Flickering textures in Skyrim SE, what is this effect called and what to do about it?

[Prokktor]

https://imgur.com/a/rHLzbLM

 

Hello,

 

as you can see in the screenshot I have strange flickering effects on my textures, visible mostly on large areas of the same color like skin... they are even moving like on an old analog CRT TV with bad antenna reception for those who remember the old times^^

 

Can you tell me what that is and what to do about it?

 

My settings are exactly what DarkladyLexy advides here https://wiki.step-project.com/User:DarkladyLexy/Lexys_LOTD_SE.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Martin

[Shadriss]

I've seen that a few times, but mostly on snow textures - I don't know that it's something in you config or even an error per se. This is generally a color contract/brightness issue that makes minute differences between hues of a color more obvious. I know the STEP guide talks about it, but I don't think Lexy's does, so the first thing I'd look at is you monitor's calibration... Windows has a tool to assist with it, and there's a number of on-line tools as well. I'd look there first, just to make sure all is well.

[Prokktor]

Thanks for your advice but I was not able to fix the problem, its not the monitor and it only happens in Skyrim SE, not in Oldrim with 400 Mods and not in Fallout 4...

 

I tried cranking up antialiasing, that did nothing then I switched to Natural view Tamriel ENB, that lessens the problem but it does not fix it.

[Shadriss]

It's not an AA thing. Usually, color banding is a result of lack of color-depth... think old methods of VGA pixel color banding. I can't imagine you aren't in the correct color-depth, as there would be no reason NOT to be. Honestly, I'm not sure there's anything to be done for it - as I mentioned, I get those same bands on snow, though I haven't seen them anywhere else. Then again, I don't look for these kind of problems - maybe I'm just not picky enough.

[Prokktor]

Ok I googled Color Banding and it looks like what I am expierencing, only that I seem to have to most extreme case known to google *laugh*

 

On the sceenshot it is only visible on the skin, in the game its nearly everywhere, adds a strange flicker to all larger textures, mail armor makes you crazy if you look at it for too long^^

 

Also its not the textures itself because the bands are not along color gradients, must be a light or shadow thing. 

 

I will try turning of Lens Flare in the ini and introducing dithering in the ENB, both is know to help as far as I have googled.

 

Many people claim its an Nvidia problem but since it only affects skyrim I dont think that this line of reasoning brings me closer to the solution...

[Shadriss]

I was just thinking about that... and I wonder if your INI settings for Skyrim itself might not be the problem. Have you run BethINI on your MO2 profile for this load order at all? I know it's in the guide in the Prelims, but a lot of people miss that section, so I figure it's at least worth an ask.

[Prokktor]

Id did all the ini tweaks again, but there is still visible Color Banding.

 

I decided to live with it^^

[Shadriss]

I hesitate to throw this in, but it also occurs to me (and really, this should be this way by default, but its one more thing to check) that perhaps, somehow, your display is set to 16 bit color instead of 32? That would also, potentially, create color banding like that.

[Prokktor]

I checked NVIDIA Control Panel and it says:

 

32 bits

RGB

8 Bits per Channel

Full Spectrum

 

if I interpret the values correctly.

 

Oldrim and Fallout 4 have no Color Banding at all, so I dont think it can be some global setting, it has to be specific to my installation of Skyrim SE

[Shadriss]

As I said - it was a shot in the dark. I just couldn't think of anything else that it might be. Wish it had worked out better.