This test reveals ghosting, coronas, and overdrive artifacts. See LCD Motion Artifacts 101: Introduction and LCD Motion Artifacts: Overdrive for some examples of motion artifacts.
In full screen mode, you can also drag to adjust the vertical position of the ghosting test.
Pursuit Camera: See Simple Pursuit Camera Instructions . We have co-authored a peer reviewed conference paper , and multiple display review websites now use this test.
IMPORTANT: Close all apps and other browser tabs and windows for best performance! Keep Aero turned on. * Problems? Check Your Browser . Supported Browsers with VSYNC: Chrome (up to 240Hz+), FireFox 24+ (up to 240Hz+), IE 10+ (Limited to 60Hz). Copyright (C) 2017 Blur Busters - All Rights Reserved | BlurBusters.com | Discussion Forums | Privacy Policy | Contact Chief Blur Buster Blur Busters: Everything better than 60Hz™
How-To Geek
What is monitor ghosting, and how do i fix it.
Do you get trails on your monitor while playing games?
Quick Links
What is monitor ghosting, what causes monitor ghosting, run a ghosting test to identify the issue, how to fix monitor ghosting, beware pixel overshoot when using overdrive, don't confuse ghosting with blooming, key takeaways.
Monitor ghosting is a name given to pixel trails that appear during fast-paced motion as a result of slow pixel response times. You can fix ghosting using the overdrive setting in your monitor's menu, but beware of inadvertently causing pixel overshoot instead.
Do you see trails or blurring on your monitor during fast-paced motion or games? Ghosting can affect LCD monitors and televisions, but you may be able to rectify it with a simple setting. Here's how.
Monitor ghosting refers to visual artifacts that follow moving objects, particularly prevalent when gaming or displaying other fast-moving content. You might not notice ghosting in normal desktop use or slower-paced games, but it can be distracting when you're playing first-person shooters, racing games, or even scrolling quickly on a web page.
Some displays may be more prone to ghosting under certain conditions, for example in especially dark scenes. This can cause a loss in shadow detail and turn large parts of the screen into a smeary mess. On top of being frustrating to deal with, ghosting may contribute to eye strain over long play sessions.
Ghosting can affect any type of LCD panel, including monitors and televisions. It's more common on VA-type panels , which are the main LCD panel types used on televisions. Ghosting shouldn't be an issue on OLED panels but self-emissive displays may instead suffer from a form of temporary (and potentially permanent) image retention on static elements like health bars or news tickers.
Monitor ghosting is caused by slow pixel response times , where pixels aren't able to cleanly change from one color to another in good time. The problem is more noticeable at high frame rates, where frame times (the time in which a new frame is delivered) may be faster than the monitor's response time.
Monitor manufacturers often advertise, alongside other monitor specifications like contrast ratio and refresh rate , a monitor's response time in milliseconds. You may find these figures listed as "GtG" (gray-to-gray) and "MPRT" (Moving Picture Response Time), and both refer to different metrics.
GtG describes how long it takes a pixel to change between two colors. MPRT describes how long a pixel persists on the display. In both instances, a lower number is desirable. It's possible to have a fast GtG value and a slow MPRT value, which may cause ghosting to appear on your monitor.
Blur Busters has an excellent explanation of how GtG and MPRT interact, what other factors affect these values, and how manufacturers attempt to solve the issues of image persistence.
Since these values are used interchangeably and often without context by monitor manufacturers, it's advisable not to rely on a single advertised response value alone when making a purchase. We'd recommend reading reviews of any monitors you're thinking of purchasing on websites like RTINGs to see if ghosting is present and (if so) how bad it is. You can also consult our roundups of the best monitors , best gaming monitors , and best ultrawide monitors .
If you're already seeing ghosting or pixel trails when playing fast-paced games, you're already aware you have an issue. You may also want to run a ghosting test on your monitor. This is handy if you're in the process of testing a monitor out in a showroom or thinking of buying something second-hand that you can get your hands on before you buy.
Use the Blur Busters UFO Ghosting Test to perform a ghosting test. Use the "Speed" drop-down menu to adjust the pixels-per-second, to simulate slower or faster on-screen motion. If you see pixel trails that are consistent with ghosting, you have identified the issue.
This test may also show up other artifacts which can appear when you try to fix monitor ghosting, so you'll want to consult the test to see if the remedy below strikes a balance that you're happy with.
You can attempt to rectify monitor ghosting by using your monitor's overdrive setting . By using higher voltages on individual pixels, response times can be improved and ghosting may be reduced or disappear completely. Different manufacturers have different names for overdrive settings, so you may need to dig through your monitor's built-in preferences to find it.
Look for labels like Overdrive, OD, Response Time (LG and Samsung), TraceFree (ASUS), Rampage Response (ViewSonic), AMA (BenQ), or similar. Some monitors won't have this setting, in which case you won't be able to increase response time. Experiment with turning your response rate up (if you find the setting) while running the Blur Busters UFO Ghosting Test to see if you notice ghosting becoming more pronounced.
You should also be wary of other settings including noise reduction and dynamic contrast, or, if you're using a TV, motion smoothing . These can all contribute to unwanted artifacts and ghosting.
Unfortunately, monitor overdrive isn't a perfect fix. The setting usually comes in a range of "strengths" or speeds, like a scale of one to five, or names like "fastest" or "extreme". It may be tempting to turn this setting all the way up, but the main drawback to doing so is the introduction of pixel overshoot or coronas.
These unwanted artifacts occur as a result of the pixel going past (or "overshooting") the desired color. Also known as inverse ghosting, the effect is caused by pixels transitioning too quickly and can result in a similarly distracting effect. Which setting you choose in terms of remedying ghosting with overdrive and avoiding pixel overshoot will depend largely on which monitor you're using.
It also depends on your tastes. A small amount of ghosting may be more tolerable than the coronas caused by pixel overshoot. More often than not you're going to want to settle on a "medium" overdrive setting to get the balance right.
Blooming is another undesirable visual phenomenon that you may have heard of. Whereas ghosting refers to problems at the pixel level caused by response times, blooming is caused by LED backlighting, especially on displays that use full-array local dimming .
If you want excellent response times and no blooming, consider investing in an OLED display (or a newer QD-OLED monitor ).
What Is Monitor Ghosting and How Do You Fix It?
Is your monitor displaying visual artifacts? Don't head straight to the trash heap. There might be a way to fix it.
Looking at video artifacts while gaming is any gamer's nightmare, and monitor ghosting is one that tops the list. Not only does ghosting make gaming distracting, but it also affects how you consume content.
So, what do you do when a silhouette of delay follows your every move when you play your favorite FPS title?
Do you rush to the monitor service team to get the issue resolved, or is there something that you can do to fix monitor ghosting on your own?
What Is Monitor Ghosting and Why Does It Happen?
Monitor ghosting is a visual defect seen on monitors while playing fast-paced games or viewing content with expeditious action. This fast-paced nature of the content causes the pixels on the screen to give up— causing a shadow/trail of the object to be seen behind it. So as the name suggests, monitor ghosting is a visual defect that causes a ghost trail of the object to be visible behind it.
But why do the pixels on your display give up, and why does monitor ghosting occur? To understand why ghosting happens, we must understand how a display works and how data is sent from your CPU/GPU to the display.
You see, your GPU/CPU is responsible for creating the visuals you see on your screen. Once created, the CPU/GPU sends this information to your monitor based on its refresh rate. The monitor then collects the information and displays the visuals on the screen.
Therefore, if your monitor has a refresh rate of 60 hertz , information on the visuals is sent to the display every 16.6 milliseconds. Once the information is received, the monitor gets to work and starts manipulating the millions of pixels on the screen to display the received images.
This brings up the next question, how does the monitor change the images displayed on the screen every 16 milliseconds? Each of the millions of pixels on your monitor comprises sub-pixels consisting of three colors: red, green, and blue. A pixel can display any color using these three colors by changing its sub-pixel brightness. To do this, monitors use liquid crystals.
Liquid crystals are special compounds containing molecules whose orientation can be changed by applying a voltage. This change in orientation changes the amount of light that can pass through the liquid crystal. Due to this change, the brightness of each sub-pixel can be changed, and the monitor can display any image on the screen.
But there is a catch here: although the monitor can change the brightness of each pixel, the liquid crystals take some time to react to the change in the voltage, and this delay is known as the monitor's response time. Therefore, if your monitor has a response time of 20 milliseconds, then the liquid crystals on your monitor take 20 milliseconds to react to the changes in voltage. This delay causes ghosting on your monitor.
As explained earlier, if your display has a refresh rate of 60 hertz, then new information reaches the display every 16 milliseconds. That said, the liquid crystals in the display can't react to the information so fast, as they have a response time of 20 milliseconds. Due to this, your monitor shows a shadow of a fast-moving object as the liquid crystals have not changed the brightness levels, and part of the older image is still visible on the monitor.
We have taken the example of a monitor with a 60-hertz refresh rate, and as the refresh rate goes up, the response time of the liquid crystals plays a more crucial role. Therefore, ghosting can increase if you have a monitor with a high refresh rate.
