Online Color Test

A color test checks whether your monitor or display renders colors accurately and smoothly. Using our color test tool, you can display full-screen solid colors (red, green, blue, white, black, and more), gradient ramps, grayscale steps, and industry-standard SMPTE color bars. This helps you identify color banding (visible steps in what should be a smooth gradient), incorrect color reproduction, dead or stuck pixels, and backlight uniformity issues. Color testing is especially useful when you buy a new monitor, calibrate a display for photo editing, or notice that colors look wrong on your screen.

To test your monitor color accuracy, follow these steps: (1) Open this color test page in your browser. (2) Clean your screen with a microfiber cloth. (3) Dim the room lights or test in a dark room for best results. (4) Click each solid color button (red, green, blue, white, black, gray) and observe whether the color appears uniform across the entire screen. (5) Click the gradient patterns and look for visible banding or stepping — a healthy display should show smooth transitions. (6) Use the grayscale ramp to check that your monitor reproduces all shades of gray without color tinting. (7) View the SMPTE color bars to verify each primary and secondary color is rendered correctly.

Color banding is a visual artifact where smooth color gradients appear as visible steps or bands instead of a continuous transition. It is caused by insufficient color depth (bit depth) in the display, graphics card, or video output. To detect color banding with our tool, click the "Red Gradient", "Green Gradient", or "Blue Gradient" patterns. Look at the transition from black to the pure color — if you see distinct horizontal bands or stripes, your display has color banding. Color banding is common on 6-bit displays, displays set to 16-bit color depth in OS settings, or when using low-quality display cables. To fix it, ensure your display is set to 32-bit color depth in your OS settings and use a high-quality HDMI or DisplayPort cable.

If the grayscale ramp shows a color tint (e.g., a pink, blue, or green cast instead of neutral gray), your monitor has an incorrect color temperature or white balance setting. This is common on monitors with factory presets that are too warm (reddish) or too cool (bluish). To fix it: (1) Access your monitor on-screen display (OSD) menu. (2) Set the color temperature to 6500K (D65) or "User" mode. (3) Adjust the RGB gain/offset controls to neutralize the tint. (4) If the tint persists, your monitor may need professional calibration with a colorimeter. For photo editing or design work, a calibrated display with accurate grayscale is essential for correct color reproduction.

Colors can look different between monitors due to variations in color gamut (sRGB vs. Adobe RGB vs. DCI-P3), color temperature settings, gamma settings, and panel technology (IPS, VA, TN, OLED). Two monitors showing the same color test may produce visibly different results. To match colors between monitors: (1) Set both monitors to the same color temperature (6500K). (2) Set both to the same gamma (2.2 for Windows, 2.2 or 1.8 for macOS). (3) Use a hardware colorimeter to calibrate both monitors. (4) Ensure both monitors are set to 32-bit color depth in your OS. (5) Use the same or similar panel technology for consistent results.

SMPTE color bars are an industry-standard test pattern used in video production and broadcast to verify color reproduction. Our color test tool includes an SMPTE-style color bar pattern with seven primary and secondary colors (white, yellow, cyan, green, magenta, red, blue) in the top section, reverse-color bars in the middle, and a PLUGE (Picture Line-Up Generation Equipment) pattern at the bottom. The SMPTE bars test whether your display correctly reproduces each primary and secondary color at the right hue and saturation. The PLUGE pattern at the bottom helps calibrate black levels — you should be able to distinguish the three dark bars; if they blend into the background, your brightness is too low.

No. This tool displays test patterns that help you identify color issues, but it cannot calibrate your monitor. True hardware calibration requires a colorimeter or spectrophotometer device (such as X-Rite i1Display, Datacolor Spyder, or Calibrite) that measures the actual light output from your screen and creates a color profile. However, our color test is a useful first step before calibration — it helps you identify what needs fixing and verify the results after calibration. For basic adjustment without hardware, you can use the grayscale ramp to set color temperature and the PLUGE pattern to set brightness/contrast.

