Color Range Test
Full-RGB monitors show every patch distinct from its neighbors. Limited-range setups crush the darkest and brightest few patches into solid black and white.
Look at each row. A properly configured FULL-range display shows every small patch clearly separated from its neighbors. A LIMITED-range display will merge the first few patches together (as solid black) and the last few (as solid white).
Near-black (RGB 0–31)
Near-white (RGB 224–255)
Continuous ramp (0 → 255)
Tip: Windows HDMI often ships with Limited Range by default. In NVIDIA Control Panel > Resolutions > Output dynamic range set to "Full". On AMD, Radeon Settings > Display > Color Range = Full. On game consoles the label is "RGB Range" or "HDMI Black Level".
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Color Range Test guide
How to use the Color Range Test accurately
A digital RGB pixel has 256 possible values per channel (0-255). "Full range" uses all of them. "Limited range" (also called Video range, TV range, or 16-235) reserves 0-15 for blacker-than-black and 236-255 for whiter-than-white, leaving only 16-235 for actual image data.
HDMI was designed for TVs, so the handshake often defaults to limited range, even between a PC and a PC monitor. Windows and the graphics driver will comply without warning.
Color Range Test FAQ
Common color range test questions
Checklist
Display checks to confirm
- Limited Range vs Full Range: What Actually Happens A digital RGB pixel has 256 possible values per channel (0-255). "Full range" uses all of them. "Limited range" (also called Video range, TV range, or 16-235) reserves 0-15 for...
- Why This Happens Over HDMI HDMI was designed for TVs, so the handshake often defaults to limited range, even between a PC and a PC monitor. Windows and the graphics driver will comply without warning.
- What This Test Shows Two rows of 32 patches each. The first row steps from RGB 0 to RGB 31 — the near-black range. On a correctly configured full-range display, all 32 patches are visually...
