Fixing Moire in Video: A Beginner's Guide

Why Video is Harder Than Photos

Moire in photos is annoying, but it's static. Moire in video is distracting and nauseating. Because the camera or subject usually moves, the Moiré pattern "shimmers," "dances," and "crawls" across the screen. This movement draws the viewer's eye away from the actor's face and straight to their vibrating shirt.

Furthermore, video is often compressed. Codecs like H.264 and H.265 can confuse Moiré patterns with high-frequency detail, creating blocky "macro-blocking" artifacts that make the problem even worse.

Shooting Tips for Video: Prevention is Key

Unlike photos, where you can easily paint over a single frame, fixing Moiré in video requires tracking and processing thousands of frames. It is expensive and time-consuming. You must kill it on set.

1. The Wardrobe Check

This is rule #1 of broadcasting. Never let talent wear tight stripes, herringbone, houndstooth, or small checks. Solid colors are safe. Denim is dangerous. Silk is risky.

If an actor shows up in a moiré-prone shirt, change the lighting. Soft, diffuse lighting reduces the contrast of the pattern, making the interference less severe. Hard lighting makes it pop.

2. Monitor Externally

The 3-inch screen on your camera is too small to show Moiré. It might hide the pattern, only for you to discover it later on your 27-inch editing monitor. Always use a large external monitor (7 inches or larger) on set, and use the "1:1 Pixel Zoom" function to check the subject's clothing before rolling.

3. Shallow Depth of Field

If the background is causing Moiré (e.g., a brick wall or fence), open up your aperture (f/2.8, f/1.8). Blurring the background optically is the most effective way to remove high-frequency details that cause aliasing.

Post-Production Fixes

If you're stuck with bad footage, here is how to fix it in popular NLEs.

DaVinci Resolve (Studio Version)

Resolve has the best built-in tool for this.

1. Go to the Color Page.
2. Use the Magic Mask or a Power Window to select the area with Moiré (e.g., the shirt).
3. Track the mask so it follows the subject.
4. In the "Blur" palette, look for "Moire Removal" (only available in the Studio version).
5. Adjust the frequency slider until the color banding disappears.
6. If that fails, use "Color Noise Reduction" on the masked area.

Adobe Premiere Pro / After Effects

Premiere lacks a dedicated "Moire" button, so you have to be creative.

1. Duplicate your footage layer.
2. Apply a mask to the top layer around the affected area and track it.
3. Apply a Gaussian Blur (start with 2-3%).
4. Set the opacity of the blurred layer to around 80%.
5. Alternatively, use the "Median" effect, which averages pixels and kills fine patterns, though it looks less natural.

Third-Party Plugins: Neat Video

If you have the budget, Neat Video is the industry standard for noise reduction. While built for grain, its temporal noise reduction algorithms are incredibly effective at stabilizing the "shimmering" of Moiré without losing as much detail as a simple blur.

Conclusion

In video, Moiré is a production failure, not just a post-production annoyance. Check your wardrobe, check your monitors, and if all else fails, rely on tools like DaVinci Resolve or AI upscalers to smooth out the artifacts.