How to run a ghosting test
- Set your display to its highest refresh rate and use the mode you normally use (game mode on TVs).
- Start the test. Three objects (light, dark and colored) move across the screen at the same speed.
- Follow one object with your eyes. Look for trails behind it, halos around it, or smearing.
- Change speed and background. Press ← → or swipe for speed, and ↑ ↓ or tap for background. Ghosting is often worst on dark gray.
- Compare overdrive settings in your monitor menu and keep the one with the least trail and no bright halo.
What you might see
Ghosting
A faded copy or trail behind the object. Caused by slow pixel response; common on VA and older IPS panels.
Overshoot
A bright or inverted halo behind the object, from overdrive set too high. Turn overdrive down a step.
Motion blur
Overall softness when tracking motion. Higher refresh rates and backlight strobing modes reduce it.
Stutter
Jerky movement instead of smooth motion: dropped frames or a low refresh rate. Check the refresh rate test.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test my monitor for ghosting?
Open the ghosting test in fullscreen and follow one of the moving objects with your eyes. A faint trail behind it is ghosting, a bright or dark halo is overshoot, and general smearing is motion blur. Try each speed and background, since ghosting often shows only on certain shades.
What is the difference between ghosting and motion blur?
Motion blur is the softening every sample-and-hold screen shows when you follow movement with your eyes, and it shrinks as the refresh rate rises. Ghosting is a distinct trail or echo behind the object, caused by pixels changing color too slowly.
What is overshoot or inverse ghosting?
Overshoot is a bright or colored halo behind a moving object, caused by the monitor's overdrive setting pushing pixels too hard. Lowering the overdrive or response time setting in the monitor menu usually reduces it.
How can I reduce ghosting?
Run the display at its highest refresh rate, try each overdrive or response time setting in the monitor menu and compare them with this test, and turn off motion smoothing or noise reduction on TVs. Game or PC mode on TVs also helps.
Why does the ghosting test look choppy?
If the movement stutters, your browser is dropping frames or the display is running at a low refresh rate. Check the refresh rate test, close heavy apps and keep the test in fullscreen.
Is some ghosting normal?
Yes. Most LCD monitors show a little ghosting on dark transitions, especially VA panels. OLED screens have almost none because their pixels switch nearly instantly, though they still show motion blur at low refresh rates.