Understanding Differences in Liquid Crystals and Their Response Times
Now that we know why ghosting happens, we can look at ways to solve it. That said, before trying to fix the issue, it's important to understand that every monitor in the market uses different types of liquid crystal technology, offering different advantages and disadvantages.
Broadly speaking, monitors use three types of liquid crystals: Twisted Nematic (TN), In-Plane Switching (IPS), and Vertical Alignment (VA). Each of these liquid crystal technologies offers different response times.
TN panels offer the lowest response time—being the most responsive, while VA panels are the slowest. IPS panels are somewhere in between the two when it comes to response time.
Therefore, if you look at it, each monitor will offer different levels of monitor ghosting based on its technology. So, if you are planning to buy a new monitor and don't want to fall prey to monitor ghosting, it's best to test the monitor for ghosting using the UFO test .
If you are satisfied with the results of the test, you can go ahead and buy the monitor. If not, we advise you to keep looking.
But what do you do if your monitor shows these visual artifacts? Don't worry; we have a set of solutions to help you solve monitor ghosting.
1. Update Your Drivers
Your GPU creates the visuals you see on screen. If there is an issue with how these graphics are created or sent to the display, you are bound to see some ghosting on your screen.
Hence, it is a good idea to update the GPU drivers on your system before blaming the monitor for the ghosting issues you are seeing.
In addition to this, you should also update the drivers on your system , as it could also solve the ghosting issues you are experiencing.
2. Check for Cable Damage
The cable connecting your monitor to the system is responsible for transmitting all the video data to the monitor. So, if the cable is damaged, you are bound to get some video artifacts while you game on your monitor.
Therefore, it is advised that you check the wire for any physical damage or fraying of the cables. If you find any external damage, then simply changing the cable could solve the problems that you are facing.
In addition, you can also look at the connectors on the two ends, and if they show signs of corrosion or are damaged in some way, it's best to replace the cable itself.
If you are using an HDMI cable for connecting to your display, it is advised to shift to a display port as it offers better video quality when compared to HDMI.
3. Change the Location of Wireless Devices
All the wireless devices you have connected to your system use radio waves to communicate with one another. In some cases, these waves can interfere with the signal sent over the video cable and cause ghosting.
So, if you have a lot of wireless devices connected to your system, you can disconnect them one at a time and see if it fixes the issues you are facing. Not only this, but you can also try to move around the devices that are connected to your system and see if ghosting reduces.
4. Change Your System Refresh Rate
As explained earlier, a higher refresh rate can increase monitor ghosting. So, if you want to reduce ghosting, you can decrease the refresh rate on your system . Doing this will give the pixels on your monitor more time to react, reducing ghosting.
5. Tweak the Video Settings on Your Monitor
When it comes to display settings, you can tweak video settings to reduce ghosting . Right from contrast ratios, gamma levels, brightness values, and shadow correction to color values, your display allows you to make several changes to improve display quality.
Although changing these parameters does not reduce ghosting at a physical level, these changes can reduce the amount of ghosting visible on the screen. For example, decreasing the contrast ratio can reduce the ghosting you see, as the difference between the brightest and darkest pixels is reduced.
6. Enable Pixel Overdrive on Your Monitor
As explained earlier, your monitor uses voltages to change the orientation of liquid crystals. Pixel overdrive increases this voltage so that the response time of the liquid crystals is reduced.
Most monitors offer three different intensities for pixel overdrive, and selecting the right one can help reduce ghosting drastically. That said, increasing pixel overdrive can cause inverse ghosting as the increased voltage can cause the pixels to overshoot the colors they are supposed to show.
7. Get Help From the Experts
If you have tried everything listed above and feel that the ghosting on your monitor hasn't reduced, it is best to contact the technical support team for your monitor.
In some cases, a damaged video port could cause ghosting, and such defects can only be fixed by changing the video decoding hardware on your monitor.
Can Monitor Ghosting Be Fixed, or Should You Buy a New Monitor?
Introducing a visual defect that follows fast-moving objects, monitor ghosting is a video artifact that makes your gaming experience less rewarding. That said, ghosting is not a permanent defect like pixel burn-in, and it can be fixed by tweaking the settings on your system/display.
Not only this, modern gaming displays come with overdrive technology that is designed to fix ghosting. So, if you are tired of monitor ghosting, tweak your monitor settings, but if that does not fix the issue, you might need to get a new monitor.
The epicentre of gaming and technology
- PlayStation
- Entertainment
- Lethal Company
- Sponsored Content
- SteamWorld Build
- Warhammer: Age of Sigmar - Realms of Ruin
How To - Fix Monitor Ghosting
A quick fix for those who are experiencing monitor ghosting.
24 May 2023 4:05 PM +00:00
If you are wondering how to fix monitor ghosting , then this is the article for you. We've put together a comprehensive list of everything you need to know on the topic.
Whether you are using the best gaming monitor or a budget 4K monitor , chances are that you may experience some ghosting issues. Although ghosting is not spooky, it can be a bit disconcerting and annoying. Even more disturbing than the black screen of death or a flickering screen .
Table of Contents
How to fix monitor ghosting, what is monitor ghosting, how do i know if my monitor is ghosting.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the causes of ghosting and the various ways you can fix it. Let's get started.
Monitor ghosting is the result of a video signal being out of sync with the refresh rate of the monitor . Whether you are watching a fast-paced scene in your favourite movie or taking down enemies in Call of Duty: Warzone monitor ghosting can spoil your experience. Indeed, with Warzone players already suffering from issues such as Warzone lag spikes , adding ghosting could add to an already frustrating experience.
Therefore, let's get rid of this issue once and for all. Here is how:
Conduct A Monitor Ghosting Test
The first step to solving any problem is to check if the issue exists at all. Therefore, conduct a monitor ghosting test. To do so, go to Blur Busters UFO Motion Test and run the monitor ghosting test within your browser.
A green "Ready" signal indicates no issues. Alternatively, if your monitor has ghosting issues, you will see an orange signal with suggestions on what to do. Thus, you can take action to correct the issue.
Activate Your Monitor’s Override Function
To fix the issue, start by turning on your device’s overdrive function. This function has different names depending on the manufacturer of your device. For instance, in ASUS monitors, it is called Trace Free, whereas, in Dell/LG/Samsung monitors, it is called Response Time .
To activate the function, access the on-screen display menu, then find and activate the overdrive function. You should then perform the monitor ghosting test again to see if you have passed with a flying green colour.
Adjust Your Monitor Settings
Changing the monitor settings and disabling some of the advanced features may fix the ghosting issue in your monitor. Take a look at settings with names along the lines of Perfect Clear, Dynamic Contrast, Motion Blur Reduction, Motion Smoothing, and Noise Reduction. Different brands have different names for the same feature.
All of these settings are intended to improve the picture quality, but some may also contribute to ghosting. Experiment with turning them on and off to see if the ghosting problem goes away.
Update Your Graphics Drivers
Make sure your graphics card drivers are up to date. If not, update them. You can visit the AMD site , Intel site , or GeForce site to check for updates to your graphics cards.
Once you are done updating, restart your computer and run the monitor ghosting test to see if the issue is fixed. Proceed to the next step if the issue is still present.
Check The Monitor Cable And Video Port
If the issue persists, inspect the monitor cable to see if it is securely connected. You might also want to make sure that there are no areas that may be frayed. Also, troubleshoot your cables by testing them against a replacement cable to see if this solves the issue.
It is also likely that the issue is with the video port of your monitor. If that is the case, you should consider consulting a professional technician to check the port. They will be able to replace the faulty parts and get your monitor working properly again.
Buy A New Monitor
If the monitor cannot be repaired or is too expensive to fix, the smart thing to do is to buy a new monitor. You can check out our picks of the best ultrawide monitors on the market to find the one that suits your needs.
Check Price: BenQ 27 2K QHD Monitor At Amazon
Monitor ghosting occurs when pixels trail behind a moving object, almost like motion blur. It is called ghosting since it creates a white shadow of the image that looks like a ghost. It is caused by a number of factors: monitor settings, faulty cable, or an outdated graphics card driver.
Ghosting is a result of high latency. It’s the consequence of the slow response time of a monitor relative to what is happening on screen, resulting in images that look like they are on top of one another. If you are experiencing ghosting, you can follow the instruction in the previous section to fix the monitor ghosting issue once and for all.
Read More: How To Clean A Monitor Screen Without Leaving Streaks
If you are suspicious that your monitor is ghosting, just run a monitor ghosting test. It's quick and easy to carry out. Navigate to this Blur Busters UFO Motion Test website and conduct the test. A green "Ready" signal indicates that your monitor has no ghosting issues.
In case your monitor is ghosting, don't panic. You can follow the instructions mentioned in the previous section to fix the issue.
If that's not good enough and you want a new monitor, you can check out our best monitor guide to see if it suits the job.
For more articles like this, take a look at our How To and Tech page.
- Laptop & Tablet
- Motherboard
- Gaming Chair
- Graphic card
- Tips & Tricks
- Printer & Scanner
- Computer Fundamentals
Monitor Ghosting: How To Fix It & How To Prevent It
Having a ghosting monitor can be more than annoying – it can impact your gaming performance, cause eye strain, and generally ruin your experience. Ghosting and image artifacts can be a real problem on even the best PC monitors.
