How to use it
- Pick a pattern and press Start full screen. Click, tap or use the arrow keys to switch patterns.
- For sound, press Play 1 kHz tone. It stays on until you press it again. Turn the volume down first.
- To use a pattern elsewhere (a TV from a USB stick, a video editor, a projector test), pick a size and press Download.
About SMPTE color bars
The SMPTE bars layout was set out by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE EG 1) for lining up TV monitors. This page draws an RGB version of that layout:
- Top: seven bars at 75% strength: gray, yellow, cyan, green, magenta, red and blue.
- Middle: a thin row of reversed bars. On a monitor with a blue only mode, you set color and tint so the top bars match the thin bars under them.
- Bottom left: blocks used for checking color decoding, and full white.
- Bottom right: three narrow bars, slightly darker than black, black, and slightly brighter than black (often called PLUGE). Raise brightness until the right bar is just visible, then lower it until the left bar blends into its neighbor.
Bars are a line up aid, not a full calibration. For a computer screen, the black level test and gamma test are more direct.
Our test card and the no signal screen
The test card is our own design, not a copy of any broadcaster card. It has a circle to check the aspect ratio (it must be round), black and white blocks along every edge to reveal overscan, a grid for straight lines, color bars and gray steps, groups of fine lines at 4, 3, 2 and 1 pixels wide to check resolution and sharpness, fan wedges on wide screens, and the size in pixels in the middle.
The no signal screen is a plain box that drifts slowly across black, for a spare display, a background on a stream, a prank or a video prop. It stays still if your device asks for reduced motion.
Download sizes
Every pattern downloads as a lossless PNG at 1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080, 2560 x 1440, 3840 x 2160 or 1080 x 1920 for phones, plus the size of your own screen. Fine line patterns are pixel exact, so show them at 100% size without scaling for best results.
Questions
What are color bars used for?
To check that a monitor or signal path shows colors correctly, to set brightness and color on a TV, and as a standard picture at the start of a video tape or broadcast.
What is the 1 kHz tone?
A steady 1,000 Hz sine wave, the usual line up tone played with bars, used to check that sound is present and at the right level. The tone here is off until you turn it on.
Is this the real SMPTE test signal?
It is an RGB image in the standard SMPTE bars layout, made for screens and downloads. A broadcast test signal generator produces the exact video levels; for checking a screen this image is enough.
Can I use these images in my video?
Yes. The downloads are free to use. The test card is our own design.
How do I show a no signal screen on a TV?
Open this page on the TV browser or a connected laptop, pick No signal screen and go full screen, or download it as a PNG and show it from a USB stick.