You set up your camera, point it near your monitor or a light, and suddenly dark bands roll up or down the image or the screen behind you flickers on camera. Those rolling bars are a shutter-and-refresh mismatch, not a broken camera, and fixing them comes down to syncing your shutter speed to the flicker frequency of your lights and displays.
Why rolling bars happen
Screens and many LED lights do not emit constant light, they pulse rapidly, often tied to the electrical frequency of your region (50Hz or 60Hz) or a monitor’s refresh rate. A camera captures each frame using a shutter that opens for a set time. When the shutter speed does not divide evenly into the light’s pulse rate, different parts of each frame catch the light at different brightness, creating moving bands.
Rolling shutter makes it worse
Most webcams and mirrorless cameras use a rolling shutter that scans the sensor top to bottom rather than all at once. That scanning is what turns a flicker into a bar that rolls through the frame instead of a uniform flash.
Shutter speed targets
| Electrical frequency | Flicker-free shutter speeds |
|---|---|
| 60Hz regions | 1/60, 1/120, 1/30 |
| 50Hz regions | 1/50, 1/100, 1/25 |
| Monitor on camera | Match to a divisor of refresh rate |
The step-by-step fix
If your camera lets you set shutter speed manually, set it to match your region: 1/60 or 1/120 in 60Hz areas, 1/50 or 1/100 in 50Hz areas. This aligns the shutter with the light’s pulse so every frame catches the same brightness, eliminating the bars. For a monitor appearing in shot, you may need to fine-tune the shutter to a value that divides evenly into the display’s refresh rate, since monitors can flicker at their own frequency.
If you cannot set shutter speed
Basic webcams may hide shutter control. Look for an anti-flicker or powerline frequency setting (50Hz/60Hz) in the camera’s software, that is the same fix under a different name. Failing that, change your lighting: switching to flicker-free LED lights rated for video removes the pulsing at the source.
Dealing with monitors specifically
A monitor visible behind you is the trickiest case because its refresh may not align with your shutter. Options include lowering the monitor’s brightness, changing its refresh rate, angling it out of frame, or accepting a slight compromise shutter value that minimizes (if not eliminates) the banding.
Fine-tuning for stubborn cases
Sometimes a single shutter value does not fully clear the banding, especially with a monitor in shot whose refresh rate does not neatly align with your region’s power frequency. In those cases, experiment with nearby shutter values (for example 1/50, 1/100, 1/120) while watching the live feed, one of them usually minimizes the bars even if it does not eliminate them entirely.
Trade-offs of shutter changes
Shutter speed also affects exposure and motion blur. A faster shutter to fight flicker lets in less light, so you may need to raise your lighting or ISO to compensate. Too high an ISO adds noise. Balance flicker-free shutter values against a clean, well-exposed image, adjusting your lights rather than pushing ISO when possible.
The lighting-first mindset
The most durable fix is removing flicker at the source. Video-rated flicker-free LED lights eliminate the pulsing that shutter tricks only work around. If you frequently battle rolling bars, investing in proper lighting solves it more reliably than chasing shutter values every time you rearrange your setup.
FAQ
Is a rolling bar a sign my camera is faulty?
No. It is a normal shutter-versus-flicker mismatch. Setting the correct shutter speed or anti-flicker frequency fixes it.
Why does only the monitor in the background flicker?
Its refresh rate differs from your lights and shutter. Match your shutter to a divisor of the monitor’s refresh, or adjust the monitor’s brightness and angle.
What shutter speed removes flicker in my region?
In 60Hz regions, use 1/60 or 1/120; in 50Hz regions, use 1/50 or 1/100. These values align your shutter with the light’s pulse so every frame captures consistent brightness. Basic webcams without shutter control usually offer an anti-flicker or powerline frequency setting (50Hz/60Hz) that does the same job, make sure it matches your region. A monitor in shot may need fine-tuning to its refresh rate.
Bottom line
Rolling bars come from a shutter-to-flicker mismatch. Set your shutter to 1/60 or 1/120 (60Hz) or 1/50 or 1/100 (50Hz), use the anti-flicker setting on basic webcams, and switch to flicker-free lighting. For on-camera monitors, fine-tune shutter to the refresh rate.
