Screen burn, also known as "screen burn-in," is a remnant picture that remains on a screen after a prolonged exhibition of the same image. It is a "ghost picture" or blurred form of the image that partially or completely fills the screen.

Screen burn is typically brought on by videos or images with material that is static for a long time. Examples include the task bar on a Windows machine or the navigation bar on a Mac. It might be a TV channel's emblem or the information screen for a computer game. It might be the progress indicator at the top of the screen on a smartphone. A phantom picture may be left behind if some pixels continuously display the same image while other pixels show shifting images.

CRTs, plasma displays, and OLED screens are just a few of the different screen varieties that can suffer from screen burn. Long periods of time spent viewing a single picture can literally harm earlier screens like CRT panels. Dark areas caused by this kind of burn-in may be visible even when the monitor is off. Screen burn commonly happens in contemporary screens when the brightness of the lighting circuitry declines. Long-term exposure to a single picture can cause some pixels to lose their respective red, green, and blue (RGB) luminosity. This could result in a phantom picture that is the opposite of the one that was always presented.

LCD screens rarely experience screen burn because liquid crystals are less prone to burn-in. On the other hand, OLED screens are vulnerable to screen burn because overusing a single LED can cause it to lose its brightness in comparison to other LEDs. This might occur if some cells consistently show the same hue over time.

Preventing Screen Burn

With typical use, screen damage is uncommon on contemporary screens. You would need to run the same application or listen to the same station every day for a few weeks or months before you would detect any screen damage. However, screen burn can develop over time if you frequently play the same video game or view the same program. By changing the material you view on your computer, you can reduce and perhaps even prevent screen damage. When not in use, you should also switch off your monitor. Lastly, it is advisable to activate slumber mode or a screensaver that launches immediately after a period of inactivity.