The mismatch between how your screen refreshes and how your camera captures frames

Computer screens and cameras operate on different timing schedules. Your monitor refreshes the image it displays many times per second — typically 60 times, though gaming monitors often go faster. Your phone camera or video recorder captures frames at its own rate, usually 24, 30, or 60 frames per second depending on the device and settings. When these two rates don't sync up, the camera catches your screen mid-refresh, creating horizontal stripes, flickering, or a rolling black band across the image.

This happens because your screen doesn't light up all at once. It draws the image from top to bottom in rapid succession, line by line. If your camera's shutter opens while the screen is halfway through drawing a new frame, the top of your photo shows the old image and the bottom shows the new one — or you see a dark band where the screen is actively refreshing. The faster your screen refreshes, the more likely you'll catch it in the act.

Key Takeaways

  • Screen flicker on camera happens because your monitor refreshes at a different rate than your camera captures frames, causing them to fall out of sync.
  • The horizontal stripes or rolling bands you see are the camera catching your screen mid-refresh cycle.
  • Matching your camera's frame rate to your screen's refresh rate, or adjusting one of them, usually stops the effect.
  • Tilting your camera slightly or using portrait mode can sometimes reduce the banding without changing any settings.
  • The effect is purely visual and does not mean your screen or camera is damaged.

Why the refresh rates matter

Your monitor uses a refresh rate — the number of times per second it redraws the entire image. A 60 Hz monitor refreshes 60 times per second. Your camera uses a frame rate — the number of still images it captures per second. A camera recording at 30 fps captures 30 frames per second.

The problem arises when these two numbers don't divide evenly into each other. If your screen refreshes at 60 Hz and your camera shoots at 24 fps, the timing drifts. On one frame the camera might catch the screen at the start of a refresh cycle; on the next frame it catches it partway through. This creates the illusion of stripes or flicker moving across the screen.

The effect is most visible on LCD and LED screens, which refresh line by line from top to bottom. OLED screens, which light each pixel independently, sometimes show less obvious banding but can still flicker. CRT monitors (older tube-based screens) had a similar problem but are rarely used now.

How to stop the flicker or stripes

The most direct fix is to match your camera's frame rate to your screen's refresh rate. If your screen is 60 Hz, set your camera to 60 fps. If your screen is 120 Hz, use 120 fps if your camera supports it. On most phones, you can change the frame rate in the camera app's settings or video recording options — look for a menu labeled "Resolution" or "Frame Rate" and select one that matches your monitor.

If your monitor is 60 Hz and your camera only shoots at 30 fps, try setting the camera to 24 fps instead. Sometimes an odd-numbered frame rate like 24 or 25 fps works better than 30 because it creates a different interference pattern that looks less noticeable to the human eye, even though it doesn't fully eliminate the effect.

A quick workaround that requires no settings changes: tilt your camera slightly so the screen is no longer perfectly perpendicular to the lens. A 15- to 30-degree angle often breaks up the stripe pattern enough to make it less visible. You can also try switching to portrait mode on your phone camera, which sometimes uses different processing that reduces the banding.

Why this happens with video but not still photos

A still photo captures one moment in time. If you take a screenshot or a single photo of your screen, you see the screen as it was at that exact when ready — no flicker, no stripes. Video, by contrast, stitches many still frames together. If your camera's frame rate and your screen's refresh rate are misaligned, each frame in the video catches the screen at a slightly different point in its refresh cycle, creating the illusion of motion or change across frames.

This is why you might see flicker on a video call or a screen recording but not when you take a single photo of your monitor. The problem only appears when motion or time is involved.

What to check on your camera

On an iPhone, open the Camera app, tap the video mode, and look for a frame rate option — usually shown as "1080p 60fps" or similar. Tap it to see other options. Select 60 fps if your monitor is 60 Hz, or 30 fps if 60 doesn't work well.

On Android phones, open the Camera app, go to Settings (usually a gear icon), find "Video Resolution" or "Frame Rate", and choose the option that matches your screen's refresh rate. Some Android phones don't expose frame rate controls in the main camera app; if yours doesn't, try a third-party camera app like Open Camera, which gives you more control.

On a computer, if you're using built-in screen recording software (like QuickTime on Mac or the Game Bar on Windows), check the recording settings for frame rate options. Screen recording software often defaults to 30 fps; changing it to 60 fps may help if your monitor is 60 Hz.

Finding your monitor's refresh rate

On Windows, right-click the desktop, select "Display settings", scroll down to "Advanced display settings", and look for "Refresh rate". The number shown is your monitor's refresh rate in Hz.

On Mac, click the Apple menu, go to "System Settings" (or "System Preferences" on older versions), select "Displays", and click "Refresh Rate" if the option appears. Some Macs don't show this setting; if yours doesn't, your monitor is likely 60 Hz, which is the standard.

If you're using an external monitor, check the manufacturer's specifications or the monitor's on-screen menu. Most standard office and home monitors are 60 Hz. Gaming monitors are often 120 Hz, 144 Hz, or higher.

When the fix doesn't work

If matching frame rates doesn't eliminate the stripes, the issue may be AC mains frequency — the electrical frequency in your building, which is 60 Hz in North America and 50 Hz in most other countries. Some cameras are sensitive to this frequency and will flicker at a rate tied to your electrical system rather than your monitor's refresh rate. In this case, try adjusting your camera's "flicker reduction" or "anti-flicker" setting if it has one, usually found in the camera app's advanced settings.

If your camera has no flicker reduction option, try the angle tilt method mentioned earlier, or accept that some flicker may be unavoidable. The effect is cosmetic and does not indicate a problem with your equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this damage my screen or camera?

No. The flicker and stripes are purely visual artifacts created by the timing mismatch between two devices. They do not harm either the monitor or the camera. Your screen and camera are working normally.

Why does my screen look fine in person but weird on video?

Your eye sees the screen continuously and blends the refresh cycles together, so you don't notice the flicker. A camera captures discrete frames at specific moments, so it can catch the screen mid-refresh. The camera's frame rate exposes a timing mismatch that your eye naturally smooths over.

Can I fix this in editing software after recording?

Not easily. Once the flicker is recorded into the video, removing it requires frame-by-frame editing or specialized software that can detect and correct the pattern. It's much faster to prevent the flicker by matching frame rates before you record.

What if I'm recording someone else's screen and I don't know their monitor's refresh rate?

Try 60 fps first, since that's the most common refresh rate for standard monitors. If you still see stripes, try 30 fps or 24 fps. You can also use the angle tilt method — position your camera so the screen is at a slight angle rather than straight-on.

Do all screens have this problem?

All LCD and LED screens can show this effect because they refresh line by line. OLED screens refresh differently and sometimes show less obvious banding, but they can still flicker. The visibility depends on your camera's frame rate and your screen's refresh rate.