Ghosting Test
Moving patterns reveal ghosting, overshoot, and inverse ghosting. Spot pixel response problems and tune your monitor's overdrive setting.
What is ghosting?
Ghosting is a trail behind a moving object on your screen. It happens when pixels take too long to change state, so the previous frame is still partially visible when the next one arrives. Slow LCD panels (especially VA) ghost more than fast IPS or OLED.
Ghosting vs inverse ghosting vs overshoot
- Ghosting: a faded trail behind the object. Pixels too slow.
- Inverse ghosting / overshoot: a bright or colored halo in front of or behind the object. Caused by monitor overdrive pushing pixels past their target.
- Corona: a visible edge artifact when overdrive is set too aggressively.
How to fix ghosting
- Open your monitor OSD and find Overdrive / Response Time / AMA / TraceFree.
- Set it to the medium or "Normal" setting first.
- Run this ghosting test with a fast-moving pattern.
- If you see trails - raise overdrive one step.
- If you see bright halos (inverse ghosting) - lower overdrive one step.
- The sweet spot is typically one notch below the maximum setting.
Combine this with our Motion Blur Test, Response Time Test, and read GtG vs MPRT for a full picture of monitor motion clarity.
Testing guide
How to spot monitor ghosting and overshoot
Ghosting appears when moving objects leave visible trails because pixels cannot transition cleanly before the next frame. This test helps you compare motion clarity, overdrive settings, and panel behavior at the refresh rate you actually use.
Best for
- Finding ghost trails behind moving objects in games or scrolling text.
- Comparing VA dark smearing, IPS overdrive behavior, and OLED motion clarity.
- Choosing a balanced overdrive mode with less blur and less inverse ghosting.
How to run the test
- 1Set your monitor to the refresh rate you normally use for gaming.
- 2Run the ghosting pattern fullscreen and focus on the leading and trailing edges.
- 3Switch monitor overdrive modes and compare trails, halos, and color artifacts.
- 4Pick the mode that looks cleanest in motion rather than the one with the fastest advertised label.
How to read the result
A soft dark trail usually indicates slow pixel transitions or VA black smearing.
A bright outline or colored halo usually indicates overdrive overshoot.
If the pattern stutters, also check frame skipping and GPU frame pacing.
Related tools and guides
Frequently asked questions
Is ghosting the same as motion blur?
They are related but not identical. Ghosting is a visible trail from slow transitions. Motion blur can also come from sample-and-hold persistence, low refresh rate, or camera/eye tracking behavior.
Can overdrive make ghosting worse?
Yes. Too much overdrive can create inverse ghosting, where a bright or colored halo appears around moving objects.
Do OLED monitors have ghosting?
OLED pixels are extremely fast, so traditional LCD-style ghosting is much lower. Motion clarity can still be limited by refresh rate and sample-and-hold persistence.