Run a repeatable monitor ghosting comparison
- Set the operating system to the intended refresh rate, close background work and keep the browser tab focused.
- Start at 960 px/s on the 50% gray background with the white target. Wait for a stable browser-cadence verdict.
- Follow the target with your eyes and inspect its trailing edge. Note dark or colored smearing, bright halos and uneven motion separately.
- Change only one monitor setting, such as overdrive Off to Normal. Keep speed, background, target, refresh mode and brightness fixed.
- Repeat with dark, light and reverse-contrast transitions. Pixel behavior can vary with the starting and ending luminance values.
- Repeat any suspicious result before deciding that a monitor setting helped or hurt.
Ghosting versus inverse ghosting
Conventional ghosting can appear as a darker or colored trail when transitions do not settle before the target moves on. Aggressive overdrive can overshoot and create a bright or inverted halo.
The page supports repeatable visual comparison but cannot measure the electrical pixel-transition waveform or calculate calibrated response time.
How to interpret common motion artifacts
| What you see | Useful interpretation | Next comparison |
|---|
| Dark or colored trail behind the target | May be conventional ghosting from a slower pixel transition. | Compare the next overdrive level using the same speed and background. |
| Bright or inverted halo | May be overshoot from an aggressive overdrive mode. | Step down one overdrive level and repeat without changing refresh rate. |
| Uneven travel or judder | May come from variable browser delivery rather than the panel. | Check the cadence verdict, focus the tab and reduce background load. |
| Artifact appears only on one background | Transitions can differ by starting and ending luminance. | Record the exact contrast pair instead of generalizing from one pattern. |
Troubleshoot a suspicious result
- Cadence warning: close busy tabs, disable power saving temporarily where appropriate and rerun with this tab focused.
- Unexpectedly low cadence: confirm the operating-system refresh setting, then use the separate refresh-rate test for a longer timing sample.
- Maximum overdrive looks worse: compare the next-lower setting; the fastest label is not automatically the cleanest mode.
- Fullscreen differs from the page: restart the comparison after the layout change. This tool intentionally interrupts an active run when size or fullscreen changes.
- Camera result differs from your eyes: keep shutter, exposure and tracking motion consistent; do not mix stationary photos with eye-tracked observations.
Why speed, backgrounds and cadence matter
Higher target speeds make trails easier to see but also increase distance traveled per displayed frame. The page therefore reports estimated browser cadence, median frame time, P95 frame time and CSS pixels traveled per frame.
A 960 px/s reference supports consistent pursuit-style comparisons, but it is not a universal certification speed. Compare like with like on your own setup and treat a variable cadence verdict as a reason to retry.
Measurement, privacy and decision limits
- This page cannot read panel firmware, EDID transition data, monitor overdrive tables, cable certification or electrical pixel waveforms.
- It cannot measure exact gray-to-gray (GtG), moving-picture response time (MPRT), input latency or a manufacturer response-time claim.
- Browser compositing, OS scaling, refresh conversion and variable refresh behavior can influence motion.
- OLED and LCD panels can show different artifacts; one visual pattern is not a complete display review.
- Motion settings, live frame intervals and the calculated cadence result stay in this page and are not included in analytics events.
Use this result as repeatable evidence for a settings decision, not as a pass/fail certification of the display.
Monitor ghosting test FAQ
Can this test prove my monitor has a 1 ms response time?
No. A 1 ms claim requires controlled measurement equipment, defined pixel transitions and a documented method. This browser test supports repeatable visual comparisons only.
What is the difference between ghosting and inverse ghosting?
Ghosting is a lingering dark or colored trail as pixels transition too slowly. Inverse ghosting is a bright or inverted halo that can appear when overdrive overshoots the intended value.
Why does a bright trail appear only with maximum overdrive?
That pattern can be consistent with overdrive overshoot. Compare the next-lower overdrive setting at the same target speed, background and refresh mode.
Can I photograph or film the ghosting test?
You can record casual before-and-after evidence, but camera shutter, exposure, rolling shutter and tracking motion can add artifacts. A stationary phone image is not a calibrated pursuit-camera measurement.
Why does the moving target look uneven or juddery?
First check the browser-cadence verdict. Background work, a hidden or unfocused tab, power saving and frame-rate conversion can make the pattern uneven before the monitor is involved.
Does this test send display measurements anywhere?
No. Motion settings, live frame intervals and the calculated cadence result stay in this page and are not included in analytics events.
Related display diagnostics and trust notes
Use the broader guide to choose the diagnostic that matches the symptom, and read how GearCheck Lab separates browser-observable evidence from hardware claims.
