Free Color Banding Test
Test screens
Start from any screen
What to look for
- Banding: visible stripes or steps in a gradient that should be smooth.
- Colour tint: a grey gradient that turns pink or green in places.
- Dark gradient: blotches near black are common on cheaper panels.
Your Screen Info
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Colour screens
Tap a colour to test it fullscreen
Custom colour
What is a color banding test?
Color banding is when a gradient that should be smooth shows visible stripes or steps instead. It happens when a screen, its settings or the signal cannot show enough shades between two colours.
This color banding test shows six fullscreen gradients: grey, red, green, blue, a dark gradient and a sky-like blue gradient. Banding is usually easiest to see in the dark gradient and in large soft areas like the sky, so those screens are included.
How to check for banding
1
Use 100% zoom
Press Ctrl+0 (Cmd+0 on Mac) so the browser does not resize the gradients.
2
Start the gradients
Click the Start button or press F to open the first gradient fullscreen.
3
Look for stripes
Look across each gradient from side to side. Click or press → for the next one, and Esc to exit.
What banding looks like
Thin, even steps
Faint steps on the dark gradient are common on many screens, especially 6-bit panels.
Wide, clear stripes
Strong bands on the grey gradient point to a low colour depth, heavy processing or a reduced colour range.
Banding on one colour only
If only the red, green or blue gradient bands, the issue is in that colour channel or a colour setting.
Coloured blotches in dark areas
Blotches or tint changes near black are a mix of banding and uneven panel uniformity.
Related tests
Contrast Test
Black level, white level and sharp patterns
Greyscale Test
Grey ramps and steps for tint and lost shades
Dead Pixel Test
9 colours to find dead and stuck pixels
Black Screen Test
Pure black for hot pixels and light leaks
White Screen Test
Pure white for dead pixels and dust
OLED Screen Test
Burn-in, image retention and dark gray
Backlight Bleed Test
Spot light leaking at the edges
Frequently asked questions
What causes color banding?
Not enough shades between two colours. Panel bit depth, colour range settings (full vs limited), dynamic contrast modes and compressed video can all add banding.
Can I fix banding?
Sometimes. Use full RGB range, turn off dynamic contrast and sharpness boosts, and use the native resolution. A higher bit-depth panel shows less banding.
Is banding the same as posterization?
They are closely related. Posterization is the same effect when it shows up in photos and video.
Is my browser causing the banding?
Browsers draw these gradients with 8 bits per colour, so a very slight step can be normal. Strong, wide bands come from the display or its settings.