Find out how well your monitor performs with our Digital Photo test charts

By Michael Topham

Techniques

13 October 2011 16:02

In Digital Photo’s December 2011 issue, (due out on the 2nd November 2011) six monitors are put under the spotlight to find out which performed the best in terms of image quality and which offers the finest build. You can read up on which monitors picked up the highly acclaimed Digital Photo Gold and Silver awards on page 118, but before you rush out and spend hundreds of pounds on a new screen it’s worth testing the one you already own with our pre-made test charts to see how it handles brightness, colour and contrast across a variety of colour and black and white tones.

The quality of a monitor’s display deteriorates over time, so it’s a good idea to test yours regularly to make sure it’s performing as it should. If you have any doubts about your computer screen you can try tweaking the settings from the on-screen menu, but if this doesn’t cure the problem you may want to consider upgrading. It’s worth remembering your computer monitor is one of the most regularly used accessories you own and if you work with a poor screen it can result in incorrect decisions being made when editing your photos.

Using the Digital Photo Monitor Test Charts

The test patterns below can be saved to your computer or hard drive by simply clicking on the link then right-hand click on the test file. Select ‘Save Picture As’ and choose the location where you’d like to save it for safekeeping and future use.

The images are best viewed in a dim or dark environment and in full-screen mode. In most browsers you can hit the F11 key to do this quickly and easily. You’ll also need to switch off all the lights in your room and look at the test patterns in low light conditions.

Colour and Contrast Performance

The following image shows a gradient running from black through the different RGB values. On a good monitor you should be able to view the colour clearly between the numbers 3 and 12, which are shown at the top of the document. A bad monitor will reveal signs of banding at the darker end of the scale, so make sure you look out for this under close inspection.

Click here to load the Colour and Contrast Performance test file.

Black Point Performance

This Black point document is made up of 20 grey squares on a pure black background. On a good monitor you should be able to distinguish all of the squares from the black background. The square labeled ‘255’ is pure white and can be used to help judge the contrast ratio of the screen. It’s absolutely essential that black point performance is inspected in dark conditions.

Click here to load the Black Point Performance test file.

White Point Performance
This White point document is made up of grey squares on a pure white background. On a good quality display you should be able to recognize all of the grey squares from the white background. The squares range from a grey value of 200 to 254.

Click here to load the White Point Performance test file.  

Gradient/Banding Performance

This test chart is a great way of discovering how your monitor controls the brightest highlights from the darkest shadows. All three grayscale gradients should be displayed smoothly without any bands, lines or colors showing up. A good monitor will produce a smooth gradient result from left to right and right to left.

Click here to load the Gradient/Banding Performance test file.

If you’d like to find out more about what to look for in a monitor, check out Digital Photo’s December issue, on sale from November 2. The full group test covers monitors from Dell, HP, LG, NEC, Samsung and Viewsonic so pick up your copy to find out the winner!