These problems are most apparent when you are playing a game or watching a movie that has fast-moving scenes or images. It can cause the images to look like they are overlaid on each other.
In this guide, we will help you to understand what monitor ghosting is, what image artifacts are, and whether they are related, what causes monitor ghosting on even the best monitors and computers, and how you can avoid or remove ghosting from your screen.
What Is Monitor Ghosting & Why Does It Happen?
Check your other devices, issues that are similar to image ghosting, conclusion: monitor ghosting.
Monitor ghosting occurs when an image artifact shows up as a trail of pixels or as ghosts behind objects that are moving at a rapid rate. They also follow slower moving objects, but they aren’t as noticeable then. It is easy to see image ghosting when you are playing a first-person shooter game or when you are playing a faster sports game.
It should be noted that monitor ghosting doesn’t actually cause any damage to your display like some other image issues do (including image retention or burn-in). Instead, ghosting only really bothers people when there are those scenes that move too fast.
You will simply see the blurry trail without any permanent damage to the monitor or to the image itself. However, over time the image ghosting can get worse so that it seems like it created permanent damage.
Ghosting happens because there is a slow response time on certain types of LCD panels that are used in monitors. This happens because when the image is refreshed, the physical pixels cannot update fast enough and they don’t keep up with the image.
Sometimes, it will start by looking pixellated, and eventually, it will become smeared. In general, out of the most common types of LCD monitors, certain brands and types of panels are worse than others.
For example, VA panels have some of the slowest response times and are therefore more likely to show ghosting artifacts. That doesn’t mean that all VA panels have ghosting problems, but they are more likely to (and most do, in fact).
Some cheaper IPS monitors will also have ghosting and artifacts, but it is actually less likely. Ghosting is just part of having an LCD display and it is something that people should consider. It is an issue that cannot be completely stopped. Most manufacturers have been looking for ways to reduce ghosting artifacts, but they haven’t always had the most success.
This is because monitor ghosting isn’t necessarily caused by the monitor panel. It can be caused by many factors, including a faulty monitor cable or by other devices that are interfering with the monitor if they are placed close enough to it. Sometimes, even printers can impact monitor ghosting. Be sure to read reviews as it tends to happen on the same ones.
There are certain things that can cause ghosting more often than others. Overclocking, for example, your monitor for higher refresh rates can cause image artifacts that are similar to ghosting, or you may even get inverse ghosting.
How To Fix Monitor Ghosting
If you are experiencing monitor ghosting to the point where it is interrupting your viewing or gaming, then there are a few different ways that you can fix this problem. Most include changing or slightly adjusting certain settings within the monitor itself, even if the monitor is not what causes the problem.
The most common fix for monitor ghosting is to turn on the overdrive function. Now, the overdrive function is a bit confusing because almost every monitor manufacturers has a different name for overdrive.
Yours may be known as:
● AMA for BenQ monitors ● Overdrive for Acer monitors ● Response Time for LG and Samsung monitors ● Trace Free for ASUS monitors
If you have another monitor, you can look for “Overdrive” or “Response Time” and it will be there. If you can’t find either of those, you can look online to see what it will be called for your own monitor.
To correct this test, you will need to try a motion test of some sort. You can Google the term “Monitor Motion Test” and you will see a few different options pop up, but the most popular test is the TestUFO motion test. From there, you will be able to tweak the overdrive setting to make your image clearer.
You want to change the levels of overdrive until the ghosting is minimalized as much as possible. You want to do it as much as you can, but you will also need to avoid corona artifact. To find the sweet spot , you will need to put the setting at medium or one level below when inverse ghosting or the corona artifact start to appear.
There are some other settings that you may want to play around with, especially if your ghosting appears when the screen is dark. They include: “ Perfect Clear,” “Dynamic Contrast,” “Motion Smoothing” or “Noise Reduction.” All of these settings help to enhance the image.
They are added over the raw video footage and can, when they aren’t operating appropriately, cause some artifacts. This is a problem that is usually only found on TVs, but sometimes can be found on monitors as well.
In particular, if you are using an Nvidia monitor, you should go into the Nvidia Control Panel hub and look for a setting that is called “Noise Reduction.” Turn this setting completely off to avoid ghosting or image artifacts.
Another way to fix ghosting artifacts is to check your faulty cables or other devices. Remove all of the devices that are closer to your monitor, including your printer, modem, or even speakers, and see whether or not they have an impact on ghosting. It could be a problem that has to do with proximity.
You may also want to check your monitor cable for any tears, bends, kinks, or rust . Any of these can cause ghosting. If your monitor cable doesn’t look right, you should try to replace it.
If that doesn’t work, you may need to update your graphic card drivers. This can sometimes help with more minor issues or issues that have popped up out of the blue. To do this, you can turn on automatic updates or you can go onto the driver website to get the manual updates.
If you’ve tried both of these fixes and it still hasn’t worked, you may want to check the video port. You will have to take the monitor to a service that replaces it or send it back to the manufacturer if it is under warranty. Replacing this yourself is very difficult.
If that doesn’t solve your problem, it is likely just something caused by your monitor and there is nothing that you can do. Try to choose a monitor that has a pixel response time that is higher. You will just have to put up with the ghosting.
There are some issues that are similar to image ghosting that aren’t actually ghosting, and sometimes those will have other fixes that are much simpler – and sometimes the fixes aren’t as simple.
They include:
- Image Retention
This occurs on LCD monitors and, more often, LCD TVs. It is when a faded image is permanently shown on the monitor, whether it is off or not. This isn’t permanent and usually goes away on its own once the monitor has been turned off for a few minutes and turned back on. However, it is a recurring problem. Once it has happened once, it is more likely to happen again and again.
- Burn-In Effect
The burn-in effect looks pretty similar to image retention , but it is something that only happens on OLED displays and monitors. This is, unfortunately, a permanent issue. Once it has happened, there is nothing that you can do to remove the image or even fade it. The best thing you can do is take preventative action and avoid leading the display turned on with a static image for a long time.
- Motion Blur
Motion blur is often called ghosting, but it isn’t the same thing. Instead, it is when there is an image smearing both on the trailing and leading edges of the image, not just training on the edges as ghosting does.
This is a problem that is found on almost every monitor, but high refresh rate monitors (at least those that refresh at 120Hz or higher) have lower levels of blur. The better your monitor is, the less likely there is to be motion blur.
There are also some monitor settings that can help to reduce motion blur, depending on your monitor: 1ms Motion Blur Reduction (LG), ELMB (ASUS), or ULMB (available on Nvidia G-Sync monitors). These will all reduce, but not eliminate motion blur. However, this feature cannot be used while you are also using G-Sync or FreeSync.
- Inverse Ghosting (Corona Artifact)
Inverse ghosting is an image artifact that does look similar to ghosting. It is different in that the trailing object edges are followed by coronas that are bright instead of the smeared look of ghosting.
The artifact is often caused by setting the overdrive option to the maximum level. It is quite easy to fix this problem by either lowering or completely turning off the overdrive settings.
The good news is that monitor ghosting isn’t going to permanently destroy your monitor, even if it may destroy your gaming experience or your movie. Most people have already learned to adjust to some monitor ghosting and issues, even if they don’t exactly love it.
The best thing you can do is research your monitor before you buy it to see if ghosting is an issue for everyone or if it doesn’t have ghosting problems – most reviews will absolutely mention this fact.
RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR
How to Switch to 5GHz WiFi On Your Android Phone
What is the recommended solution if a computer performs slowly
AMD Driver Black Screen During Install: A Detailed Guide
LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
EDITOR PICKS
Popular posts.
Asus ROG Keyboard Not Working: Get Rid of the Trouble in...
AMD Radeon Software Not Opening: Simple Steps To Solve the Problem
Summit1g Chair Review: A Comfier Set for Your Gaming Setup
POPULAR CATEGORY
- Tips & Tricks 786
- Keyboard 93
- Motherboard 75
- Gaming Chair 69
- Graphic card 56
- Computer Fundamentals 54
- Cookie Policy
- Privacy Policy
Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
What is monitor ghosting and how to fix it?
Have you ever noticed a trail or shadow behind fast-moving objects on your monitor or TV? That’s ghosting — a visual anomaly that can make gaming or even just watching content extremely distracting. Different monitors will exhibit different amounts of ghosting, which adds another factor to watch out for when shopping for a new display. So in this article, let’s break down what causes ghosting, what it looks like, and how you can potentially reduce it on your monitor.
What is monitor ghosting and what causes it?
Ghosting is a visual artifact where fast-moving objects will appear to leave a trail, shadow, or “ghost” behind them as they move across the screen. If you notice ghosting, it’s because your display has a slow response time . In other words, the pixels cannot change colors quickly enough to keep up with a fast-moving object or animation.
Most mid-range monitors these days have a 60Hz refresh rate. This means that a new image appears on your display every 16.67 milliseconds. But if the physical pixels are slow to respond (take longer than 16.67ms to shift between colors), you’ll notice the delayed transition in the form of ghosting. Luckily, modern 60Hz displays have fast enough response times for ghosting to not be a problem.
