! As a frequent consumer of tutorials I also hate having to sit through fluff, so I figured it’s best to get to the point. :-)

[@reinblunt]

One of the best quick-fix solution tutorials out there! Short, to the point and extremely helpful! Thank you

[@saistudent]

+1 to that. A life-saver! Thank you.

[@aaronstestlab]

Life saver!!! Had about 50% of my clips near unusable due to some horrendous flicker. This technique just about eliminated it. It's not perfect, but totally good enough for my purposes. Thank You!

[@saniabhatiaa]

i spent a whole day shooting and didnt use the 180 shutter rule. checked and saw my footage had flickering shutter and this trick worked so well!

[@BradyandJayde]

Dude, this literally saved my day to night timelapse flicker. You are THE MAN

[@ThisIsOurLife]

Holy wow, this is the best tutorial ever. No fluff, straight to the point, and effective! Thanks!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Thanks! I do try to get to the good stuff quickly. Even when I do add some fluff, I try to do it after I've given the main point of the tutorial. :-) Thanks for watching!

[@colbyfultonvideo]

This is genius. It causes a little frame blending on footage that is moving quickly, so I just masked out the area I needed to fix. Thanks a lot!

[@clementtngbowen2316]

I’ve seen this method done many times but this is probably the best version of it! Thanks for this!

[@catholichack]

Loving the quality of your content... looking forward to watching you grow!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

+Joe McClane thanks, Joe! I'm excited about the Mastermind! A lot of work ahead of us!

[@3DSage]

You saved my day! Short, clear, and easy technique! You're the best.

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Awesome! Glad it worked for you.

[@_Aditya_Rai]

Wow.. I was very skeptic if it would work or not, but man this trick is very helpful. Thanks for this precious upload. Cheers mate.

[@juanfelipegomez4213]

Thanks for making it SHORT, SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE. You rock.

[@thefrikanih7390]

You know what I love about clickbait? When the title looks like but the video isn't actually clickbait. THANKS!!!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Meaning what you expect to see is what you end up seeing? Yes, I like that too. Thanks for watching!

[@ccpdomain284]

Hey Matt, amazing!! Thanks so much for such a helpful tute. I've not been successful fixing this issue previously (and I've watched Philip Bloom's videos too). You are truly a hero!

[@ashaebi3269]

Less than a minute? Absolutely brilliant!

[@yourperfectmemories8887]

6 years since your post, using a different software but this was a life saver. Thanks very much!!!!

[@AreyasureCrew]

this is actually genius. One of those things where I'm applying it and asking myself 'who figures this shit out?!'. Nice one! Life saver.

[@1221mediaent]

Straight and to the point! Everyone else's video last 5 times as long - thank you!!!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

+1221 Media & Entertainment yep! Making this one (which will also be my approach for future tutorials), I wanted to keep it short and sweet. I love +Mango Street's channel for that specific reason: short and to the point. Are there any topics you'd be interested in seeing some videos/tutorials made on?

[@alanparra6415]

Seen this trick some months ago, came back to it as it helped me out. Thanks a lot!!!

[@Mikster2006]

This worked for me when the video was in the original 60 FPS. At 24FPS, there was ghosting and flicker was still present. I used three tracks at 67, 33 and 25% Thank you for this helpful tip!

[@AshwinBhaskar]

I dont know why but this trick has never worked for me... :(

[@Searching4Solitude]

Thanks for this tutorial. Appreciate you getting right to the point. Saved a bunch of my footage with this trick!

[@PressPlayPhotography]

Matt - you are THE MAN! Brilliant tutorial - thank you SO much! The quickest fix ever!

[@VaibhavsTech]

I love you for saving hours of my footage - liked and subscribed! :)

[@RC-tg9ci]

This is awesome man. I have so much footage I can't use and now I can.

