{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}
What Are Ghosting and Black Smearing on VA Panels, and Why Do They Happen
Ghosting happens when pixels don’t change colors quickly enough, leaving a faint afterimage or residual image behind moving objects. People sometimes describe this as monitor's built-in 'motion blur'.
Black smearing is a kind of ghosting that happens when dark parts of the screen change too slowly to brighter colors. It usually shows up when black pixels cannot switch fast enough, so you see a dark trail or blur behind moving objects in dark scenes.
These two issues are most noticeable on VA (Vertical Alignment) panels because of how their technology works.
AOC 22B20JGN2 Key Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Screen Size & Type | 21.45” VA Panel |
| Resolution & Refresh Rate | Full HD (1920×1080), 100Hz (HDMI) / 75Hz (VGA) |
| Response Time | 1ms (MPRT) |
| Adaptive Sync | Yes |
| Connectivity | HDMI 1.4 × 1, VGA × 1 |
| Design | 3-Sided Frameless, Tilt: -5° to 15° |
How to Reduce Ghosting of 22B20JHN2 monitor
First, make sure the refresh rate is at the highest available—100Hz. Then open the monitor settings by pressing the button at the back of the monitor.
Go to:
- Game setting
- Overdrive
Set the overdrive to medium.
Reducing black smearing
The image below shows a comparison for before (top picture) and after (bottom picture) for black smearing. Check yours at testufo.com/ghosting.
Method 1: Using sRGB
This method only changes 1 setting. The slightly affects black levels but they can still look good enough. And the colors also appear slightly different.
Open monitor setting and search for Color setup.
- Change Color Gamut to sRGB.
You might sometimes notice bad pixelation in dark area or during dark scenes (e.g. on Youtube or Twitch) because the panel is not as dark as before.
Method 2: Using Bright Frame
If you want to have control on the brightness of black, try these settings:
Color Setup:
- Color Gamut: sRGB or Native Panel
Luminance
- Gamma: Gamma 1
Picture Boost:
- Bright Frame: On
- Frame Size: 100
- Brightness: 42 (sRGB), 48 to 50 (Native Panel)
Method 3: Reduce Black Smearing By Sacrificing the Quality of Black
If you don't mind with black looking slightly 'grey', change these settings:
- Color Setup → Color Gamut: Panel Native
- Luminance → Gamma: Gamma 3
- Game Setting → Shadow Control: 60
Method 4: Limiting the Output Dynamic range (NVIDIA control panel)
This one is similar to the 3rd method, it makes the screen looks washed out or the blacks look grey, and it is controlled at the driver level.
In Nvidia control panel, under 'Change resolution', set the Output Dynamic range to "Limited".
My Recommendation or What I Prefer
Of all these 4 methods, I would recommend using method 2.
- Color Setup → Color Gamut: Native Panel
- Luminance → Gamma: Gamma 1
- Picture Boost → Bright Frame: On (at 48 brightness)
- Game Setting → Overdrive: Medium
If you use Gamma 2, you can lower the Bright Frame slightly.
Method 2 however, when the monitor loses power, Bright Frame will reset (turns off) so this needs to be setup again.