Gradient / Banding Test
Smooth gradients to reveal color banding artifacts caused by limited bit depth or poor dithering.
What to look for
- Color banding: Visible steps or bands instead of a smooth gradient.
- Banding indicates limited color depth (6-bit vs 8-bit vs 10-bit panel).
- Gray gradient is most revealing for banding artifacts.
Testing guide
How to test for color banding
A smooth gradient should transition without visible steps. When it does not, you are seeing banding, which reveals the real bit depth of your signal path rather than the number printed on the box.
Best for
- Checking whether a panel and its current connection genuinely deliver 10-bit color.
- Spotting banding introduced by cables, GPU settings, or aggressive display processing.
- Comparing gradient smoothness before and after a calibration or driver change.
How to run the test
- 1Run the gradient in fullscreen at native resolution so no scaling smooths the result.
- 2View it from your normal viewing distance in a dimly lit room.
- 3Look for distinct vertical or horizontal steps rather than a continuous fade.
- 4Repeat on each color channel to see whether banding affects one channel more than others.
How to read the result
Clearly visible steps usually mean the signal path is 8-bit rather than 10-bit, not that the panel is faulty.
Banding on one channel only can point to a cable, port, or GPU color setting rather than the panel.
Faint dithering noise instead of hard steps means the display is using FRC to simulate a higher bit depth.
Related tools and guides
Frequently asked questions
What causes color banding on a monitor?
Banding appears when there are not enough distinct shades to render a smooth transition. Common causes are an 8-bit panel or 8-bit signal path, a bandwidth-limited cable forcing lower color depth, compression in the content itself, or heavy-handed display processing.
Is banding a monitor defect?
Usually not. Most monitors are 8-bit or 8-bit plus FRC, and some banding on a full-screen gradient is normal for them. It is only a defect if banding appears far worse than comparable panels, or if it suddenly gets worse after a hardware change.
How do I fix color banding?
Check that your GPU is outputting the highest color depth your display supports, use a cable rated for the resolution and refresh rate you are running, disable unnecessary picture processing in the monitor menu, and confirm you are running at native resolution.
What is FRC and does it count as 10-bit?
Frame Rate Control rapidly alternates between two nearby shades so the eye blends them into an intermediate one. An 8-bit plus FRC panel approximates 10-bit output and reduces visible banding, but it is not the same as a true native 10-bit panel.
Why does banding look worse in dark areas?
Human vision is far more sensitive to brightness differences in shadows than in highlights, and gamma encoding allocates fewer code values to the darkest tones. That combination makes steps in dark gradients much easier to see.
Testing guide
How to test for color banding
A smooth gradient should transition without visible steps. When it does not, you are seeing banding, which reveals the real bit depth of your signal path rather than the number printed on the box.
Best for
- Checking whether a panel and its current connection genuinely deliver 10-bit color.
- Spotting banding introduced by cables, GPU settings, or aggressive display processing.
- Comparing gradient smoothness before and after a calibration or driver change.
How to run the test
- 1Run the gradient in fullscreen at native resolution so no scaling smooths the result.
- 2View it from your normal viewing distance in a dimly lit room.
- 3Look for distinct vertical or horizontal steps rather than a continuous fade.
- 4Repeat on each color channel to see whether banding affects one channel more than others.
How to read the result
Clearly visible steps usually mean the signal path is 8-bit rather than 10-bit, not that the panel is faulty.
Banding on one channel only can point to a cable, port, or GPU color setting rather than the panel.
Faint dithering noise instead of hard steps means the display is using FRC to simulate a higher bit depth.
Related tools and guides
Frequently asked questions
What causes color banding on a monitor?
Banding appears when there are not enough distinct shades to render a smooth transition. Common causes are an 8-bit panel or 8-bit signal path, a bandwidth-limited cable forcing lower color depth, compression in the content itself, or heavy-handed display processing.
Is banding a monitor defect?
Usually not. Most monitors are 8-bit or 8-bit plus FRC, and some banding on a full-screen gradient is normal for them. It is only a defect if banding appears far worse than comparable panels, or if it suddenly gets worse after a hardware change.
How do I fix color banding?
Check that your GPU is outputting the highest color depth your display supports, use a cable rated for the resolution and refresh rate you are running, disable unnecessary picture processing in the monitor menu, and confirm you are running at native resolution.
What is FRC and does it count as 10-bit?
Frame Rate Control rapidly alternates between two nearby shades so the eye blends them into an intermediate one. An 8-bit plus FRC panel approximates 10-bit output and reduces visible banding, but it is not the same as a true native 10-bit panel.
Why does banding look worse in dark areas?
Human vision is far more sensitive to brightness differences in shadows than in highlights, and gamma encoding allocates fewer code values to the darkest tones. That combination makes steps in dark gradients much easier to see.