[@lil----lil]

You're the type of people that make KZbin better. NO BS, flashing time wasting introduction. You get right to the meat. If I could've liked your video more than once I would!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Thanks! I try to approach tutorials from the standpoint of “what would I want it to be if I were watching?” And for most tutorials on YT I get annoyed with how long they are and how much unnecessary info is included, so I try to, as you say, get to the meat. I just wish the YT algorithm would pick up on that and show the video to more people. Instead any video under 10 minutes has little chance of being promoted by the algorithm. Oh well.

[@AndrewCrossley]

Thank you man, I tried so many different ways and this is the only one that worked

[@gabrielmiller7435]

Thank you! Thank you! And, thank you for quickly getting right to the point!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

I always prefer tutorials that get right to the point. I wish the KZbin algorithm would reward what people actually prefer watching rather than what keeps people on a video the longest...there are so many tutorials that are overly long (admittedly I've even unnecessarily extended tutorials by a bit) because the algorithm is more likely to promote them when they're longer. Oi.

[@chrisyatesweddingfilms65]

Straight and to the point, and worked like a charm. Thanks!

[@EJYu]

This video helped me a TON. Thank you so much!!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

E.J. Yu you’re welcome! I’m happy it was helpful. I use this trick all the time! Literally on almost every project I’ll have at least a handful of shots that I use this on.

[@FredericksVoyage]

Thanks for the quick and efficient tutorial, saved my day !

[@mikeymackinven8535]

So simple, so effective. Thank you!

[@golazophotography4340]

Thank you for not trying to sell some extortionate plug-ins! This worked perfectly for me

[@kon_ger]

wow, thanks for this fix! This was so helpful :D

[@BlueMantleFilms]

You're welcome! Glad it could help.

[@PeterHopton]

you're a life saver, thank you!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

You're welcome! I'm so glad this is helping people. I feel like flicker is cropping up so frequently now that most cameras can film at 60fps or 120fps (or higher). So this is a nice trick to have in the bag when I get my settings wrong.

[@Laiqul]

you are awesome , thanks

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Thanks! I hope this was helpful.

[@NicolasN]

2000 video selling plugin and one good man ! thank you

[@WoolyPronto]

Thank you! So helpful, and really and truly as quick as you said!

[@HTWithDave]

Dude, glad I stuck around til the end for the mask part, this was huge, and it totally fixed the flicker! Thank you so much!

[@FindingTheForce]

You Rock!! 3 layers worked waaaay better than just 2... AND!!... you saved me 150$ from buying a plug in!! THANK YOU!!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Awesome! I recently went back to the same shot I used as the first example in this video, wondering if after a couple of years I would use a different method to deflicker it. After talking with people and reading comments from people who have seen this video, I was convinced that I must have gotten it wrong and that the proper opacities should be 100/50/33 instead of 100/67/33, but trying it again, I still got better results with 100/67/33. I'm sure it's entirely dependent on the particular flicker that people have (so it will depend on the framerate you're filming at, as well as the electrical frequency of the country you're filming in), but 100/67/33 worked better in my case.

[@spookyanimator4695]

seen and tested a few different solutions but this one is far the best! and simplest. Thank you!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

It has worked very well for me for four years now. I occasionally find myself needing to do something else (such as ReVision Effects DeFlicker) but this little trick covers probably 98% of my de-flickering needs.

[@LexTNeville]

To echo many other comments - you are a hero. Also, odd coincidence, I got married in the church in your intro, to the lady who's footage gave us some flicker on our b-roll :D

[@MAYMOON]

Thank you for saving me 💜💜 easy, simple, useful TIP !

[@charlesmorris4120]

Holy smokes! What an intuitive and cool fix. Thanks so much!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

I'm glad this was helpful. I can't take credit for the initial idea...it was something I learned from a Philip Bloom tutorial. I did modify it a bit so it would work with my footage (he used only one layer at 50%, but in my case I found it was necessary to use two). Anyway, I do agree this trick is crazy and awesome, and it has definitely saved a bunch of footage I would otherwise have not been able to use.

[@koyomisfigures]

Truly appreciate it. I had two light sources, I believe, so the flicker also flows across. I couldn't solve it fully, but it is at least markedly improved over my original capture and far less likely to induce headache.

