Ways to Use a White Screen
- Viewing X-ray film: a bright, even backlight to view X-ray or dental film on a laptop or tablet, like a portable lightbox.
- Tracing: a lightbox behind paper so you can trace drawings and letters.
- Reading in the dark: a soft reading light in a dark room when the switch is out of reach.
- Emergency light: an instant flashlight or emergency light from any device.
- to check monitor for dead pixels: a pure-white field that makes dark dead pixels obvious.
- to clean my monitor: white makes every speck of dust, smudge and fingerprint visible.
- for video calls: a soft, even key light that fills shadows on Zoom, Teams and Meet.
- for makeup and selfies: bright, flattering fill light when the room light is poor.
- for product photography: an even, shadow-free backdrop or fill for lightbox-style shots.
- to focus / blank the screen: a clean white field that hides icons and notifications while you study.
- for tracing flipbooks / animation: a bright surface to line up successive drawing frames.
White screen, 10 hours
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a white screen used for?
As a light source for video calls, makeup and photography; as a tracing/lightbox surface; to reveal dust before cleaning your monitor; and to check for dead pixels, which show as tiny black dots on pure white.
How do I use a white screen to find dead pixels?
Go fullscreen and scan slowly. Dead pixels appear as tiny black dots on the white; then switch to black, red, green and blue to find stuck sub-pixels.
Will a white screen hurt my eyes?
Not at a sensible brightness. Match screen brightness to the room and follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. The American Optometric Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology both endorse it.