Burn-In Test
Detect image retention and permanent burn-in on OLED, plasma, and mini-LED displays. Solid color screens expose ghostly remnants of static UI elements.
Irreversible pixel degradation from static content. Common on OLED after thousands of hours.
Temporary ghosting that fades after a few minutes of varied content.
Why use this pixel tool
Full color sweep
Pure red, green, blue, white, and grey screens expose burn-in differently. A defect invisible on white may leap out on red.
Static element overlay
Display browser chrome, taskbar outlines, or HUD elements to compare against any retained ghost image.
Brightness ramp
Toggle 0-100% brightness to distinguish temporary image retention (fades) from permanent burn-in (doesn't).
Pixel refresher trigger
Instructions for triggering built-in OLED pixel refreshers on LG, Sony, Samsung, and Dell displays.
What is pixel
Burn-in is permanent discoloration of a display panel caused by uneven pixel degradation. Static UI elements — taskbars, channel logos, HUD elements — leave a faint ghost visible even when the screen shows different content. OLED panels are most susceptible because each pixel emits its own light and degrades with use; bright pixels wear out faster than dim ones.
Image retention is the temporary cousin of burn-in. Pixels get "stuck" showing a recent image but recover after a few minutes of varying content. If the ghost fades, it was retention; if it persists for hours or days, it's burn-in. The two look identical at first, which is why testing requires patience.
Modern OLEDs combat burn-in with pixel refreshers — software routines that cycle pixels to even out wear. LG runs one automatically every few thousand hours; Sony, Samsung, and Dell offer manual triggers in their OSDs. Running a refresher can reverse early image retention but cannot fix true burn-in.
How to test
Step 1: Display pure white
Open the test and select white. Look for any darker patches where static UI used to sit.
Step 2: Check red, green, blue
Each color exposes burn-in differently. Red is usually most revealing on OLEDs because red pixels degrade fastest.
Step 3: Wait and re-test
If you see a ghost, leave the display on varying content for 30 minutes, then re-test. If it fades, it was retention.
Step 4: Run the pixel refresher
Trigger your display's built-in pixel refresher (LG: Settings > OLED Care > Pixel Care). This can reverse early retention.
Step 5: Document with photos
If the ghost persists after refresher and 24 hours of use, photograph it for warranty evidence.
Common causes of pixel issues
Static UI elements
Taskbars, channel logos, news tickers, and game HUDs leave pixels bright while surrounding pixels dim, creating burn-in over hundreds of hours.
High brightness
Running OLED at 100% brightness accelerates pixel wear dramatically. Most OLEDs default to 60-80% to extend life.
Insufficient pixel refresh
Skipping automatic pixel refresher cycles lets uneven wear accumulate. Keep auto-refresh enabled.
Manufacturing variation
Some panels have weaker pixels from the factory and degrade faster. There's no way to predict this in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Testing tips
- Test for burn-in monthly if you use static UIs daily — early retention is reversible, late burn-in isn't.
- Run your display's pixel refresher every 100 hours of use to even out wear.
- Keep OLED brightness under 80% for daily use; full brightness dramatically shortens pixel life.
- Vary content. News tickers, sports scorebugs, and game HUDs are the top burn-in culprits.
Related tools
OLED Burn-in: Test Early, Rest Easy
OLED displays offer the best image quality money can buy — perfect blacks, infinite contrast, instant pixel response. But they have one Achilles' heel: burn-in. Static UI elements like taskbars, channel logos, and game HUDs leave faint but permanent ghosts on the panel after hundreds or thousands of hours of use. The good news: burn-in is predictable, preventable, and — if caught early — sometimes reversible.
Burn-in starts as image retention, a temporary ghost that fades after a few minutes of varying content. Each OLED pixel degrades slightly with use, and bright static elements degrade faster than the surrounding dimmer pixels. Over time, the brightness gap becomes permanent. The transition from retention to burn-in is gradual, which is why regular testing matters.
Run the burn-in test monthly if you use your OLED for static content. Display pure red first — red pixels degrade fastest on most OLEDs, so red is the most revealing test color. Look for darker patches where your taskbar, browser chrome, or game HUD normally sits. If you see a ghost, switch to white, then grey. A retention ghost fades within an hour; true burn-in persists across every color and never goes away.
If you catch retention early, run the display's built-in pixel refresher. LG calls it Pixel Care, Sony calls it Panel Calibration, Samsung calls it Pixel Shift — every modern OLED has some version. The refresher cycles every pixel through a brightness sequence to even out wear, which can fully reverse early retention. Most OLEDs run this automatically every 4,000 hours; you can also trigger it manually. Don't skip it.
Prevention is the best cure. Keep brightness under 80% for daily use — full brightness dramatically accelerates wear. Hide the Windows taskbar, disable desktop icons, set a 2-minute screen saver, and avoid leaving news channels or sports scorebugs on for hours. For gaming, vary your titles; a single HUD-heavy game played for 200 hours is far worse than 10 different games played for 20 hours each.
Even with perfect care, an OLED used as a daily workstation will eventually show burn-in. Budget for panel replacement every 5-7 years if you treat OLED as your main display. Pair the burn-in test with our dead pixel test and OLED screen test for a complete panel health check every quarter. Catch issues early and you'll get the best image quality for years.
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