Color Depth Test
Shows your display's color depth and renders gradient patterns to reveal color banding.
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?
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.
Related Hardware Tests
More free tools to check your setup.
Color Gradient Test
Test your monitor for color banding and bit depth issues using smooth gradient and stepped color patterns.
HDR Monitor Test
Test HDR display performance: peak brightness, shadow detail, contrast ratio, and color volume using Canvas-rendered test patterns.
Dead Pixel Tester
Test your monitor for dead pixels, stuck pixels, and screen uniformity with our professional color testing tool.
Brightness & Contrast Test
Calibrate your monitor brightness and contrast using ANSI, PLUGE, and near-black/white test patterns.
Color Blind Test
Simplified Ishihara-style color vision screening. Check for red-green and blue-yellow color vision deficiency using 8 colored dot plates.