Identify the display symptom: illustrated guide and check plan
If something looks wrong but you do not know its name, start with what you can see. This guide separates similar-looking artifacts into different checks. The planner suggests which observation to verify first instead of assigning a fault label.
Your next-step check plan
This tool does not send or store selections. Downloading saves the proposed plan to your device, not a completed test report. If JavaScript is disabled, use the explanations below directly.
Annotated symptom library
These are original explanatory schematics created for MonitorTest, not photographs of tested devices, laboratory measurements or a defect-severity scale. Shapes and colors are enlarged to show the distinction.
Similar pictures, different questions
A stationary dot
Describe the same position on five solid colors before labeling it. “Bright against black, not visible against white” is more informative than “bad pixel.” That is an illustrative recording format, not a finding from a tested product. Check the surface first, and never press or rub a suspected point to try to remove it.
A horizontal split
If a moving scene looks as though its two halves come from different moments, start with the tearing guide. A line that remains in stationary content is a different observation. Record the application’s FPS limit, the selected system rate and VRR separately; one browser scene does not validate every game mode.
Steps in a gradient
Separate the generated gradient from a compressed video frame. If a step is already in the source file, changing the monitor cannot restore the missing source information. Changing HDR and contrast together prevents a useful comparison. This pattern does not certify color accuracy, actual panel bit depth or HDR performance.
One-variable comparison: baseline → change → return
- Record the display model, input, resolution, selected system rate, HDR and everyday brightness. Keep seating distance and room light constant.
- Change one setting only. When comparing overdrive, keep the pattern speed and background unchanged.
- Return to the original setting and check whether the artifact returns. If it does not, examine the conditions again.
- Keep “observed,” “not seen,” “uncertain” and “not checked” separate. An untested input should not be marked working.
This narrows possible explanations; it does not prove causation on its own. Find worked comparison examples in why test results change.
Separate screenshots, photographs and direct observations
A screenshot records source content, not the physical light emitted by the panel. A photograph adds exposure, focus and camera-processing variables. Do not present the three as equivalent evidence. Before sharing a photograph, close private documents and notifications and avoid including unnecessary identifying information.
The observation notebook separates setup from findings; use the local report for a broader record. A browser pattern cannot measure response time in milliseconds, luminance in nits or color error in Delta E.
When to stop and contact support
If the artifact repeats in ordinary content and affects your use, give the manufacturer the model, connection and individual changes tried. Do not confirm an invisible display mode after losing the picture; use official recovery instructions. Opening the enclosure, pressing the panel, forcing unsupported rates and forcing maintenance cycles are not steps in this guide.
The planner does not run flashing repair content. Read the safety notice on any pixel or motion page before using it and stop if you feel uncomfortable. The methodology explains tool limits, and the editorial policy explains sources and corrections.