Monitor Motion Test
Monitor Ghosting Test – Check Screen Ghosting Online
Check your monitor for ghosting, smearing, trailing and inverse ghosting with an adjustable moving-object test. Change speed, contrast, background and direction to compare motion clarity across different pixel transitions.
Moving Object Ghosting Test
The live test moves a high-contrast object horizontally across the screen. Adjust motion speed, background brightness, test pattern, direction and contrast while watching for trails, smearing or overshoot.
- Motion speed
- Adjustable from 180 to 1800 pixels per second.
- Backgrounds
- Light, mid-grey and dark modes expose different transition behaviour.
- Patterns
- Compare a solid block, repeated bars and moving text.
- Browser FPS
- Estimated animation-frame rate helps identify obvious browser timing limitations.
- Fullscreen mode
- Provides more travel distance and fewer distractions for visual inspection.
How to Test Monitor Ghosting
- Run the display at its normal native resolution and intended refresh rate.
- Start with the default 720 pixels-per-second movement speed.
- Follow the moving object with your eyes.
- Inspect the area behind and around it for trailing, smearing or halos.
- Repeat on light, mid-grey and dark backgrounds.
- Increase and decrease motion speed.
- If your monitor has an overdrive setting, compare each level using the same pattern.
What Monitor Ghosting Looks Like
Ghosting usually appears as a shadow-like trail, smear or repeated after-image behind moving objects. Dark transitions can create long black or dark-purple smearing on some panels. Aggressive overdrive can create inverse ghosting, which appears as bright or dark halos around motion.
Ghosting, Smearing and Overshoot
Ghosting
A visible duplicate-like trail that follows moving content.
Dark Smearing
A darker elongated trail, often most visible during dark transitions.
Inverse Ghosting
A bright or dark halo caused by pixel overshoot from aggressive overdrive.
Motion Blur
Perceived blur caused by sample-and-hold display behaviour and eye tracking.
Stutter
Uneven movement caused by frame delivery rather than pixel transition speed.
Overdrive Artefacts
Visual errors introduced when response-time acceleration is set too aggressively.
How to Read a Monitor Ghosting Test
| What you see | Possible explanation | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Short, soft blur behind the object | Normal sample-and-hold blur or modest transition trailing | Compare at a higher refresh rate and multiple speeds. |
| Long dark smear | Slow dark pixel transitions | Try a different overdrive level and compare dark scenes. |
| Bright or dark halo | Overdrive overshoot or inverse ghosting | Reduce the overdrive or response-time setting. |
| Object jumps or skips | Browser or system frame pacing issue | Close heavy apps, confirm refresh rate and check browser FPS. |
| Different result on light vs dark backgrounds | Transition speed varies by colour pair | Use the setting with the best overall balance. |
Does Refresh Rate Affect Ghosting?
Refresh rate changes how often a new frame is presented, but it does not by itself determine pixel transition speed. A high-refresh monitor can still show ghosting if transitions are slow or overdrive is poorly tuned.
Monitor Overdrive and Inverse Ghosting
Overdrive can reduce slow transition trails by driving pixels harder toward the next value. Excessive overdrive can overshoot the target and create bright or dark coronas around motion.
Visual Test vs Response-Time Measurement
This page is a visual motion test. A normal browser cannot directly measure the physical luminance transition of individual monitor pixels or certify grey-to-grey response time or MPRT. Laboratory-style measurements require external sensors or high-speed capture and a defined methodology.
Monitor Ghosting Troubleshooting
- Check refresh rate. Make sure the operating system or console is using the intended refresh rate.
- Compare overdrive modes. Try different monitor response-time settings and compare both trailing and overshoot.
- Test multiple backgrounds. Some colour transitions are much slower than others.
- Reduce browser load. Close heavy tabs and apps if browser FPS is unstable.
Monitor Ghosting Test Frequently Asked Questions
What is monitor ghosting?
Monitor ghosting is a visible trail, smear or duplicate-looking after-image that follows moving content because pixel transitions do not settle quickly enough for the motion being shown.
How does this monitor ghosting test work?
The test moves a high-contrast object across the screen at adjustable speeds and backgrounds so you can visually inspect trailing, smearing, overshoot and motion clarity.
Can a website measure monitor ghosting automatically?
Not reliably. A normal webpage can control the moving test pattern and estimate browser animation timing, but the actual ghosting result must be judged visually or measured with external high-speed equipment.
What is inverse ghosting or overshoot?
Inverse ghosting is a bright or dark halo that appears around or behind moving objects when pixel overdrive is too aggressive and overshoots the intended colour transition.
Does a higher refresh rate remove ghosting?
Not necessarily. Higher refresh rates can improve motion smoothness, but visible ghosting also depends on pixel response behaviour, panel type, overdrive tuning and the specific colour transition.
What speed should I use for a ghosting test?
Start around 600 to 960 pixels per second, then test slower and faster movement. Different speeds can reveal different kinds of trailing or overshoot.
What background should I test on?
Use light, mid-grey and dark backgrounds. Some monitors ghost more on dark transitions while others show overshoot more clearly on lighter backgrounds.
What should a good result look like?
The moving object should remain reasonably well-defined with minimal trailing, smearing or bright/dark halos. Some blur caused by eye tracking and sample-and-hold display behaviour is normal.
Is motion blur the same as ghosting?
No. Motion blur can come from sample-and-hold presentation and eye tracking even when pixel transitions are relatively clean. Ghosting is more specifically associated with slow or imperfect pixel transitions that leave visible trails.
Can this test measure GtG response time in milliseconds?
No. A browser-only visual test cannot reliably measure manufacturer-style grey-to-grey response time in milliseconds. That requires controlled measurement equipment.
Can this test measure MPRT?
No. Motion Picture Response Time depends on display persistence and test methodology. This page is for visual motion inspection, not laboratory MPRT certification.
What is monitor overdrive?
Overdrive is a display setting that drives pixels more aggressively to reach the next colour faster. Too little overdrive can increase trailing; too much can cause inverse ghosting or overshoot.
Should I change my monitor overdrive setting during the test?
Yes, if your monitor has Normal, Fast, Faster or similar response-time settings. Compare the same motion pattern at each setting and look for the best balance between trailing and overshoot.
Why does the object look blurrier when I follow it with my eyes?
LCD and OLED displays are usually sample-and-hold displays. When your eyes track moving content, persistence across each refresh can create perceived motion blur even without severe pixel-response ghosting.
Can browser frame rate affect this test?
Yes. If the browser cannot animate close to the display refresh rate, motion can stutter or skip. The page shows an estimated browser animation rate so you can spot obvious timing limitations.
Should I use fullscreen mode?
Fullscreen can make the pattern easier to inspect because there are fewer distractions and more horizontal travel distance.
Can I test a TV with this page?
Yes if the TV can display a web browser or a connected computer can show this page. Keep in mind that TV motion processing can alter the result.
What should I do if I see severe ghosting?
Try a different monitor overdrive or response-time setting, confirm the display is running at its intended refresh rate, disable unusual motion-processing features, and compare multiple backgrounds and speeds before deciding the behaviour is abnormal.