However, that story changes when it comes to gaming monitors. These displays have significantly higher refresh rates, up to 144Hz or even 240Hz in some cases. For a 144Hz display, the individual pixels need to finish transitioning from one color to another within just 6.94 milliseconds. That’s certainly possible with some LCD panels, but not all of them. For a 240Hz monitor, you need an even lower response time of just 4 milliseconds to avoid ghosting.
All of this is to say that ghosting is entirely temporary and doesn’t have any long-term effect on your display. If you see burn-in on an OLED display, on the other hand, that’s likely because the individual pixels have permanently worn out.
Related: The best 240Hz monitors you can buy right now
How to test for monitor ghosting?
You can use blurBusters’ UFO test to check if your monitor suffers from ghosting. It’s free and runs entirely in your web browser. You’re looking for a noticeable shadow trailing the moving object, so pay attention to the left of a UFO as it moves across your screen.
Ghosting can appear on any LCD-LED display, but it especially affects monitors and TVs that use a certain panel type. We have a dedicated guide on display technologies if you want a deeper explanation, but here’s an express summary:
Not all LCDs are made equal — you’ll find three primary types on the market: TN, IPS, and VA. Each one has advantages and disadvantages — TN, for example, has the worst color accuracy of the three types, but boasts the fastest response times.
VA, on the other hand, exhibits better black levels and color accuracy than TN but suffers from slower response times. Finally, IPS lands somewhere in the middle in terms of response times. As you may have guess by now, VA panels are the most susceptible to ghosting.
Your monitor’s spec sheet should reveal which panel type you have — Samsung’s budget Odyssey G3 monitor, for example, uses a VA panel.
How to fix or reduce monitor ghosting?
In the past, most gaming displays used TN panels because of the technology’s low response times. However, as we’ve come to expect better color accuracy, display manufacturers have moved on to other panel types like IPS and VA. And in order to reduce ghosting, brands have adopted a technique known as pixel overdrive. Put simply, it speeds up the panel’s response time by increasing the amount of voltage applied to each pixel.
So if your monitor shows signs of ghosting, simply enable overdrive in the on-screen display (OSD) settings. Look for an entry called “response time”, “pixel response”, or “motion blur”. If you don’t see any of these, your monitor might be too old or its firmware might not support the feature. Non-gaming monitors often skip the feature as a cost-cutting measure too.
Assuming you have the overdrive option, however, keep in mind that you can only go so far with it — excessive overdrive can cause pixel overshoot, a visual anomaly that appears as a bright outline around fast-moving objects. Luckily, most manufacturers offer three or more overdrive settings, so you can pick the one that looks best.
If you’re in the market for a new monitor, you might notice marketing claims along the lines of “low Gray-to-Gray response time of 1ms”. While that sounds good enough to avoid ghosting, don’t take these claims at face value.
In most cases, brands rely on the highest overdrive setting to achieve that low response time. And as we know, aggressive overdrive can cause other visual artifacts like motion blur and pixel overshoot. All in all, the presence of ghosting and the effectiveness of overdrive differs from one monitor to another, so you’re better off checking independent reviews before making a purchase.
See also: The best monitors for work and play you can get
Keyboard ghosting interactive demonstration
Test which key combinations work on your keyboard.
Incompatible Browser This page does not work with Internet Explorer. Please view it using a modern browser such as Microsoft Edge .
The demo is enabled. Type on your computer keyboard to see results. To exit the demo , press the ESC key on your keyboard.
You have exited the demo by pressing the ESC key. To resume the demo, click the button above.
Using this demonstration
Type on your physical keyboard and see the on-screen keyboard show which keypresses are recognized.
Using the demo, you can see if there are certain key combinations that do not work correctly with your keyboard.
How to hunt for ghosts
Ghosts can be somewhat elusive. Just because you find some combination of 6 keys that reports correctly does not necessarily mean that every combination of 6 works. In fact, the most straightforward keyboard design has thousands of 3-key combinations that do not work! That is a lot, but it is still less than 5% of the total number of 3-key combinations.
A quick way to find problematic combinations is to press and hold A S D W (the most popular keys for moving around in games), and then, while holding those down, press every other key in turn. If you find a key that does not work, try releasing some of the A S D W keys. Odds are high that you will find a three-key combination that fails.
If you have an application that uses other combinations of keys, be sure to try those too!
Limitations
Some keys cannot be captured. Notably, on Windows browsers generally cannot detect when the Print Screen key is pressed.
Certain keys will take the input focus away from the web page. For example, pressing the Windows key will give focus to the Start menu. To continue using the demo, move the focus back to the web page by clicking on the demo window.
This demo was developed and tested using a standard full-sized U.S. keyboard and major Windows-based browsers. The key names and layout may not match your system, but the the ghosting behavior will still be evident.
- Keyboard Ghosting and the SideWinder X4
- SideWinder X4 Anti-Ghosting Keyboard: F.A.Q.
JavaScript Required
This demonstration requires JavaScript, but JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
What Is VA Smearing And Can You Fix It?
Learn everything you need to know about VA panel smearing and what you can do to reduce it to more tolerable amounts.
This article has been written by a vetted expert and fact-checked by other experts. The author has been certified as an expert in this topic. Learn more on our about page.
Most VA panel monitors have slow black to gray pixel transition speed, resulting in noticeable trailing behind fast-moving objects in dark scenes – this is often referred to as dark level smearing.
While this is a fundamental weakness of most monitors using VA panel technology, there are some things you can do to reduce it a bit and even make it negligible or tolerable.
Do you have a gaming monitor with a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel and want to reduce the amount of visible trailing behind fast-moving objects in dark scenes?
Are you interested in buying a VA monitor, but are worried about the infamous dark-level VA smearing?
In this article, we’ll go over everything you can do to reduce black level smearing and address any controversy surrounding this panel technology.
What Is VA Smearing?
First, let’s tackle why dark level smearing occurs.
We’ll take a 144Hz gaming monitor for an example – it refreshes the screen 144 times per second, so there’s a new ‘frame’ every 6.94ms. Now, if pixels change from one color to another slower than that, you will see trailing artifacts behind fast-moving objects.
A certain 144Hz gaming monitor might have a 4ms GtG (gray to gray) pixel response time speed specified, however, this is just marketing shenanigans as it doesn’t actually refer to the average pixel transition speed – but rather the fastest possible.
So, pixels might go from 80% gray to 60% gray in 4 milliseconds as specified, but it can take them over 30 milliseconds to go from 0% gray (black) to 20% gray , for instance.
VA panel monitors, in particular, have very slow pixel transitions from dark to gray or bright shades (rise time), which results in a lot of visible ghosting (i.e. trailing) artifacts behind fast-moving objects when a lot of dark pixels are involved in the scene.
Most VA monitors are affected by this, with the exclusion of Samsung’s Odyssey G9 , Neo G9 and G7 curved gaming displays and the KTC M27T20 .
So, is there anything you can do about this?
Proper Overdrive Settings
To start with, you need to make sure you’re using optimal response time overdrive settings. Go to Blur Buster’s ghosting test and track the moving UFO with your eyes; you’ll notice that it leaves trails as it moves.
Now go to your monitor’s OSD (On-Screen Display) menu and find an option called something along the lines of Overdrive , OD, Response Time, SmartResponse, TraceFree, etc.
You will find a few different options there, such as Weak, Medium, Strong – or Off, Normal, Extreme.
Try out the different options available and hopefully you will see some improvements.
Stronger overdrive makes the pixels transition faster, but a too aggressive setting can cause inverse ghosting (i.e. pixel overshoot), which leaves bright (instead of dark) ghosting artifacts.
If you are using AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, you might also need to change the overdrive mode depending on your frame rate.
For instance, the ‘Strong’ overdrive might look the best to you at 144Hz, but if your frame rate is around 60FPS, VRR dynamically changes your refresh rate to 60Hz and the ‘Strong’ mode might be too aggressive here thus causing overshoot.
So, you will need to see which overdrive mode works best at 60Hz and use that instead when using VRR around 60FPS, and so forth.
You should also keep in mind that monitors have better pixel response time performance after they’ve warmed up a bit. So, let them run for at least 30 minutes before testing and choosing the best overdrive mode.
Lower Refresh Rate
If you’re already using optimal overdrive settings, another thing you might want to consider is lowering your refresh rate in order to reduce VA smearing.
The pixels might not be quick enough to change in time at 144Hz, for instance, but at 100Hz or 120Hz, you leave them more headroom, which can result in less noticeable smearing.
Black Equalizer
Another thing you can do to reduce VA smearing is to use the monitor’s Black Equalizer feature. Depending on the brand, this feature can go under different names, such as Shadow Boost, Black Boost, Shadow Control, Black Level and similar.
This feature essentially alters the gamma curvature, making blacks lighter and dark objects easier to distinguish in shadows; the downside is that blacks won’t be as deep.
If your monitor doesn’t have a Black Equalizer feature, you can change the gamma settings – 2.2 is the default, lower gamma (2.0 and 1.8) will have lighter blacks.
Since using any of these features makes the overall image appear more washed out, you might want to use it in conjunction with color vibrancy settings, either via GPU drivers or if your monitor has such an option available in its OSD menu.
These methods can be useful if you already have a VA panel monitor, but in case you’re worried about smearing and are yet to buy a new monitor for fast-paced gaming, it’s best to just pick an IPS gaming display ; it will have a lower contrast ratio, but you’re already sacrificing contrast ratio on VA monitors via features such as Black Equalizer.