No. This tool is designed for display color testing, not vision testing. Color blindness tests (such as the Ishihara test) use specific numbered plates with dots of different colors and sizes. If you are looking for a color blindness test, please consult an eye care professional or use a dedicated color vision test tool. Our color test tool can, however, help you verify that your display is showing colors correctly, which is important if you work in design or photography and need accurate color representation.

No. This color test tool is for identification only — it displays solid colors and patterns that make pixel defects visible. If you find dead or stuck pixels, you can try the pressure method (gently massaging the affected area), use a dedicated pixel fixer tool that rapidly cycles colors, or contact the manufacturer for warranty service. Dead pixels (permanently black) cannot be fixed. Stuck pixels (showing a fixed color) may sometimes be resolved with pixel fixing software. For a more thorough dead pixel test, use our dedicated Dead Pixel Test tool.

Yes. Our color test works on all display types — LCD, LED, OLED, QLED, IPS, VA, TN, and Mini-LED panels. It also works on all devices with a web browser: desktop monitors, laptops, tablets, phones, and even TVs (via the built-in browser). The test patterns are rendered using CSS and HTML, which are universally supported. For OLED displays, color testing is especially important to verify that individual pixels are aging evenly. For professional monitors used in photo editing or video production, regular color testing helps ensure consistent color accuracy over time.

Yes. To test your TV, open this page in the TV's built-in web browser, or cast/mirror from a connected device. The solid color tests will help you check for uniformity issues common on large TVs (backlight bleeding, edge darkening). The gradient tests will reveal if your TV has proper color depth. The SMPTE color bars can help you adjust your TV's color and tint settings. For the best results, use the fullscreen mode and dim the room lights. Note that some TVs apply image processing (sharpening, motion interpolation, color enhancement) that may affect the displayed colors — disable these features in your TV settings for the most accurate test.

No. This is a screen display color test tool — it tests the colors produced by your monitor or screen, not a printer. Printer color testing requires printing a test page on paper and comparing the printed colors to a reference. However, you can use our color test to verify that your monitor displays colors correctly before designing something for print. This ensures that what you see on screen is as close as possible to the intended colors, even though printed colors will always differ from screen colors due to the different color models (RGB for screens, CMYK for print).

Yes. This color test works on any mobile device with a web browser. Simply open this page in your mobile browser and tap the color buttons. The solid colors will fill the screen, and you can test for dead pixels, color uniformity, and color banding. On mobile devices, the browser may not go fully fullscreen due to the address bar and navigation gestures, but the test is still effective. For the best results on mobile, rotate to landscape orientation. Note that mobile screens (especially OLED) may have different color profiles and gamut support compared to desktop monitors.

Yes, our color test works on all operating systems — Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS — as long as you use a modern web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera). The test uses CSS background colors and gradients, which are universally supported by all modern browsers. For the best results, use the fullscreen mode to ensure the test pattern covers the entire display. If your browser does not support the Fullscreen API, you can still use the inline test mode. The test also works on mobile browsers (Chrome for Android, Safari for iOS).

If colors look different in fullscreen mode, it may be because: (1) Your browser applies a color profile in windowed mode but not in fullscreen — check your browser's color management settings. (2) Your OS applies different color profiles to different windows. (3) A browser extension is affecting colors in windowed mode — try testing in incognito/private mode. (4) Your graphics driver may apply different color settings in fullscreen vs. windowed mode. For the most accurate color test, disable any color management software, browser extensions, and GPU color overrides before testing.

No. This color test is 100% privacy-friendly. All testing happens locally in your browser — the tool simply changes CSS background colors and gradients to display test patterns. No screenshots, display information, color profiles, or any other data are sent to any server. The tool does not use your camera or take any images of your screen. You can verify this by checking your browser's network tab during testing — no data leaves your device.