Color banding appears when a display cannot render smooth transitions between shades, producing visible "steps" in gradients. This test displays smooth gradient ramps — inspect each strip for abrupt jumps instead of a continuous blend.
Color Gradient Test
Grayscale
Red
Green
Blue
Color banding occurs when a monitor cannot display enough distinct shades to create a smooth gradient, producing visible stepped transitions. It is most noticeable in large, slowly-changing color areas like skies in photos or game backgrounds.
- 6-bit panels: Entry-level TN and VA panels have 6-bit color depth (64 shades per channel) and use dithering to simulate 8-bit. Banding is more common.
- 8-bit panels: Standard IPS and VA panels display 256 true shades per channel — banding is rare.
- 10-bit panels: Professional displays with 1024 shades per channel. Virtually no visible banding.
- Incorrect color settings: A limited color range (16–235 instead of 0–255) can introduce banding even on good panels.
- Set your GPU output to Full RGB (0–255) range, not Limited.
- Ensure your display is set to 8-bit or higher color depth in OS settings.
- Use a cable that supports the full bandwidth (DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0+).
- Enable dithering in GPU driver settings if available.
A smooth, continuous gradient with no visible steps means your display is rendering colors correctly at its rated bit depth. Minor banding in very subtle transitions (near black or near white) is acceptable on 8-bit panels. Heavy banding across the full gradient range suggests a 6-bit panel or misconfigured color settings.