[@LilyHammer0709]

This just saved my life. Thank you.

[@gilibeck]

Thank you man, really useful and speedy trick

[@angah38]

Thank you very much!! I thought it was impossible. You saved my job :)

[@mysli2370]

thank you so much for this helpful video. but what can i do when there is movement in the video? i used it for my footage and the flickering lights are gone but the movement in the shot is looking weird...thank you.

[@bankrptfilms]

Easy and straight to the point, thank you

[@xsimko]

For the dynamic video I tried to move third clip just for one frame, and motion blur went away almost fully. This is a trully amazing fix, thank you a lot!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Awesome! Glad it worked.

[@InspiringTeachers]

Thanks for the clear explanation, this did not end my flicker, it made it smoother. trying to adjust

[@NomadHills]

This is EXACTLY whatI needed, many thanks!

[@jennrawlings8764]

I can't tell you how many searches I have done to find THIS answer! Oh my goshhhhhh, THANK YOU! That did it!

[@michael-odermatt]

Thank you for the tutorial. Exactly what I was looking for 🙏🏻

[@srmjr4200]

Great tip! Adapted it to a nodal system. Works like a charm. Thank you.

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Awesome! Like Resolve? Or something different? (I don't know much about Resolve, but I think it has the option to be a nodal system, yes?)

[@kodewill]

Earned your sub in 50 seconds total. Well done mate!

[@traveldiaries8135]

thank You and what I liked the most is that explained everything till the end. Life saver

[@MarkLiddell]

Amazing and so simple, thank you!

[@kayleighmay2557]

I've tried it on my footage and it works, I just can't get over how well it works, thanks so much, you da maaaaaan

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Isn't it great? This hack is a variation of one I learned of about three years ago. Until about a year ago I didn't have need to use it because I wasn't really filming in slow motion (which is where a lot of this flicker crops up) but once I started using this and experimenting with different numbers of layers and different opacities, I discovered that it works remarkably well.

[@kayleighmay2557]

I filmed in a house with LEDs everywhere (and we couldn't use natural lighting since it was supposed to be night time). We filmed anyway but I was very discouraged and ended up thinking that it would all be unusable. You proved me wrong :) I saw below that you can use a similar technique for noise reduction. Would you mind explaining how that works? Do you also need to move the layers along a frame or only change the opacity? Thanks! + 1 subscriber

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Same technique. It essentially averages the difference between frames, making it so that noise is reduced since the specific noise of one particular frame is unique to that frame. You can get a similar noise-reduction effect if you speed up video to 200% and choose "frame blending" for interpolation. Having real-time footage playing at 200% would be weird, but if you're working with timelapses this is a nice way to reduce both noise and flicker from the footage.

[@SwissFamilyFun]

Amazing! Totally worked for me. Thank you!

[@OLIVERBRAND1]

this video just saved my life! AND this is how tutorials should be! -no bla bla bla. right to the point. thx!

[@sandaymedia8593]

found this on 2020, my life saved..... thank you dude you are awesome ;)

[@donrubes]

Thank you for this! Fixed my shot with 2 lamps on dimmers problem!

[@thenotetravel]

Thank you. This clip changed my life.

[@MalonMateria]

worked in After Effects as well, like a charm, thanks a lot :)

[@SaxoMichael]

This is really helpful, thank you!

[@MarkJPerry]

Awesome fix! Really appreciated!

[@foreignerintaiwan]

Your advise is really helpful. It worked wonders. Thank you!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Awesome! Glad it helped!

[@ERoc816]

WOW! Totally worked. And so easy. Thank you so much!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Isn't it amazing how it just works?

[@golfbreaks]

Brilliant video! Fixed it straight away thank you :)

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Awesome! Glad it worked for you.

[@mrblackbond]

Thank you. I’m curious, what does the “Y” command actually do in this scenario? Couldn’t you just duplicate and drag the clips one or two frames over? Just want to make sure i understand. This is a super helpful video though thank you. I have nasty taillight flicker from a parked car in my video i need to be rid of.

