Monitor Test: Dead Pixels, Backlight Bleed, Burn-in & Ghosting Check
Comprehensive monitor test suite: check for dead pixels, backlight bleed, IPS glow, OLED burn-in & motion ghosting. Free diagnostics for all screens.
Click the button above to enter fullscreen mode. Press ESC or click anywhere to exit.
Gradient Banding Test - Check Monitor Bit Depth and Color Transitions
A severe torture test for your display's color engine. This tool generates a mathematical 8-bit or 10-bit smooth ramp from Pure Black (#000000) to Pure White (#FFFFFF). It instantly reveals "Banding" (visible lines), "Dithering" (electronic noise), and "Tint Shift" across the grayscale range. Ideally, this should look like a smooth cloud; often, it looks like a staircase.
🌈 What is Color Banding?
Color banding appears as visible "steps" or stripes in gradients instead of smooth transitions. It's caused by:
- • Limited bit depth: 6-bit panels show more banding than 8-bit or 10-bit
- • Poor dithering: Algorithms that simulate more colors
- • Graphics driver settings: Incorrect color depth configuration
📊 Bit Depth Comparison
- • 6-bit: 262,144 colors - visible banding likely
- • 8-bit: 16.7 million colors - subtle banding possible
- • 10-bit: 1.07 billion colors - virtually no banding
🔗 Related Display Tests
More Calibration Tests
Color accuracy & quality
Check color accuracy and display uniformity with these tests.
Advanced Tests
Gaming & OLED diagnostics
Test for OLED burn-in, image retention, and monitor response time.
A severe torture test for your display's color engine. This tool generates a mathematical 8-bit or 10-bit smooth ramp from Pure Black (#000000) to Pure White (#FFFFFF). It instantly reveals "Banding" (visible lines), "Dithering" (electronic noise), and "Tint Shift" across the grayscale range. Ideally, this should look like a smooth cloud; often, it looks like a staircase.
How to Use Color Palette & Display Tester
The Staircase Test
Look closely at the mid-tones (the gray middle). Do you see smooth fog, or do you see vertical lines (steps)? • Distinct steps = 6-bit panel (Common in cheap laptops). • Faint lines = 8-bit panel (Standard). • Zero lines = 10-bit panel (Professional).
Testing Contrast
Check the ends. Can you distinguish the "Final Black" from the "First Gray"? If the first inch is pure solid black, your "Gamma" is too high (Crushed Blacks). If it's all gray, your Gamma is too low (Washed out).
Calculator Features
Bit-Depth Revealer
Visually exposes if your standard "16.7 million color" monitor is actually just 260,000 colors fake-dithered.
Gamut Smoothness
Checks if the internal Look-Up Table (LUT) is properly calibrated for linear output.
Color Tint Spotter
It is easier to spot a Green tint in a gray gradient than on a white screen.
Complete Function List
- 0-255 Luminance Ramp:
- Banding & Posterization Check:
- 6-bit vs 8-bit vs 10-bit Test:
- Gamma Curve Calculation:
- Black Crush Diagnostic:
- White Saturation Point:
- Dithering Noise Finder:
Common Calculations & Examples
Example 1: Fixing "Blocky" Shadows in Games
Problem: Dark areas in games look pixelated or have ugly colored bands.
Steps:
- Open Gradient Test.
- If you see heavy banding here, go to Nvidia/AMD Control Panel.
- Change "Output Color Depth" from "8 bpc" to "10 bpc" (if available).
- Change "Output Dynamic Range" to "Full".
- Re-test. The gradient should smooth out.
Explanation: Banding happens when the monitor runs out of colors to paint the transition. Increasing bit-depth gives it more colors to use.