Free Projector Test Patterns (Focus, Convergence, Geometry)
Seventeen free projector test patterns for installation and calibration: focus and lens-shift, convergence, keystone and geometry grids, colour uniformity, and the moire/screen-door checks that only show up once a projector is actually mounted and focused. Download any pattern as an MP4 and play it from a laptop, media player or USB stick.
What these files actually are
Project onto a flat, neutral-grey or white screen for an accurate result - textured or off-white walls will distort the pattern - and dim the room the way you would for normal projector viewing. Free download, no watermark, no attribution required, each with a SHA-256 hash and VirusTotal link.
Online full-screen test
Run the test right in your browser, no download needed. Press Start, then click or use the arrow keys to switch patterns. To test a TV or projector without a browser, use the video files further down.
Click / → / Space: next · ←: previous · A: auto-play · Esc: exit
How to run the test
- Clean the screen and set the display to its native resolution with 100% scaling.
- Press Start (or pick a pattern below). The test fills the whole screen; the controls hide after a moment.
- Look over the whole screen on every pattern, from normal viewing distance and then up close.
- Press Esc to leave. Note where any defect is and photograph it on the pattern that shows it best, e.g. for a warranty claim.
Test patterns and what to look for
- Grid & geometry
- Lines should be straight and evenly spaced and circles round. The red 1-pixel border must be visible on all four edges; if it is cut off, overscan is on.
- Color bars
- 75% colour bars for checking colour order, saturation and tint on TVs and projectors.
- Sharpness
- 1-pixel lines and checkerboards should look crisp and even. Moiré, colour fringes or blur mean the image is scaled or sharpening is too high. Use native resolution, 100% scaling, and on TVs 'Just Scan' or 'Screen Fit'.
- Gradient
- Gray and red, green and blue ramps should be smooth. Visible steps (banding) point to a low bit depth, over-processing or a wrong colour profile.
- Black level
- Squares 1–19 on black. You should be able to tell at least the squares from 3 or 4 upward apart from the background. If they merge into black, shadows are crushed: raise brightness or black level, or check the RGB range (full vs limited).
- White
- Dead pixels show up as black dots. Also look for dust behind the panel, a yellow or pink tint, and corners that are darker than the centre.
- Black
- Dead or stuck pixels show up as bright or coloured dots. In a dark room, light leaking from the edges or corners is backlight bleed (LCD) or IPS glow.
- Text clarity
- Small text should be crisp, without coloured fringes, on both white and black. Adjust ClearType or font smoothing and the display's sharpness.
Common use cases
Projector installation and focus
Fine-tune focus, zoom and lens position before finalizing a projector mount.
Keystone and convergence correction
Check geometry and color convergence after any lens shift or keystone adjustment.
Projector Focus Test Pattern
Focus the lens until the corner crosshatch and center circles are equally sharp.
Projector Convergence Test
The white grid splits into red/green/blue fringes when panels are misconverged.
Projector Geometry Grid Test
Align the grid to your screen - lines must be straight and evenly spaced.
Projector Keystone Alignment Test
Square up the border with lens shift first; digital keystone costs sharpness.
Projector Lens Shift Test
Use the center cross while adjusting lens shift.
Projector Corner Focus Test
Compare corner sharpness against center - uneven focus means lens or alignment issues.
Projector Color Uniformity Test
White and gray fields - watch for color shift across the image.
Projector Black Level Test
In a dark room: how close to black does your projector get, and do the near-black steps separate?
Projector Screen Border Alignment
Land the 1px border exactly on your screen's edges.
Projector Moiré and Fine Line Test
Moiré/interference bands in these line blocks reveal scaling or screen-surface interactions.
Projector ANSI Checkerboard Contrast Pattern
The standard 4x4 checkerboard used for ANSI contrast measurements.
DLP Rainbow Effect Test
Follow the bright object, then quickly move your eyes across the screen. Brief red/green/blue flashes are the DLP rainbow effect - a subjective observation, not a measurement.
Projector Screen Door Effect Test
Step close to the image: a visible pixel grid over these patterns is the screen door effect.
Projector Pixel Shift Resolution Test
Toggle pixel-shift (e-shift/XPR): the 1px detail should visibly tighten when it is on.
Laser Projector Speckle Test
Flat fields make laser speckle (glittery grain) most visible - green usually shows it strongest.
Projector Chromatic Aberration Test
Color fringes on the white lines toward the image edges are lens chromatic aberration.
Projector Lens Distortion Test
Straight grid lines bowing inward or outward reveal pincushion/barrel distortion.
Frequently asked questions
- What surface should I project on?
- A flat, neutral-gray or white screen gives the most accurate result; textured or off-white walls will distort the pattern.
- Do I need to dim the room?
- Yes - projector test patterns are most accurate with reduced ambient light, similar to normal projector viewing conditions.
- Which test should I start with?
- Projector Focus Test first - geometry and convergence checks are only meaningful once focus is correct.
- How does a projector test pattern work?
- Each pattern is a known shape or flat field - a crosshatch grid, a 1px border, a white or gray field - so anything you see that should not be there comes from the projector, lens or screen: soft corners, bowed lines, colour fringes or uneven brightness.
- Which pattern checks corner focus and screen uniformity?
- Use the Projector Corner Focus Test to compare corner sharpness against the centre, then the Projector Color Uniformity Test for colour or brightness shift across the image. Set focus with the Projector Focus Test Pattern first.
- Is there a PDF version, or do I need a pattern generator?
- All 17 patterns here are MP4 video files, not PDFs, and no pattern-generator hardware is needed - play them from any device feeding the projector. Each file has a SHA-256 hash and a VirusTotal link.
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