Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting banding artifacts in digital images and video contents. The method operates to (i) find the locations of the banding artifacts, (ii) determine the strength of the banding artifact per block, and (iii) determine overall banding artifact strength per picture. The banding artifact detection and strength assignment is done by first finding areas that are prone to banding artifact and then considering the local characteristics of the area to reduce the false detection. The banding artifact strength of a picture is determined by considering the size and the strength of the artifact areas in this picture as well as the artifact strength in the neighboring pictures.