[@lance_oquendo]

Very straight forward, thanks a lot bro

[@RockStreetStudios]

You are a GENIUS!! This worked flawlessly, can't thank you enough!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Wish I could take credit for this, but alas I can't. I first saw it from Philip Bloom, who does awesome video work around the world. I did modify his technique a bit so that it would work better with the footage I was dealing with, but the principle isn't unique.

[@warren_harrison]

Very helpful for a quick fix. Thanks

[@videodudeX]

THANKS! Worked great! Even on moving footage!

[@Nestandglow]

Very helpful, was still a bit of flicker left on mine but after it's gone through all the compression online it's hardly there at all

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Try a few of the variations and it might make it work better. First thing I'd try is just one layer at 50% opacity. If that doesn't work, try two layers above at 50% (instead of 67% as in this video) and 33%. If that still doesn't work, try three layers at 50%, 33%, and 25%. After that, if it still doesn't work, you're probably out of luck.

[@yogaindrawijaya]

it worked really well, huge thanks

[@itsmesachaf]

Thank you man that's perfect, straight to the point 👏🏻

[@brianepping5828]

Good trick I’ve needed many times..thank you

[@MammadAliyev]

Simple and useful. Thank you very much

[@BlackStoneMoviesMinecraft]

Amazing and quick fix, thanks a lot!

[@AndreiVaida]

Amazing, it repaired my footage !

[@RiFaTTareq]

This is really helpful! Thanks a ton.

[@TanyaItsaProfile]

Love how you are to the point! WORKS a treat on the flicker - but the person moving and talking now looks out of sync/blurred (yes I have muted the two copied layers). Any advice?

[@CommHive]

Huge thanks. I'm editing a video that starts with successive clips at the indoor entrance of an office that had horrible flickering. (One bad ceiling bulb I didn't notice while I was there) Your solution worked well. Even better when I selected Optical Flow on the clips at issue.

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Awesome!

[@santiagorinaldi1712]

simple fast, perfect THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@dannysimonzad663]

Thank you so much! Worked like a charm!

[@larbueno]

WAIT A MINUTE! You said I can fix video flicker in 30 seconds, yet the video is almost 3 minutes long! You lied, dude. I'm pissed!!! Really, though, I did as you said and it took away 80-90% of the flicker from shooting off a TV. I have a GH5 and used the synchro scan as best I could, but there was still lots of flicker. Thanks and well done. Concise. Subbed, Bub.

[@inmagarcia1992]

I was so shocked by the result in my own video that I woke up my mum that was sleeping next to me, thank you so much for this tutorial 🙏

[@dunamisproductoraaudiovisu6397]

you are my hero!!

[@BlueMantleFilms]

Isn't it an awesome trick? I first learned a variation of it (one layer at 50%) from Philip Bloom about three years ago, but when I tried that it didn't work on my footage, so I experimented and found that these settings worked really well.

[@kom-unik1915]

It works perfectly! Million thanks!

[@nrg-studio]

Witty solution. Loved it! 😍 Thank you so much!

[@FueledByTime.]

OMG that's so simple yet so effective

[@HQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQHQ]

THIS HELPED! Didn't get it 100% fixed, but it's waaaay better now than it was! The only thing, video became a tiny bit blurry because it's only 30fps. More fps would be better i guess!

[@preond]

thank you so much..it is an amazing trick..instantly rid of the flickering..wish could give more than 1 thumbs up..

[@TheChrisJRod]

I LOVE YOU DUDE. You just saved my life

[@TheRVConnection]

Got kind of a unique circumstance...I was filming inside of a truck with a digital dashboard, and navigation unit on the center console. Both flicker at different frequencies (the dash very quickly, the nav unit sort of like a pulse). I used your technique, and the flicker on both areas was reduced, but not eliminated. I moved the duplicate frames forward and back and got to the point that the flicker was minimal--but then when there was motion in the truck (hitting a bump, for example) there was severe blurring. I don't know if there is any way to fix this.