Monitor Ghosting and Motion Trail Test
Inspect moving reference objects for visible trails, smearing, inverse ghosting, and response-time artifacts during motion.
Controlled motion makes pixel-response behavior and overdrive-related trails easier to observe at the browser's current frame delivery rate. Keep the tab active, use the monitor's native refresh mode, compare overdrive settings, and observe the moving object without resizing the window.
What does this test measure?
Controlled motion makes pixel-response behavior and overdrive-related trails easier to observe at the browser's current frame delivery rate.
Why is this test important?
Inspect moving reference objects for visible trails, smearing, inverse ghosting, and response-time artifacts during motion.
How do you run the test?
Keep the tab active, use the monitor's native refresh mode, compare overdrive settings, and observe the moving object without resizing the window.
How should results be interpreted?
Dark or bright trails can indicate slow transitions or excessive overdrive; inconsistent motion may also come from frame timing or background load.
Normal and problematic results
Dark or bright trails can indicate slow transitions or excessive overdrive; inconsistent motion may also come from frame timing or background load.
Technical limitations
This is a visual browser test, not a high-speed camera measurement of response time or motion-picture response time.
Why can the score decrease?
Unstable measurements, denied permissions, unsupported browser APIs, background load, power saving, or an incomplete test can affect the result. When a score changes, the result screen explains the reason.
What should you do if a problem is found?
Check refresh rate, overdrive level, cable, adaptive sync, browser acceleration, and game frame pacing one change at a time.
Example Result Explanation
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is ghosting on a monitor?
Ghosting is a faint trail left behind a moving object because the pixels cannot change colour fast enough. It is most visible with light objects on dark backgrounds and in fast motion.
My monitor has overdrive. Should I turn it up?
Overdrive pushes pixels to change faster and reduces ghosting, but too much creates inverse ghosting, a bright halo in front of moving objects. The middle setting is usually the best compromise; this test lets you compare them directly.
Is ghosting the same as input lag?
No. Ghosting is about how quickly pixels change, input lag is about how long the monitor takes to display what the computer sent. A panel can be fast in one and slow in the other.