Gray Screen
A full-screen solid gray color (#808080). Fill your whole display, or download the gray screen as an image in 480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 4K or any size you type in.
Advanced — print resolution (DPI)
What is a gray screen?
A gray screen is simply a web page filled edge to edge with one solid color — Gray, hex #808080, or rgb(128, 128, 128). It is a mid-toned, neutral color: in HSL it sits at 0° hue, 0% saturation and 50% lightness, and its relative luminance is 21.6%. gray is one of the standard CSS color names, so it renders identically in every browser.
Gray screen at a glance
How a full-screen gray (#808080) behaves as a light, a test pattern and a background — measured from the color itself.
| Brightness | 22% of a white screen | A dim glow — easy on the eyes in a dark room. |
|---|---|---|
| Blue light | moderate (33% of its light) | About as much blue as a white screen. |
| Night use | Better for daytime | For a night light, turn the brightness down or choose a warmer screen such as red or orange. |
| Text on it | Black text · 5.3:1 | Readable for normal text (WCAG AA). |
| Display test | Mixed sub-pixel levels | Good for spotting uneven backlight, banding and tint across the panel. |
What people use a gray screen for
The neutral panel-uniformity test
A flat mid-gray field reveals clouding, banding, mura and uneven backlighting more clearly than white, because your eye is not distracted by full brightness. It is the field professional calibrators look at when judging a panel.
Glare-free reading and focus background
Neutral gray reflects less light than white, so a gray screen behind or beside your work reduces glare and eye strain, and makes a calm, distraction-free background for writing or thinking.
Colour-accurate photo and video backdrop
A neutral gray backdrop does not cast colour onto a subject, which is why it is the standard studio background for colour-critical photography and for setting white balance.
As a test pattern, a flat gray field makes a dead or stuck pixel jump out.
#808080) — this is also the preview image shown when you share the page.How to use the gray screen
The color is already set to Gray (#808080). Tap Open full screen, or the preview, to fill your whole display with gray; press Esc or tap again to exit. To keep a copy, pick a size — 1920 × 1080 for a desktop wallpaper, 1080 × 1920 for a phone or 3840 × 2160 for a 4K TV — and tap Download PNG or JPG. The file is created in your browser and saved as gray-screen-1920x1080.png, with no watermark. A flat gray image compresses to a few kilobytes even at 4K.
Every resolution, aspect ratio and device tip (phones, TVs, projectors, second monitors) is in the full color screen guide.
Gray screen color codes
The full-screen color and every download use exactly these values. Tap any row to copy it.
Contrast against white text 3.95:1 · against black text 5.32:1. See the full Gray color page for harmonies, shades and tints, or open it in the color picker.
Colors that go with a gray screen
Using two screens side by side, a split display or a gray wallpaper with accents? These named colors sit in harmony with Gray on the color wheel:
Build a full scheme from gray in the color matcher or the palette generator, or blend it into another color with the gradient creator for a gradient wallpaper.
Popular color screens
The colors people reach for most often as a full-screen background or light:
Colors similar to Gray
More gray and black screens
Gray screen — FAQ
What is the hex code for a gray screen?
A gray screen uses the color Gray, hex #808080 — rgb(128, 128, 128). The full-screen view and every download use exactly that value, and gray also works as a CSS color name.
How do I make my whole screen gray?
Open this page and tap Open full screen (or tap the preview). Your browser fills the entire display with gray and hides its own toolbars; press Esc or tap the screen to come back. To keep it, download it in 1080p, 4K or any size as a free PNG or JPG — no sign-up or watermark.
How bright is a gray screen?
A gray screen gives off about 22% of the light of a white screen at the same brightness setting, a comfortable level for ambient light. About 33% of its light is blue (a white screen is 33%), which counts as moderate blue light.
What color text is easiest to read on a gray screen?
Black text, with a contrast ratio of 5.3:1, which passes the WCAG guideline for normal text. Check any other pairing in the contrast checker.