rolling shutter

Rolling shutter is a camera sensor mechanism that captures images by scanning across the frame line by line rather than all at once.

This can produce distinctive distortion when recording fast movement or vibration—vertical lines may appear slanted, and spinning objects can look warped or wobbly.

The effect is especially visible in smartphone footage of propellers or strummed guitar strings.

Professional cinematographers may choose cameras with global shutters to avoid rolling shutter artifacts.