Motion Blur Reduction
If your gaming monitor has MBR (Motion Blur Reduction) technology, it might help clear up the smearing a bit.
MBR uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at a cost of picture brightness. Most MBR implementations cannot be used at the same time as VRR.
Further, MBR introduces screen flickering that’s invisible to the human eye, but may cause headaches or eye strain to those sensitive to it after prolonged use.
For best backlight strobing results, you’ll need to have your frame rate match the refresh rate as closely as possible. On a 144Hz monitor, for instance, lower the refresh rate to 120Hz and limit your frame rate to 120FPS.
Proper Post-Processing Settings
Some post-processing settings used in addition to VA’s slow pixel rise times can cause glimmering when using a mouse/controller to pan at a certain speed – as you see in the (left) video above.
By simply disabling the sharpening setting in the game’s graphic options, you can prevent this from happening. Applying some anti-aliasing can also reduce this effect if you prefer to use the sharpening option.
In other games, it might be another post-processing option that causes this (usually temporal anti-aliasing or TAA) so if you experience it, try enabling/disabling different settings.
Some video games might have a sharpening-like filter applied to the game without providing you with the option to disable it in the game’s video settings.
In this case, you can search for other methods to disable it, such as the game’s .ini files or via mods, command lines, etc. You can also use Reshade to inject certain post-processing effects into the game.
Hopefully, you managed to reduce VA smearing a bit using one of the methods above!
If you’ve been considering buying a high refresh rate VA gaming monitor, this article wasn’t intended to dissuade you from it. In truth, a lot of gamers wouldn’t even notice this dark level smearing until someone pointed it out to them, and even then, a lot of users wouldn’t be bothered by it.
Of course, in case you’re sensitive to these artifacts, it’s best to just get an IPS gaming monitor with a fast response time speed. Nowadays, you can find them at the same or similar price as their VA counterparts.
You should also keep in mind that VA monitors suffer from VRR brightness flickering and gamma/saturation shifts , whereas the main downside of IPS monitors is the low ~1,000:1 contrast ratio and IPS glow .
You Might Love These Too
Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.
- Entertainment
What Is Monitor Ghosting and How to Fix It
Monitor Ghosting: What Is It And What Causes It?
Moreover, there are technologies that help reduce monitor ghosting and motion blur, such as ELMB and BenQ’s DyAC, which are part of the Zowie XL2546 . You might have heard of G-SYNC or FreeSyn as well, which also help promote visual clarity and reduce visual glitches, although they are focused on reducing screen tearing.
How to Fix Monitor Ghosting: 5 Best Methods
1. set monitor refresh rate to the highest available.
- Right-click on your desktop, and click on Display settings .
- Next, click on Advanced display .
- Now, click on the drop-down menu to change your refresh rate to the highest value, and you will be done applying the fix.
- If you are running Windows 10, or if you are unable to change the refresh rate to what your monitor supports (for example, having a 144Hz display but only 60Hz is available), refer to our guide on how to change the monitor refresh rate .
2. Change Display Profile to Gaming Mode
3. Change Monitor Response Time Settings
4. Enable Motion Blur Reduction Features
Many monitors feature motion blur reduction features. In BenQ Zowie monitors, there is DyAc technology. In ASUS monitors, it is called ELMB or ELMB Sync. On LG Monitors, it is the motion blur reduction feature. So, remember to enable these features, as they can reduce monitor ghosting and motion blur.
5. Enable VRR, GSync, or FreeSync
If you notice trailing or shadows behind moving objects, such as in a movie or while gaming, then your monitor might be experiencing ghosting issues.
Beebom Staff
Bringing the latest in technology, gaming, and entertainment is our superhero team of staff writers. They have a keen eye for latest stories, happenings, and even memes for tech enthusiasts.
give me the feed back of the hardware
Add new comment
You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
How to fix screen burn-in on your iOS and Android smartphones
Ghost image or screen burn-in are names given to permanent discoloration of your smartphone’s screen caused by irregular pixel usage. The prolonged use of static images can create a permanent shadow or ghost of that image on the screen. This problem is common and happens most often on AMOLED screens (although LCD displays aren’t always immune). In this article, we explore ways in which this issue can be fixed—and, more importantly, prevented from happening in the first place.
If you are looking for a screen burn-in fix for your smartphone, let us inform you at the outset that severe cases of screen burn-in are difficult to fix, and the solution almost always involves replacing the display.
- Also read: How to fix the 'ghost touch' problem on your smartphones
Screen replacements, however, are an expensive proposition—especially if your phone is out of warranty. And in cases where the screen burn-in issue isn't that prominent, it is best that you look for other fixes. And that is what this article aims to explore.
The workarounds offered below, therefore, are best applied to cases of minor screen burn-in.
What is screen burn-in?
At the outset, it is important to know what this problem actually is. A screen burn-in is the phenomenon observed on displays where a part of the display suffers from permanent discoloration—often caused by prolonged use of a static image. It is also important to note that OLED displays are much more susceptible to screen burn-in than their LCD counterparts. In fact, what people think of as screen burn-in on an LCD panel might usually another issue.
While modern AMOLED displays are much better at resisting screen burn-in, if your phone tends to display many static images (Hint: Always-on display), the chances of screen burn-in do increase. But newer smartphones and wearables feature several mechanisms (aptly named burn-protection) that reduce the chances of screen burn-in. The way this works is by shifting a static image or text by a few pixels so that the pressure to stay on is not borne by a group of pixels.
Also important to note is the fact that screen burn-in is a hardware issue and affects OLED-based panels across a wide spectrum of products. For the same reason, any product that uses an AMOLED panel—ranging from Apple iPhones to Samsung Galaxy devices and OLED TVs could be prospective victims.
The scope of this article, however, is limited to addressing screen burn-in issues on Android and iOS smartphones.
How effective are screen burn-in fixing apps?
In a desperate attempt to find a fix for the screen burn-in problem on your phone, you search on Google, and it turns out there are several apps that claim to address the problem. But how effective are these apps, really?
First things first, you need to know that a screen-burn-in is a hardware problem. Attempting to fix it using software is almost always an exercise in futility. It is no surprise, therefore, that the reviews of most of these apps are mixed. But then what exactly do these apps do? And what about users who claim that their issue was fixed after they installed and used the app?
While some of these apps can be of help, and there are reviews where people have claimed they work, the general philosophy of these apps is to try and "burn" the rest of the screen to match the colors of the area. While this might work for you initially, you should know that eventually, you aren't helping solve the issue. Think of these apps as temporary workarounds until you replace your display.
For LCD screens, there's a dedicated app, LCD Burn-in Wiper that could possibly fix minor cases. However, this tool is not suitable for OLED or AMOLED displays, such as those found on most modern flagship smartphones. For that, you'll need a different app.
For Android smartphones with OLED/AMOLED screens, it is a good idea to try an app called Ghost Screen Fix - Burn-In . iPhone' users can try out an app called Doctor OLED X from the App Store for $0.99.
In most of these apps, the "fix" is to display a sequence of primary colors in an attempt to restore the "burnt" pixels. Interestingly, this was the original function of computer screen-savers: one dynamic image that appears when the screen is idle to make the pixels "exercise" and ensure that the same area of the display doesn’t remain constantly illuminated.
The results that you may get from these apps will vary based on how bad the screen burn-in issue on your phone actually is.
Other screen burn-in fixes
A workaround that has been suggested by one of our users involves an app called "Negative Image" from the Google Play Store. This is what NextPit user Chai Bula did to fix the screen burn-in issue on his smartphone.
- Take a screenshot of your screen when the screen burn-in issue is the most visible.
- Download one of the many Negative Image apps from the Google Play Store
- Use the app to create a Negative image of the screenshot you just saved.
- Open the negative image, which matches pixel to pixel with the original screenshot, and for the same reason, it will precisely overlay the affected pixels.
- Turn the brightness up to maximum, and this could help in improving things.
What if nothing works?
As already mentioned in the introduction, screen burn-in is an issue with the actual hardware. As such, a proper fix to the problem usually involves replacing the display. However, do note that modern displays are much more resistant to screen burn-in compared to their older counterparts, and the devices they are attached to also boast of several screen burn-in protection mechanisms.
For the same reason, chances are high you will rarely see a screen burn-in issue on newer devices that are so severe, a screen replacement becomes necessary.
Even so, in the rare instance the problem is awful, the best bet is to contact your manufacturer directly. If your smartphone is under warranty, they will offer you a fix. Bear in mind, however, that an out-of-warranty screen replacement might be quite an expensive affair. In fact, in some cases, it is cheaper to simply buy a new phone instead.
How to prevent screen burn-in from happening?
As you might have understood by now, screen burn-in can be an annoying problem. That being said, there are quite a few simple steps you can take so that your smartphone never encounters this issue at all. Note that the steps below are applicable for both Android smartphones and iPhones.
- Keep the brightness levels of your phone display to low or moderate. Never keep it at full brightness for extended periods of time.
- If you still use on-screen navigation buttons, it is a good idea to learn to use gesture-based navigation. By doing this, you prevent the screen from displaying the permanent on-screen navigation keys.
