Gamma Test

Compare browser-rendered blending patterns and record the closest-looking labeled patch as a visual reference.

This check opens a focused test surface. You can return with Escape. Review what this browser test can and cannot measure.

Before you start

  • Use steady room lighting, native resolution, and 100% browser zoom.
  • Keep color management and display settings unchanged throughout the comparison.

How to run this check

  1. Start the Gamma Test
  2. Choose a test pattern (Vertical Bars, Horizontal Bars, Grid, Blocks, Checkerboard)
  3. Select a color channel (White, Red, Green, Blue)
  4. Record the labeled patch that appears to blend most closely
  5. Treat the result as a browser pattern comparison, not calibrated display gamma

What this browser test can tell you

Can help you check

  • Visual blending comparison against browser patterns.

Cannot measure

  • This test cannot determine calibrated display gamma without measurement hardware.
Setup, interpretation, and sources

Recommended setup

  1. Use the display native resolution and view the pattern at 100% browser zoom.
  2. Sit directly in front of the display under steady room lighting.

How to interpret what you see

  • Record the labeled patch that blends most closely from your normal viewing position.
  • Exact gamma measurement requires a calibrated colorimeter or spectroradiometer and profiling software.

Sources

Methodology reviewed:

💡 Why This Test?

Gamma describes a tone-response relationship between encoded values and displayed light. This page provides labeled browser patterns for visual comparison.

Record the patch that appears to blend most closely from your normal viewing position. Browser rendering, room lighting, color management, and display settings affect the result, so it is not a calibrated gamma measurement.

✅ What You'll Check:

  • Which labeled patch appears to blend most closely
  • Visible steps or banding in browser-rendered gradients
  • Color tints you observe in neutral-looking patterns
  • Visible shadow and highlight separation
  • How observations compare across R, G, B, and white patterns

📖 How to Use This Test

  1. Use steady room lighting, native resolution, and 100% browser zoom
  2. Start the fullscreen test with default settings
  3. Navigate through 5 gamma patterns (vertical, horizontal, blocks)
  4. Look for the pattern where numbered blocks "blend" into background
  5. Test all 4 colors: white (most important), red, green, blue
  6. Record the closest-looking labeled block for each pattern
  7. Do not treat the selected label as calibrated display gamma

Tip: Repeat the comparison after returning to the same centered position. Exact gamma and white-point measurements require a calibrated colorimeter or spectroradiometer.

Click to start fullscreen gamma testing. Use arrow keys to navigate patterns.

📊 Illustrative Tone References

Sample Labeled Gamma 2.2

A browser-rendered comparison sample, not a measured curve

Lighter-Looking Samples (1.8–2.0 Labels)

Illustrates a lighter relative appearance in this pattern

Darker-Looking Samples (2.4–2.6 Labels)

Illustrates a darker relative appearance in this pattern

📋 Testing Guidelines

🎯 What to Look For

  • • Find blocks that "disappear" into background
  • • Record the closest-looking label as a visual observation
  • • The label is not an instrument reading of the display

🎨 Test All Colors

  • • White (grayscale) most important
  • • Compare the channels under the same conditions
  • • Record visible tints without assigning a hardware cause

🔍 Common Issues

  • • Banding can come from several rendering and display stages
  • • Tinted grays are relative visual observations
  • • Differences between colors require measurement to quantify

Note: A workflow may specify a target tone curve. Confirm that target and measure it with calibrated equipment when accuracy matters.

🔧 Common Issues & Solutions

📊 "Gamma 2.0 or 2.4 blends instead of 2.2" (Incorrect gamma calibration)

What you observed: A label other than 2.2 appeared to blend most closely in the current browser pattern.

Context: Viewing position, room lighting, browser zoom, color management, operating-system output, and display settings can all change the visual blend.

Next step: Repeat from the same position with settings unchanged. Use a calibrated colorimeter or spectroradiometer and profiling software before making color-critical adjustments.

🎨 "White gamma test shows green/blue/red tint" (White balance/RGB gain imbalance)

What you observed: A neutral-looking browser pattern appeared tinted under the current viewing conditions.

Context: Room lighting, temporary night-light filters, ICC profiles, browser color management, and display presets can all affect the appearance.

Next step: Record the tint and settings, then confirm the white point with calibrated measurement before changing individual RGB controls for color-critical work.

📏 "Visible bands/steps in smooth gamma gradient" (Limited bit depth or poor processing)

What you observed: Visible steps appeared in a browser-rendered gradient.

Context: Browser rendering, operating-system color management, GPU output, scaling, display processing, screenshots, and compression can introduce or hide steps.

Next step: Record where the steps appear and verify relevant output settings separately. This pattern cannot determine panel bit depth or isolate the cause.

🌈 "Red/Green/Blue gamma different from white gamma" (RGB channel imbalance)

What you observed: Different labeled patches appeared closest across the red, green, blue, and white comparisons.

Interpretation: The browser pattern can document that difference but cannot quantify channel curves or diagnose display calibration.

Next step: Repeat the observations under identical conditions. Exact per-channel gamma requires a calibrated colorimeter or spectroradiometer and profiling software.

👁️ "Gamma looks different from top/bottom/sides" (IPS glow or TN viewing angles)

What you observed: The closest-looking patch changed when you moved above, below, or beside the centered position.

Context: Off-axis brightness and color changes can affect visual blending. This page cannot identify panel technology from those changes.

Next step: Make the main comparison from a centered, repeatable viewing position and record any off-axis change separately.