Grayscale Test
Check whether the gray transition from pure black to white is smooth and even.
▶ Start test · Grayscale
Check that the gray steps are smooth with no banding. Arrow keys flip the gradient direction. a total of 2 steps
💡 Operation tips
- Click the right half of the screen to move to the next view; when the current project’s views are done it advances to the next project, and when every project is finished it exits fullscreen automatically.
- Click the left half of the screen to go back to the previous view; at the very first view it stops.
- After entering fullscreen, the top label and bottom buttons auto-hide after 3 seconds so you can view the screen unobstructed.
- Hover in the bottom-centre of the screen for 1 second to bring the label and buttons back; move away and they hide again after 1 second.
- The breathing test ends automatically after about 10 seconds.
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Grayscale & color-depth testing
The grayscale test checks how smoothly the panel transitions from pure black (0%) to pure white (100%). An ideal display shows every gray level smoothly with no visible banding.
Color depth vs. grayscale:
- 6-bit panels: ~262k colors; gradients may band visibly, dithered via FRC to simulate 8-bit.
- 8-bit panels: 16.7 million colors (truecolor); transitions are fairly smooth.
- 10-bit panels: 1.07 billion colors; transitions are extremely smooth — great for pro design.
What to check:
- Observe whether adjacent gray bands transition smoothly with no steps.
- Pay special attention to shadows (0–20%) and highlights (80–100%).
- Obvious banding may mean shallow panel color depth or a wrong GPU output bit-depth.
FAQ
What should I see in the grayscale test?
Look at whether adjacent gray bands transition smoothly with no steps. Pay special attention to shadows (0–20%) and highlights (80–100%) — the regions most likely to expose banding.
What is banding?
Banding is the visible stepped stripes in a gray gradient, usually from a shallow panel color depth (6-bit dithered to simulate 8-bit) or a wrong GPU output bit-depth.
What’s the difference between 6-bit, 8-bit and 10-bit?
6-bit shows ~262k colors and may band on gradients (usually dithered via FRC to simulate 8-bit); 8-bit shows 16.7 million with smooth transitions; 10-bit shows 1.07 billion with extremely smooth gradients — ideal for pro design.
I see obvious banding — what do I do?
Set the output bit-depth to full-range 8-bit or 10-bit in the GPU driver; use HDMI 2.0+ or DP 1.4+ for enough bandwidth; if it persists, the panel itself likely lacks color depth.