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Color Depth Test

Shows your display's color depth and renders gradient patterns to reveal color banding.

0-bit
Color Depth
< 8-bit
0-bit
Pixel Depth
screen.pixelDepth

256-Step Grayscale Gradient

On an 8-bit display you should see a smooth transition. On a 6-bit panel you may see visible steps.

RGB Channel Gradients (Red / Green / Blue)

Each row shows a gradient from black to full saturation. Banding appears as visible steps rather than a smooth sweep.

Subtle Banding Test (64–192 gray)

This compressed range reveals banding most clearly. If you can count individual steps, your display may be using dithering or is a 6-bit panel.

How many distinct steps can you see in the banding test above?

8-bit color: 256 steps per channel = 16.7 million colors. Standard for most consumer monitors.
10-bit color: 1,024 steps per channel = 1.07 billion colors. Required for HDR content and professional color work.
6-bit + FRC: 64 true steps, dithered to simulate 8-bit. Common in budget displays. May show slight banding on gradients.

Understanding Display Color Depth

Color depth determines how many distinct colors a display can show. The progression from 6-bit to 8-bit to 10-bit represents exponential increases in color precision: 6-bit panels can show 262,144 colors, 8-bit panels show 16.7 million, and 10-bit panels show over 1 billion. This matters most for smooth gradients, HDR content, and professional color-critical work.

The gradient tests on this page reveal whether your display and browser can render smooth color transitions. For best results, view the gradients in a darkened room at your monitor's native resolution and default gamma setting.