LED Flicker on Camera: Refresh Rates, Shutter Speed and Choosing Stream-Safe Fixtures

Why LED stage lights can roll, band or shimmer on a camera or livestream when they look perfectly steady in the room, what to change on the fixture and on the camera, and which of the fixtures we stock let you set the LED refresh (PWM) rate, according to their manufacturers.

~12 min read · Updated October 2026 · By the Stage Supply team

In this guide: The short answer · Why LEDs flicker on camera · Fixing it at the fixture · Fixing it at the camera · Refresh rates of fixtures we stock · Choosing stream-safe fixtures · Popular picks · FAQ

Churches, schools and venues that start streaming services or shows often hit the same problem: the stage looks fine to the eye, but the camera shows dark bars rolling through the picture, or a shimmer on faces as lights are dimmed. It is rarely a fault. It is the way most LED fixtures dim, meeting the way most cameras expose a frame.

This guide covers the cause, the fixes and what to look for when buying. Colour quality on camera (CRI, TLCI and colour temperature) is covered in our colour on stage guide, and getting clean sound into the stream is in livestream audio from your mixer.

The short answer

• The cause: most LED fixtures dim with pulse width modulation (PWM), switching the LEDs on and off very fast. The eye averages it out; a camera can catch the on and off moments as rolling bars or flicker.
• The first fix: raise the fixture’s LED frequency (also called PWM rate or refresh rate) in its menu, then scroll through the options while watching the camera monitor until the rolling stops. Chauvet gives exactly this advice.
• The camera fix: lock the shutter speed instead of leaving it on auto. Panasonic LUMIX cameras such as the GH6 offer flicker-decrease settings of 1/50, 1/60, 1/100 and 1/120, and Sony’s guidance for 50Hz countries such as the UK is 1/50 or 1/100.
• When buying: look for a selectable PWM or refresh rate with a high top setting in the spec. The Chauvet Ovation models in our table go to 25,000Hz, Elumen8’s Mira battens to 24kHz and LDR quotes 16kHz “flicker-free” on its Alba and RGBW Cetra. Some fixtures list a single figure, which is not automatically a problem, but needs testing with your camera.
• Always test: ETC’s own support article says flicker is something it always recommends testing for in real-world conditions. Do a test recording with your actual cameras, frame rate and lighting states before the first live stream.

Why LEDs flicker on camera when they look fine in the room

Chauvet Professional describes PWM dimming as changing LED brightness by altering the pulse width of the electrical current. Rather than turning the current down, the fixture switches the LEDs fully on and off many times a second and varies how long each “on” pulse lasts. Chauvet lists the advantages as a wide range of dimming levels without compromising colour accuracy, and the ability to adjust the frequency to suit sensors, cameras and displays.

To avoid visible flicker, Chauvet says the on/off frequency must be faster than the eye can see, typically over 100Hz. Every fixture in this guide runs well above that, so in the room you see a steady light. The camera is a different matter.

A camera samples the light for a fixed exposure time every frame. If that exposure does not contain a whole number of PWM cycles, some frames catch slightly more “on” time than others, so brightness varies from frame to frame. Many cameras also read the sensor line by line. Sony explains that flicker shows up as banding because the bright and dark moments of a flickering light are captured at different positions on the image sensor. That is the rolling bar you see on the stream.

There are two separate sources of trouble to keep apart:

• Mains-related flicker. Some light sources pulse in step with the mains supply. Great Britain’s grid runs at 50Hz (the National Energy System Operator must keep it within a statutory 0.5Hz either side), and camera “flicker reduction” shutter settings of 1/50 and 1/100 are aimed at this.
• PWM flicker from LED fixtures. The PWM frequency is set by the fixture’s electronics: the spec sheets below list figures from 460Hz up to 25,000Hz, unrelated to the 50Hz mains. Changing the camera shutter can help, but the setting that matters most is often in the fixture’s menu.

Flicker on camera is a different problem from LED fixtures flickering because they are plugged into a dimmer channel. That one is about power, not cameras, and is covered in our guide to dimmers, relay packs and LED fixtures.

Fixing it at the fixture: LED frequency, PWM and refresh rate

Manufacturers use different names for the same setting: Chauvet calls it LED Frequency or Selectable PWM, Elumen8 and LEDJ manuals say Refresh rate or PWM Rate, ADJ says Adjustable Refresh Rate and LDR uses LED Frequency. Whatever the label, the process is the same.

• Change it in the menu. Chauvet’s instruction is simply: hit Menu, select LED Frequency, select the Hz value. It says that because every camera setup is different it is impossible to say which setting will work best, so scroll through the settings while watching the camera or monitor and stop when the rolling stops.
• Set every fixture in the rig the same way. One unit left on a low setting will still roll on camera. On larger rigs, a DMX control channel saves climbing ladders: the Elumen8 Virtuoso 600 HEX manual lists refresh rate values on a DMX channel, and LDR’s white Cetra 10/28 can have its LED frequency controlled remotely over DMX once that option is switched on.
• Know the trade-off. Chauvet notes that for purely live shows, with no camera, the eye usually sees better dimming at the lowest LED frequency option, and that as a general rule the lower the Hz, the better the dimming performance. If the same rig does live-only events and streamed services, it may be worth saving both setups.
• Check the dimming curve too. Many of these fixtures also offer selectable dimming curves or modes. ADJ’s Encore FR Pro Color fresnel, for example, lists six preset dim modes including one named TV, alongside adjustable refresh rates. These change how the fade feels; the refresh setting is what deals with flicker.

