diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/AmbientOcclusionEffect.cpp b/libraries/render-utils/src/AmbientOcclusionEffect.cpp
index 596848cedd..30360fdbce 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/AmbientOcclusionEffect.cpp
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/AmbientOcclusionEffect.cpp
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ const gpu::PipelinePointer& AmbientOcclusionEffect::getPyramidPipeline() {
 
         gpu::StatePointer state = gpu::StatePointer(new gpu::State());
 
-        // Stencil test all the ao passes for objects pixels only, not the background
+        // Stencil test the pyramid passe for objects pixels only, not the background
         state->setStencilTest(true, 0xFF, gpu::State::StencilTest(0, 0xFF, gpu::NOT_EQUAL, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP));
 
         state->setColorWriteMask(true, false, false, false);
@@ -140,9 +140,6 @@ const gpu::PipelinePointer& AmbientOcclusionEffect::getOcclusionPipeline() {
 
         gpu::StatePointer state = gpu::StatePointer(new gpu::State());
 
-        // Stencil test the ao passes for objects pixels only, not the background
-        state->setStencilTest(true, 0xFF, gpu::State::StencilTest(0, 0xFF, gpu::NOT_EQUAL, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP));
-
         state->setColorWriteMask(true, true, true, false);
 
         // Good to go add the brand new pipeline
@@ -165,10 +162,7 @@ const gpu::PipelinePointer& AmbientOcclusionEffect::getHBlurPipeline() {
         gpu::Shader::makeProgram(*program, slotBindings);
         
         gpu::StatePointer state = gpu::StatePointer(new gpu::State());
-        
-        // Stencil test all the ao passes for objects pixels only, not the background
-        //state->setStencilTest(true, 0xFF, gpu::State::StencilTest(0, 0xFF, gpu::NOT_EQUAL, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP));
-        
+
         state->setColorWriteMask(true, true, true, false);
         
         // Good to go add the brand new pipeline
@@ -192,9 +186,6 @@ const gpu::PipelinePointer& AmbientOcclusionEffect::getVBlurPipeline() {
         
         gpu::StatePointer state = gpu::StatePointer(new gpu::State());
         
-        // Stencil test all the ao passes for objects pixels only, not the background
-        //state->setStencilTest(true, 0xFF, gpu::State::StencilTest(0, 0xFF, gpu::NOT_EQUAL, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP, gpu::State::STENCIL_OP_KEEP));
-        
         // Vertical blur write just the final result Occlusion value in the alpha channel
         state->setColorWriteMask(true, true, true, false);
 
diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/FramebufferCache.cpp b/libraries/render-utils/src/FramebufferCache.cpp
index fe7e9f9993..7948dfcefe 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/FramebufferCache.cpp
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/FramebufferCache.cpp
@@ -247,7 +247,8 @@ gpu::TexturePointer FramebufferCache::getDepthPyramidTexture() {
 }
 
 void FramebufferCache::setAmbientOcclusionResolutionLevel(int level) {
-    level = std::max(0, std::min(level, 4));
+    const int MAX_AO_RESOLUTION_LEVEL = 4;
+    level = std::max(0, std::min(level, MAX_AO_RESOLUTION_LEVEL));
     if (level != _AOResolutionLevel) {
         _AOResolutionLevel = level;
         resizeAmbientOcclusionBuffers();
diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/ssao_makeOcclusion.slf b/libraries/render-utils/src/ssao_makeOcclusion.slf
index 4c08da19bd..72424cad1e 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/ssao_makeOcclusion.slf
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/ssao_makeOcclusion.slf
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ void main(void) {
 
     float A = max(0.0, 1.0 - sum * getObscuranceScaling() * 5.0 * getInvNumSamples());
 
+    <! // KEEP IT for Debugging
     // Bilateral box-filter over a quad for free, respecting depth edges
     // (the difference that this makes is subtle)
     if (abs(dFdx(Cp.z)) < 0.02) {
@@ -141,6 +142,7 @@ void main(void) {
     if (abs(dFdy(Cp.z)) < 0.02) {
         A -= dFdy(A) * ((ssC.y & 1) - 0.5);
     }
+    !>
 
     outFragColor = vec4(packOcclusionDepth(A, CSZToDephtKey(Cp.z)), 1.0);