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Motion & Timing

Ghosting & Response Time Test

Moving boxes at selectable speeds to reveal ghosting and trails.

▶ Start full-screen testSlow speed← / → or tap the sides to switch · Esc to exit

How to use

  1. 1Click Start and watch the boxes move across the screen.
  2. 2Use ← / → to change the speed.
  3. 3Look for a faint trail (ghosting) or a bright fringe (overshoot) behind each box.
  4. 4Press Esc to exit.

FAQ

What is ghosting?

Ghosting is a smeared trail behind moving objects caused by slow pixel response. Raising your monitor's overdrive can reduce it, but too much causes inverse-ghosting (overshoot).

Which speed should I use?

Start with Medium (480 px/s), which is close to everyday scrolling and game motion. Slow (240 px/s) shows how cleanly the panel settles, and Fast (960 px/s) exaggerates trails and overshoot, so small differences between overdrive settings become visible.

Is the trail ghosting or motion blur?

Some blur is unavoidable on any normal display: each frame is held still while your eyes keep moving, so higher refresh rates blur less. Ghosting is different, a distinct afterimage or smear left by slow pixel transitions, and on VA panels it is usually worst in dark scenes.

Tips

  • Track a moving box with your eyes, then try staring at a fixed point — each reveals different artifacts.
  • If you see a bright fringe instead of a smeared trail, your overdrive is too high (overshoot) — turn it down a notch.

Related tests

Refresh RateMeasure your real refresh rate and watch a moving reference.Open test→Screen Tearing TestFast scrolling bars that reveal tearing without V-Sync/VRR.Open test→Frame Skipping TestOne cell per frame — photograph it to catch a screen that drops frames.Open test→

Related guides

Learn more about what this test reveals and how to act on the results.

What Is Ghosting and How Do You Fix It?Trails behind moving objects come from slow pixels — and the cure, overdrive, can overshoot into inverse ghosting. Here's how to balance it.Response Time vs Input Lag: They're Not the SameOne is how fast pixels change; the other is how long until your click reaches the screen. Both affect how a display feels, in different ways.Motion Blur Reduction: BFI, ULMB, and Backlight StrobingHow black frame insertion and backlight strobing sharpen motion, what they cost you in brightness and flicker, and whether to turn them on.The Complete New-Device Screen Test ChecklistA 10-minute routine to inspect any new laptop, monitor, phone, or TV for dead pixels, bleed and tint before the return window closes.