- If you are not a huge wallpaper buff, the best solution is to use a black screen as your wallpaper. On AMOLED displays, this effectively turns the pixels off – and therefore, no fear of burn-in!
- As much as possible, enable the dark mode feature on your smartphone.
Has your smartphone ever have this problem? Did you use another app to fix it? Let us know in the comments.
This article was last updated in June 2022. Older comments have been retained.
Choosing the Right Samsung Foldable
Rahul Srinivas Senior Editor
Among the most experienced tech journalists from India, Rahul has spent the better part of the past decade writing and experiencing technology. In his decade-long career, Rahul has contributed to several Indian and International publications, including Mobilegeeks, Onlygizmos, iPhoneHacks, and The Inquisitr. Before joining NextPit, he held the position of Senior Editor at MySmartPrice - one of India's largest product research platforms.
- Submit Cancel
Here's a site that specializes in fixing burn-in screens. fixburnin.com
Seems to me that just using your phone will stop most of this. You know, use a variety of apps and have the notification bar hide unless you swipe to see it or unless a new notification pops up. So while I set a wallpaper image, I'm so rarely on the homescreen it's actually refreshing when I do see it.
I use Kinscreen for precise screen control...(screen cutoff) Awesome app...and Leadroid (same dev) for simple battery saving...kills wifi and gps (and much more if rooted) after screen off.
Good to know
I just came up with a fix to the screen burn-in for Amoled device. The longer you use it, the more pronounce the buurn-in trace. I could easily recognize the problem, so I went there and take a screenshot of the problem, saved it and looked for an app to revert the image. From Play Store I found one, Negative Image, (there are several, but I was happy with this one). Once installed, open that screenshot and do the teversal into negative. Then increase brightness and contrast and save it. Since the image matches pixel to pixel of your screenshot, it overlays 100% of the problem. Open the result image and turn up the brightness to maximum. Leave it on for several minutes and you'll see improvement gradually. I've done it for only a few minutes and it works like magic !!!
can you explain this in a step by step procedure?
Sorry Storm that is no correct. I use my phone all the time and not for gaming and I have screen burn in from the task bar at the top which some Idiot at samsung thought was a good idea to leave it on permanently. Previous phones let the task bar disappear if not used.
It's a non issue if you use your phone. If you just gaze at it continuosly, maybe then it would happen
I have screen burn-in from G-Board, and despite keeping my phone's brightness at around 70%, I've now twice had the keyboard burn-in to my phone. I'm either a novelist that for some inexplicable reason writes stories on their phone for hours on end, or there's an underlying fault within OLED or Gboard. I'll leave it up to you to decide which of the two scenarios is more rational.
Never had the problem on my LCDs, because of quick screen blackout setting and using KeepScreen only for active apps. I'd guess it mainly affects gamers and long video watchers who have top and bottom elements always on during play. I recently learned about and tried this currently inactive app to full screen over that fringe area, and found it works surprisingly well on a new Android N tablet: GMD Full Screen Immersive Mode (Good Mood Droid) It's potentially a burn-in preventive but also increases active screen real estate. Not sure how many other devices it might work on.
Nice LOIE FAVRE , Downloaded and I am Enjoying the App, Thanks For Sharing
"Hey, my screen shows burn-in! Why is that?" -- "Well, some pixels on the screen are worn out more than others. Especially the pixels that mostly show brighter colors age quicker." -- "I see. Can I fix it?" -- "Yes, you can. Just download an app that destroys the better pixels until you don't see the difference anymore!" And that, folks, is how you get people to download an app which systematically destroys the screen.
That’s a keen sense for the obvious you have there. Please, point out more obvious things.
You are a champion of stupidity.
Enjoyed the Omni, now it's time to learn!
This stuff needs a freaking epilepsy warning, God Damn
The screen changes colour super slowly. Like once a second. Have you even tried using the app?
Is this a permanent fix ?
Works on LG G5 (confirmed) I had a Snapchat chat burned partially into my screen. I let this run while I slept when I woke up I checked it and it was fixed. Thanks alot definitely didn't want to drop another $400 on a g5
oh good because i was messaging my friend on an app and i fell asleep and my phone doesn't sleep when the keyboard is up so it was on for 5 hours (also lg g5)
By clicking on the button above, you agree that external content may be displayed to you. Personal data may be transmitted to third-party providers in the process. You can find more information about this in our Privacy Policy .
What is Monitor Ghosting? Explained Causes (with Picture)
If you are involved in the world of computing, especially gaming, you have probably heard of ghosting or seen a ghosting effect on screens .
In this article, I will explain this effect and what causes ghosting on monitors and ways to fix it. In addition, I guide you through a simple test to identify it on our screen.
What is Ghosting on Monitor Screen?
Typically, we do not expect to stare at one image fixed on the screen for too long, so the ghosting effect occurs only when an image changes too fast.
Thus, the term “ ghosting ” refers to a soft repetition (ghost) of a previous object on the screen, but it only lasts for a short moment in milliseconds when it moves at high speed across it.
In other words, when Ghosting appears on your screen, what you see is a slight retention of the previous image or frame in certain fast transmissions of an image. It feels like
“ a kind of ghostly trail behind moving images ” “ a faint afterimage ” “ delayed images on display when scrolling ” “ a motion blurring of the image ”
This can be seen in the following image:
As said, a ghost appears only in scenes with fast movements when you play titles with a lot of action, and having a trail image causes accuracy to worsen and also makes our eyes suffer and get more tired. This visual effect of Ghosting is a consequence of a slower response of your monitor panel and also a low refresh rate.
In other words, if, for example , if monitor has a response time of 20 milliseconds and a refresh rate of 60 Hz every second, whose response time is 16.6 milliseconds (1 second divided by 60), the difference in response speed between a element and another is what will produce the ghosting effect.
In this case:
- Difference = Refresh Rate – Response Time
- Difference = 16.6 ms – 20 ms
- Difference = -3.4 milliseconds
What causes ghosting in monitors?
Ghosting or motion blur does not belong to the image itself; instead , the slow response time of the monitor is the cause. The better the response, the faster the pixels turn on and off and the less ghosting there will be; that’s why such slowness makes our eye perceive ghosting.
You can verify this with your eyesight, using the UFOs test that passes by the screen.
On this website, you see UFOs passing fast; increase the speed to 1080 Pixels per second, and you will see ghosting and motion-blurring anomalies. Interestingly, if you take a screenshot or photograph the screen, you won’t see the blurring on it because neither it was simply there in the first place nor any monitor failure sign .
Even in slow-motion videos, you’ll see the transition but not the ghosting. It is everything perceived because of the slowness of the monitor (taking too long to replace pixel color from one to another), which makes it look like a ghost for your eyes , thus means the better the response time, the less you will notice ghosting on screen.
How do I fix my ghosting monitor?
1. change the monitor’s video settings:.
One way to fix ghosting is by tweaking specific parameters of our monitor. Most mid/high range gaming monitors have built-in technologies that fix the ghosting effect.
For instance, Asus has Trace Free, BenQ has AMA, and Viewsonic has Rampage Response, while many others are simply called Overdrive or similar. You must adjust and experiment with these options to see if the results vary and perceive a better image without ghosting.
Other options include contrast ratios , brightness values, shadow control and shadow correction to color values ; these settings do not reduce ghosting to the actual level, but they can reduce the amount you see on the screen. For example, lowering the contrast ratio can reduce the shadows by reducing the difference between the brightest and darkest pixels.
2. Modify response time
Response time is measured in milliseconds, which is the time it takes for the monitor to receive he image and adjust the color of the pixels.
Some monitors have an option to change the response time of the screen (be careful, I am not talking about the refresh rate). Once again, you can modify these settings to see if the image improves or worsens.
3. Adjust refresh rate
As mentioned at the beginning, it’s important for the screen’s response time to match its refresh rate. Therefore, adjusting the refresh rate to a lower value or even high may be the solution.
There is also VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which can be AMD’s FreeSync or Nvidia’s G-Sync. It has less impact on ghosting, but having it activated will improve other aspects of a display and it is not about turning Vsync which is different.
Tip – Many of these settings can be found and activated from the on-screen settings menu. Most of these modes have different degrees of activation. It is worth testing their different settings since the most aggressive will not always offer the best result and may generate the opposite effect.
4. Firmware and driver update
It is always a good idea to keep the drivers of our graphics card, iGPU and monitor updated, since with each update, they not only improve performance but also fix errors that can affect the image and, therefore, the monitor and what it displays, and can help reduce problems like ghosting.
5. Checking connections and wiring
Another lesser known cause of image problems is the cable. A cable in poor condition, broken or low quality will cause the image to lose consistency and, above all, phenomena such as flickering and ghosting will appear due to a bus that is not stable or is limited.
It is always a good idea to try with another cable or a different port on your graphics card and monitor.
What do we have to look for a Monitor without Ghosting?
Ghosting can happen on any monitor size and type, although there are some types of panels that, due to their characteristics and how they work, are more likely to have the problem or show it more clearly.
The leading cause of the phenomenon is the response time; the slower this is, the more likely it is that ghosting will appear and the more serious it will be if it appears. For this reason, VA panels tend to be more prone to suffer from this problem since, by nature, their response time is usually slower.
