Color Test: Screen Colour and Hue Challenge
Spot the tile that is a slightly different shade as the difference gets smaller, then check gradients, black level and white level on your screen.
Find the tile that is a slightly different shade. Wrong picks cost three seconds.
Time is up
Gradients and banding
Each strip should fade smoothly. Visible steps or stripes are banding.
Black level
On a good screen you can see squares from about 3 or 4 upward.
White level
You should see squares up to about 251 or 252.
Primary and secondary colours
How well can you tell two almost identical colours apart, and how well can your screen show them? Those two questions are closely linked. Your eyes set the limit on what you can notice, and your display sets the limit on what can be shown. This colour test covers both with two sections.
The Colour challenge is a fast game: find the one tile that is a slightly different shade. Every level adds tiles and makes the difference smaller, and you have sixty seconds. The Screen checks section shows gradients, near-black and near-white steps and pure colour swatches, so you can see whether your display is hiding detail at the extremes or showing banding in smooth areas.
How to use the colour test
Colour challenge
- Press Start challenge.
- Find the tile that is a different shade and click it. The next level appears straight away.
- Wrong picks cost three seconds, so accuracy matters as much as speed.
- When time runs out, see how many levels you cleared and the smallest difference you spotted.
Screen checks
- Switch to Screen checks.
- Look at the gradient strips for visible steps or stripes.
- Count how many near-black and near-white squares you can see.
- Compare the colour swatches for anything that looks tinted or dull.
How the colour challenge works
Each level picks a random hue, saturation and brightness, then makes one tile lighter by a set percentage. The difference starts at around 22 percent lightness and shrinks by about 14 percent each level, while the grid grows from two by two up to eight by eight. By the later levels the difference is close to one percent, which is near the limit of many screens and many eyes.
What affects your score
Screen brightness, viewing angle, reflections, blue light filters and colour presets all change how the tiles look. Your eyes play a part too: colour perception varies between people and declines slightly with age. That is why the same person can score differently on a phone and a desktop monitor.
Understanding the screen checks
| Check | Healthy result | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Gradients | Smooth fades with no stripes | Banding from low bit depth or heavy processing |
| Black level | Squares visible from about 3 or 4 | Crushed shadows; raise brightness or adjust gamma |
| White level | Squares visible up to about 251 | Clipped highlights; lower contrast |
| Swatches | Pure, even colours | Colour tint or a wrong preset |
Scores in the colour challenge
| Levels cleared | Rating |
|---|---|
| Under 10 | Keep practising |
| 10 to 17 | Good eye |
| 18 to 25 | Sharp eye |
| 26 and above | Exceptional |
Why tiny colour differences matter
Photographers, designers and video editors need to see subtle shifts in skin tones, skies and shadows. If a screen cannot show a two percent difference, edits that look fine at home can look blotchy on another display. Gamers benefit too: spotting an opponent in a dim corner or camouflage against foliage often comes down to a very small difference in brightness or hue. A screen with crushed blacks hides players in shadows, which is why some competitive players raise their black level or use a shadow boost setting.
Getting a fair comparison
To compare two screens, run the challenge three times on each at the same brightness, in the same room lighting, and look at the average level rather than the single best. The difference between a well set up monitor and a poorly set up one is often several levels.
Tips for better results
- Turn off night light, blue light filters and colour enhancement modes.
- Set brightness to a comfortable indoor level and avoid glare on the screen.
- Sit straight in front of the display; viewing angle shifts colours on many panels.
- Use the sRGB or standard preset for the most neutral colours.
- Scan the grid in rows instead of jumping around.
- Look slightly away from the grid for a second if every tile starts to look the same; tired eyes adapt to a colour.
Laptops and phones
Many laptop and phone screens adjust brightness and colour automatically based on room light and content. Turn off adaptive brightness and any automatic colour or tone features before testing, otherwise the screen may change between levels and make the challenge harder than it should be.
Colour test versus colour blindness test
This test measures how finely you and your screen can separate shades of the same colour. It is not a medical test. To screen for red-green or blue-yellow colour vision differences, use the color blindness test, which uses dotted number plates designed for that purpose.
Check the rest of your display
If the screen checks reveal problems, the monitor test has full-screen patterns for uniformity, backlight bleed and sharpness. Look for faulty pixels with the dead pixel test, confirm your resolution in the screen resolution test, and make sure motion is smooth with the refresh rate test.
Frequently asked questions
What does the colour test measure?
How small a difference in shade you can spot on your screen, plus whether your display shows gradients and dark and bright detail correctly.
Is this a colour blindness test?
No. It measures fine shade discrimination. Use the color blindness test to screen for colour vision differences.
What is a good colour challenge score?
Clearing 18 to 25 levels is a sharp eye; 26 or more is exceptional.
Why do wrong clicks cost time?
To reward careful looking over random clicking. Each wrong pick removes three seconds.
What is colour banding?
Visible steps in what should be a smooth gradient, often caused by limited bit depth or image processing.
How many black squares should I see?
On a well set up screen, usually from about 3 or 4 upward on a black background.
Why does my score change between devices?
Screens differ in brightness, contrast, colour accuracy and viewing angle, which all affect how tiles look.
Does a blue light filter affect the result?
Yes. It shifts all colours warmer and reduces contrast between shades. Turn it off for testing.
Is my best level saved?
Yes, in your browser, so you can try to beat it later.
Related tools
Screen checks passed? Test the whole panel
Full-screen colour, uniformity, gradient and sharpness patterns for any monitor.