Pursuit-Camera Pattern
Provides an original ScreenCheck pursuit-camera pattern designed for smartphone panning or robotic pursuit camera tracking. Includes sync tick-marks, alignment reference scales, and velocity guides.
- Select your desired testing speed (e.g. 960 px/s is standard for pursuit photography).
- Enter fullscreen (F) to hide all browser chrome and OS taskbars.
- Use a smartphone or camera mounted on a smooth horizontal slider or track by hand in sync with the white alignment ticks.
- Capture photographs with shutter speed set to 4x or 5x the display refresh interval (e.g. 1/30s or 1/60s).
- A successful pursuit photograph aligns the vertical sync ticks into a single crisp column.
Static camera photographs of a monitor cannot capture perceived motion blur because human eyes track moving targets continuously across the screen. A pursuit camera physically tracks along the path of motion at the exact speed of the moving object during exposure.
What This Test Checks
- Exact photographic capture of perceived motion blur and pixel ghosting.
- Temporal alignment synchronization using bottom vertical tick markers.
- Verification of zero tracking error using camera panning crosshairs.
- Standard velocities (480, 960, 1440, and 1920 px/s) for professional monitor reviews.
How to Perform the Test
- Set your desired testing speed (960 px/s is the international display testing standard).
- Press F to enter Fullscreen mode and remove all browser chrome.
- Hold your camera or smartphone firmly and pan horizontally across the screen in sync with the moving target.
- Set manual camera exposure to 4x or 5x the display refresh interval (e.g. 1/30s for 120Hz, 1/15s for 60Hz).
- Review captured photos: a valid pursuit shot will have the bottom vertical sync ticks aligned in a single sharp column.
What to Look For
- Valid tracking: The bottom tick marks appear as a single vertical line rather than doubled or sloped ladders.
- True ghosting: Trailing artifacts captured in a valid pursuit photograph represent exactly what human eyes perceive.
- Overdrive coronas: Bright inverse halos around the test target show overdrive tuning quality.
Common Display Problems & Diagnostic Guidance
Static Photographs are Inaccurate for Motion
A stationary camera on a tripod only captures sample-and-hold step blur rather than the eye-tracking blur perceived by human observers. Pursuit tracking is required to mimic smooth retinal pursuit.
Hand Panning Tracking Error
Smooth hand panning takes practice. If your photos show angled or blurry sync ticks, the camera was moving slightly faster or slower than the 960 px/s target.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I perform pursuit photography using a regular smartphone?
Yes! Using "Pro" or "Manual" camera mode on modern iPhone and Android smartphones, set shutter speed to 1/30s (for 120Hz) or 1/15s (for 60Hz) and pan smoothly along a desk edge.
What do the vertical tick marks at the bottom mean?
The vertical sync ruler acts as a temporal speedometer. Because each tick is drawn at an exact spatial offset per frame, tracking the camera at the exact velocity causes consecutive frames of ticks to overlay perfectly.