In contrast, IPS panels , for example, usually have a faster response time and, therefore, are less likely to notice ghosting in them.
However, it doesn’t mean IPS panels are entirely excused from ghosting. The monitor’s refresh rate also plays a role since the higher it is, the smaller the effect tends to be or the less it is usually noticeable, but again, the response time is the key factor that has the most effect on ghosting.
So, when looking to buy a monitor without ghosting, it is crucial to consider the panel’s response time. The lower it is, the better, the faster it will be, and anything below 5ms along with best refresh rate like above 120Hz should be considered ideal for gaming purposes.
Ghosting can be a nuisance, but we can reduce it.
As we have seen throughout the article, in the end, ghosting does not usually affect the different usage scenarios of our PC, and a user should only worry when playing video games with a lot of movement.
For regular activities like browsing the internet, working, or playing more relaxed games, ghosting shouldn’t be noticeable and much less a problem when using the PC.
We have seen a way to detect ghosting on our monitor and explored ways to mitigate or even eliminate it, as well as reviewed specifications to consider when buying a monitor with minimal ghosting.
Depending on the type of monitor, it may not be possible to get rid of this annoyance, but it may be possible to reduce it until it is not too worrying.
What causes ghosting in monitors?
This ghosting on the monitor does not have to be a single reason, and it can be caused by several reasons such as the response time of the monitor, the type of display panel, the speed of the object (the faster the ghost will get bigger) and to a lesser extent its refresh rate.
Which monitor panel has the most ghosting?
This problem is most noticeable on monitors with VA panels, where the pixel response time is slower than other monitors like of TN panel. Ghost images shouldn’t be a problem on OLED panels, but self-emissive displays can undergo a temporary image retention form.
Is Ghosting on screen bad?
Ghosting can seriously affect the image quality on the monitor by creating shadows or trails from the previous image; the sharpness and precision of details are compromised. This can be especially annoying when watching fast-moving content, such as action movies or high-speed games.
Can ghosting be repaired, or do I have to buy a new screen?
Ghosting on screen is a video artifact that makes your gaming experience less rewarding, but it is not a permanent defect like dead pixel or pixel burning. It can be fixed by modifying your system/display settings like modern gaming monitors come with Overdrive technology designed to correct ghostly trails behind moving images.
Can a graphics card or monitor cause ghosting?
While outdated graphics card drivers can indirectly affect image quality, however, the ghosting problem is primarily related to the monitor’s response time.
Spread the Insights of this Post !
Similar Posts
What is response time on a monitor? & Why it Matters?
Is Overclocking Monitor Safe? Does it Reduce Monitor’s Lifespan?
How to Connect a VGA monitor to a HDMI or DVI ports?
Where and How to Connect Monitor with Computer? (5 Steps)
How to Fix Dead Pixel or Stuck Pixels of Green, Blue, Red?
How to Choose the Best Refresh Rate for Gaming?
- Disk & Data Manager
- Partition Wizard
- Power Data Recovery
- ShadowMaker
- Media Toolkit
- uTube Downloader
- Video Converter
- Download Partition Wizard Free Edition: Download Pro Edition: Try Demo Server Edition: Try Demo
- Partition Magic
Monitor Ghosting (What Is It & How to Test and Fix It)
This post will discuss a phenomenon associated with computer screen – monitor ghosting . The content focuses on the definition, test, and solutions of the monitor hosting. Now, read this post of MiniTool for detailed information!
What Is Monitor Ghosting
Monitor ghosting refers to an image artifact left on the trail of moving objects. It’s almost like a motion blur. It can be found in fast-moving scenes and fps games. Different from effects like image retention and monitor burn-in, monitor ghosting won’t cause permanent effects to your monitor.
Though monitor ghosting is a common issue, it can be annoying, especially when you play high graphics games or online shooters. A ghosting monitor can affect your gaming performance, cause eye strain, and ruin your experience and image quality.
Read here, you may wonder what causes the ghosting monitor. A number of factors can result in the monitor ghosting such as a faulty monitor cable , unoptimized monitor settings , the interference with the monitor-to-PC connection , and the slow response time of a monitor .
Also read: Discord Blurry Text and Video Quality [Quick Fix]
How to Conduct a Ghosting Test
As talked earlier, monitor ghosting has some negative impacts. Therefore, it is vital to perform a monitor ghosting test to see if your computer has this issue. If it has indeed, you can take some actions to fix it.
It is very easy to conduct the monitor ghosting test. You can do that via online website with ease.
Do you encounter the AMD display drivers crashing issue? What to do to fix the issue? Well, here are some solutions to AMD driver crashing error.
How to Repair Ghosting Monitor
Method 1: check the refresh rate and response time of pc.
Generally speaking, your gaming monitor shouldn’t be running with anything lower than 60Hz refresh rate. If you find that your monitor supports for a higher refresh rate, you can solve the monitor ghosting issue by changing the refresh rate to a higher value.
How to check the refresh rate of your computer? You can find it by following steps below.
Step 1: Open Settings by pressing Windows and I keys, and then click on System .
Step 2: In the next window, click on Display and Advanced Display Settings .
Step 3: Click Display adapter properties for Display 1 to continue.
Step 4: Then you can see the screen refresh rate.
As you see, the current screen refresh rate is 60Hz within a normal value. If you want to change it to a higher rate, open the drop-down men and choose a refresh rate. Finally, click OK and Apply .
After checking the refresh rate, you should also check if the response time exceeds 10ms. The sweet spot for the gaming monitor is 5ms and below.
Windows 10 display too big? How do I resize the screen on my computer? If you are bothered by these questions, read this post to find answers.
Method 2: Check if the Graphics Card Driver Is Outdated
An outdated graphics card driver can also lead to monitor ghosting. Hence, you’d better check if the graphics card driver is outdated when monitor ghosting occurs. If so, update it with the following steps.
Step 1: Open the Run window by pressing Windows and R keys, and then type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter .
Step 2: In the Device Manager window, double-click on Display adaptors to expand it. Then right-click on your graphics card driver from the list and click Update driver .
Step 3: You are required to choose a driver update method according to your demand in this window. You can update the driver either automatically or manually.
Method 3: Check the Setup of the Monitor
According to user reports, monitor ghosting can occur because of settings like ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur). So, try disabling that option to resolve the monitor ghosting issue.
Method 4: Enable Overdrive
Enabling Overdrive is also useful for fixing the monitor ghosting issue. Here are steps for doing that.
Step 1: Open the On-Screen Display menu and then look for Overdrive, AMA, Trace Free, or Response Time .
Step 2: Enable the option.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
User Comments :
- Mobile Workstations
- Student Offers
- All-in-Ones
- Towers & Mini's
- Workstations
- Configure Your Workstation
- Virtual Reality
- More than 27"
- Between 23" - 25"
- Home Office
- InkJet Printers
- LaserJet Printers
- Large Format Printers
- Discover HP+
- Instant Ink
- Print At Your Service
- Recycling Program
- Mice & Keyboards
- Power Adapters
- Docking Stations
- Gaming Accessories
- Audio & VR Headsets
- Bags & Cases
- Software & Drivers
- Technical Support
- Track My Order
- Contact HP Store
- Frequently Asked Questions
- My saved cards
- Personal Information
- My Addresses
- Reset Password
New to HP Store?
more item(s) in your basket
Free Delivery on all orders to UK mainland within 3 working days.
Discover the wider range of HP products.
Find the perfect HP product to fit your needs.
- Discover the range
- Shop by product type
- See all Laptops
- See all Desktops
- See all Workstations
- Shop by screen size
- See all Monitors
- See all Printers
- See our full range
Contact our Technical Support or download Drivers and Software.
HP TECH TAKES /...
What is Monitor Ghosting and How Do I Fix it?
What is monitor ghosting, what causes monitor ghosting, what is ghosting in gaming, how to fix monitor ghosting, 1. monitor ghosting test, 2. turn on the overdrive function.
- Access the on-screen display menu of your monitor
- Once in the menu, activate the overdrive function
- Activating this feature allows you to change the level of overdrive according to the refresh rate of your monitor
- You can get optimal performance at your preferred settings and eliminate or reduce monitor ghosting
3. Adjust monitor settings
4. check connected devices and cables, 5. update graphics card drivers, 6. check monitor video port, related tags.
- display settings
- monitor ghosting
- monitor settings
Popular articles
Article archives
- What Do You Really Need in Your Carry On? >
- 2020 Articles >
- 2019 Articles >
- 2018 Articles >
- Latest HP Laptops
- Latest HP Desktops
- Laptop Offers
- Desktop Offers
- Printer Offers
- All Printers
- Accessories
- All-in-One Desktops
- Home Desktops
- Business Desktops
- Gaming Desktops
- Home Laptops
- Business Laptops
- Gaming Laptops
Disclosure: Our site may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page.