Fixing it at the camera: shutter speed and frame rate

Auto exposure lets the camera change its shutter speed on its own, which can make flicker come and go. Locking it is the first camera-side step.

• Use the camera’s flicker setting. On Panasonic LUMIX cameras such as the GH6 and S9, Flicker Decrease (Video) fixes the shutter at 1/50, 1/60, 1/100 or 1/120 “to reduce the flicker or striping in the video”.
• In the UK, start at 1/50 or 1/100. Sony’s support guidance is that in regions where the mains frequency is 50Hz the recommended shutter speed is 1/50 or 1/100 sec, and 1/60 or 1/120 in 60Hz regions.
• Shutter angle. Cine-style cameras express shutter as an angle. A 180° shutter exposes for half of each frame, so at 25p that is 1/50 second; Panasonic’s AJ-PX5100G manual lists 1/50 as the half-shutter speed at 25P.
• Fine-tune with synchro scan. Panasonic camcorders such as the HC-X2 have a Synchro Scan mode that fine-adjusts the shutter speed to minimise flickering and horizontal bars: watch the screen while adjusting. Panasonic also suggests 1/50, 1/60 or 1/100 when horizontal bands appear under indoor lighting.
• Slow motion is harder. ETC’s High End Systems support article gives a formula for working out frame rates for high-speed shooting, T (time of exposure) = 1/2F (frame rate): with a 180° shutter the sensor is exposed for half of each frame period, and ETC says to shoot at exact multiples of the light’s refresh cycle. With fixtures set to 16,000Hz (a 62.5 microsecond cycle) it lists 400, 500, 667, 800, 1000, 1250, 1333, 1600, 2000 and 4000 fps as options that should work.

Changing the shutter also changes exposure and motion blur, so set the shutter first, then adjust iris, ND or gain for brightness. If the stream is fed from several cameras through a switcher, set them all the same. Frame rates and video formats are covered in video signal basics.

Refresh rates of the fixtures we stock

These are the LED frequency, PWM or refresh settings stated by each manufacturer for fixtures we sell. Where a manual lists one figure, that is all we have shown: it does not necessarily mean the setting is fixed. Elumen8 and LEDJ manuals are published by Prolight.

A higher top figure gives more room to find a setting that works with your camera, and the settings the manufacturers associate with flicker-free camera work sit at the top of the range. Elumen8 describes the Mira’s selectable rates “up to 24kHz” as being for flicker-free camera work, and LDR quotes 16kHz flicker-free. A fixture listing a single figure in the low kHz may still be fine with your camera at your frame rate. Test before you rely on it.

Choosing stream-safe fixtures

• Read the spec sheet, not the headline. Look for a line called Selectable PWM, PWM Frequency, LED Frequency or Refresh Rate. The COLORado 2 Quad Zoom and COLORado 1 SOLO above sit in the same family but list very different options.
• Faces matter most. On a stream, front light on presenters, preachers and performers is what viewers watch. Prioritise selectable high refresh settings on the profiles and fresnels that light people. LED profiles and fresnels are compared in our theatre LED profiles and fresnels guide.
• Effects and strobes need the same check. Pixel bars and strobes on camera are covered in our strobes, blinders and pixel bars guide.
• Mixed rigs need one plan. If you add new fixtures to old ones, find the setting each one has and test the whole rig at once, at the camera frame rate and shutter you will actually stream with.
• For churches and halls, where volunteers run the stream, write the camera shutter and fixture refresh settings on the setup sheet so they survive a factory reset or a borrowed camera. Our church AV upgrade guide covers the rest of the streaming setup.

Popular picks from the shop

Frequently asked questions

Why do my LED stage lights flicker on camera but not to the eye?

Most LED fixtures dim by switching the LEDs on and off very fast (PWM). The eye averages it, but a camera exposes each frame for a fixed time and can catch different amounts of “on” time from frame to frame, or record it as bands across the picture. Raising the fixture’s LED frequency and locking the camera shutter usually cures it.

What shutter speed stops LED flicker in the UK?

Start with 1/50 or 1/100. Sony recommends these for 50Hz mains regions, and Panasonic’s flicker settings include both. If bars still roll, change the LED frequency on the fixtures, or fine-tune with a synchro scan or variable shutter mode if your camera has one.

What refresh rate is flicker-free?

There is no single number that works for every camera. Chauvet says to scroll through the settings while watching the camera until the rolling stops. Manufacturers tend to attach the “flicker-free” label to their highest settings: LDR quotes 16kHz flicker-free, Elumen8 says the Mira’s rates up to 24kHz are for flicker-free camera work, and the Chauvet Ovation models and several COLORado models in our table go to 25,000Hz.

Should I leave every light on the highest PWM setting?

Not necessarily. Chauvet notes that for live-only shows the eye usually sees better dimming at the lowest LED frequency setting. Use the high settings when cameras are running, and consider saving a separate setup for live-only events.

Do I need special broadcast lights to livestream a church service?

Not necessarily. Check whether your existing fixtures have a selectable LED frequency or refresh rate, set it and the camera shutter, and do a test recording at the levels and frame rate you will stream at. If you are buying new, choose fixtures whose spec sheet lists selectable PWM with a high top setting, such as the Chauvet Ovation, Elumen8 Virtuoso or LDR Alba and RGBW Cetra models in the table above.

Can I change the refresh rate from the lighting desk?

On some fixtures, yes. The Elumen8 Virtuoso 600 HEX and Meteor 1060 manuals list refresh rate values on a DMX channel, and LDR’s white Cetra 10/28 can have its LED frequency controlled over DMX once enabled. Otherwise it is a menu setting on each fixture.