- Shipping Information
- Order Tracking
- Returns Information
- Cancellation Policy
- My HP Rewards
- Chat with a sales rep
- Send us an email
Prices, specifications, availability and terms of offers may change without notice. Price protection, price matching or price guarantees do not apply to Intra-day, Daily Deals or limited-time promotions. Quantity limits may apply to orders, including orders for discounted and promotional items. Despite our best efforts, a small number of items may contain pricing, typography, or photography errors. Correct prices and promotions are validated at the time your order is placed. These terms apply only to products sold by HP.com; reseller offers may vary. Items sold by HP.com are not for immediate resale. Orders that do not comply with HP.com terms, conditions, and limitations may be cancelled. Contract and volume customers not eligible.
HP’s MSRP is subject to discount. HP’s MSRP price is shown as either a stand-alone price or as a strike-through price with a discounted or promotional price also listed. Discounted or promotional pricing is indicated by the presence of an additional higher MSRP strike-through price
The following applies to HP systems with Intel 6th Gen and other future-generation processors on systems shipping with Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 Pro systems downgraded to Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8 Pro, or Windows 8.1: This version of Windows running with the processor or chipsets used in this system has limited support from Microsoft. For more information about Microsoft’s support, please see Microsoft’s Support Lifecycle FAQ at https://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle
Ultrabook, Celeron, Celeron Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, Xeon Phi, Xeon Inside, and Intel Optane are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.
In-home warranty is available only on select customizable HP desktop PCs. Need for in-home service is determined by HP support representative. Customer may be required to run system self-test programs or correct reported faults by following advice given over phone. On-site services provided only if issue can't be corrected remotely. Service not available holidays and weekends.
HP will transfer your name and address information, IP address, products ordered and associated costs and other personal information related to processing your application to Bill Me Later®. Bill Me Later will use that data under its privacy policy.
Microsoft Windows 10: Not all features are available in all editions or versions of Windows 10. Systems may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware, drivers, software or BIOS update to take full advantage of Windows 10 functionality. Windows 10 is automatically updated, which is always enabled. ISP fees may apply and additional requirements may apply over time for updates. See http://www.microsoft.com.
“Best All In One Printer” and “the easiest printer you’ve ever had to set up” from Wirecutter. ©2020 The Wirecutter, Inc.. All rights reserved. Used under license. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-all-in-one-printer/
Get Marvel’s Avengers when you purchase HP gaming PCs with qualifying 9th gen or 10th gen Intel® Core™ i5, i7 and i9 processors. Redemption code will be sent out by email within 60 days of purchase. Limited quantities and while supply lasts. Offer valid thru 12/31/2020 only while supplies last. We reserve the right to replace titles in the offer for ones of equal or greater value. Certain titles may not be available to all consumers because of age restrictions. The Offer may be changed, cancelled, or suspended at any time, for any reason, without notice, at Intel’s reasonable discretion if its fairness or integrity affected whether due to human or technical error. The Offer sponsor is Intel Corporation, 2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA. To participate you must create an Intel Digital Hub Account, purchase a qualifying product during the redemption period, enter a valid Master Key, and respond to a brief survey. Information you submit is collected, stored, processed, and used on servers in the USA. For more information on offer details, eligibility, restrictions, and our privacy policy, visit https://softwareoffer.intel.com/offer/20Q3-19/terms.
© 2020 MARVEL. © Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
The personal information you provide will be used according to the HP Privacy Statement (https://www8.hp.com/us/en/privacy/ww-privacy.html)
Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ Monitor Review
Totally worth it.
Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ – Design and Specs
Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ – Gaming Features
Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ – Performance and Gaming
Purchasing Guide
Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ
- UK readers: See it on Amazon (UK)
The Asus TUF VG27Q has its quirks, but I loved the responsive IPS panel, crisp visuals, utter smoothness. For $429, it falls short of some of the best we’ve seen this year, but remains one of the best for its price.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
UFO Test: Ghosting This test reveals ghosting, coronas, and overdrive artifacts. See LCD Motion Artifacts 101: Introduction and LCD Motion Artifacts: Overdrive for some examples of motion artifacts. In full screen mode, you can also drag to adjust the vertical position of the ghosting test. Pursuit Camera: See Simple Pursuit Camera Instructions.
Monitor ghosting refers to visual artifacts that follow moving objects, particularly prevalent when gaming or displaying other fast-moving content. You might not notice ghosting in normal desktop use or slower-paced games, but it can be distracting when you're playing first-person shooters, racing games, or even scrolling quickly on a web page.
1. Monitor ghosting test The first step to fixing any problem is to diagnose the issue. Fortunately, performing a ghosting test is easy. Go to Blur Busters UFO Motion Test and run the monitor ghosting test within your browser.
Ghosting on a gaming monitor can make the experience of gaming pretty lack luster. With blurring and smearing whenever you move an inch it can make a monitor almost unplayable. In this video I...
Monitor ghosting is a visual defect seen on monitors while playing fast-paced games or viewing content with expeditious action. This fast-paced nature of the content causes the pixels on the screen to give up— causing a shadow/trail of the object to be seen behind it.
I'm comparing Monitor Ghosting/Black Smearing on 1ms Budget IPS and VA Monitors. Which is worse? What does it look like in gaming and productivity? How does ...
Here is how: Conduct A Monitor Ghosting Test The first step to solving any problem is to check if the issue exists at all. Therefore, conduct a monitor ghosting test. To do so, go to Blur Busters UFO Motion Test and run the monitor ghosting test within your browser. A green "Ready" signal indicates no issues.
50 Having a ghosting monitor can be more than annoying - it can impact your gaming performance, cause eye strain, and generally ruin your experience. Ghosting and image artifacts can be a real problem on even the best PC monitors. These problems are most apparent when you are playing a game or watching a movie that has fast-moving scenes or images.
Updated JUNE 2019 Illustrations of different motion artifacts that affect clarity of moving objects on LCD displays, using the TestUFO Ghosting Test . The UFO objects were moving horizontally at 960 pixels per second on a 60 Hz LCD, and captured using a pursuit camera. Ghosting Ghosting is a trailing motion artifact.
How to test for monitor ghosting? Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority You can use blurBusters' UFO test to check if your monitor suffers from ghosting. It's free and runs entirely in your...
Shadow banning, also called stealth banning, hellbanning, ghost banning, and comment ghosting, is the practice of blocking or partially blocking a user or the user's content from some areas of an online community in such a way that the ban is not readily apparent to the user, regardless of whether the action is taken by an individual or an algor...
The moving character exhibits a shadow-like effect. The same case is with the trees in the background, giving a blurry appearance. Monitor Ghosting in Fortnite Battle Royale Without a doubt, it can have a significant impact on your gaming experience.
Type on your physical keyboard and see the on-screen keyboard show which keypresses are recognized. Using the demo, you can see if there are certain key combinations that do not work correctly with your keyboard. How to hunt for ghosts Ghosts can be somewhat elusive.
Go to Blur Buster's ghosting test and track the moving UFO with your eyes; you'll notice that it leaves trails as it moves. Now go to your monitor's OSD (On-Screen Display) menu and find an option called something along the lines of Overdrive, OD, Response Time, SmartResponse, TraceFree, etc.
You can test for this on your monitor using the Blur Busters UFO tool. In order to reduce monitor ghosting and improve visual clarity during fast-paced scenes, monitor manufacturers have been introducing new features as well as improvements to the refresh rate of monitors.
For Android smartphones with OLED/AMOLED screens, it is a good idea to try an app called Ghost Screen Fix - Burn-In. iPhone' users can try out an app called Doctor OLED X from the App Store for $0.99. In most of these apps, the "fix" is to display a sequence of primary colors in an attempt to restore the "burnt" pixels.
What is Ghosting on Monitor Screen? What causes ghosting in monitors? How do I fix my ghosting monitor? 1. Change the monitor's video settings: 2. Modify response time 3. Adjust refresh rate 4. Firmware and driver update 5. Checking connections and wiring What do we have to look for a Monitor without Ghosting?
Step 1: Open Settings by pressing Windows and I keys, and then click on System. Step 2: In the next window, click on Display and Advanced Display Settings. Step 3: Click Display adapter properties for Display 1 to continue. Step 4: Then you can see the screen refresh rate. As you see, the current screen refresh rate is 60Hz within a normal ...
Advanced enterprise. 2. Interpret the speedtest results. 3. Improve your connection. 4.A Optimize your Shadow's configuration - Option A: from the launcher. 4.B. Optimize your Shadow's configuration - Option B: from the Quick Menu.
Monitor ghosting is most prevalent, and perhaps most obnoxious, in gaming. Whether you are traversing through the sci-fi landscape of Cyberpunk 2077 or taking out enemies in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, monitor ghosting can cause distortions that will sour your game experience.In gaming, monitor ghosting can cause eye strain and ruin your game by making the images look like they are on ...
I went into the monitors built in menu and changed shadow control under game setting from 5 to 6 and that fixed most of the issues. looks pretty normal now in terms of ghosting, but blacks aren't nearly as...black anymore. Whokam. • 3 yr. ago. That's VA dark smearing and is 'normal' for most VA monitors. Far_Perspective_8807.
Likewise, in the Ghosting Test, the vertical grey bars were nearly uniform, which shows the same. This is prime evidence that this panel type isn't the end-all-be-all for responsiveness for a ...
The Shadow Ghost acts, via your TV or a computer monitor, as an on-ramp to a powerful Windows 10 PC in the cloud that you subscribe to. ... but my test account reports back a Quadro P5000 and a ...