What is Black Crush?

In layman’s terms the loss of detail in shadows or dark environments is referred to as Black Crush.

The technical definition for black crush is “the loss of fidelity in especially dark areas of an image”. Black Crush is a term that can be used in both video and photography spheres, however it is usually used to refer to the loss of shadow detail in games and movies. It usually isn’t noticeable, until you see the same image, video or gameplay on a (correctly) calibrated display. 

It doesn’t necessarily render the content unwatchable but it does affect the content’s overall presentation. However black crush can make it quite hard to see what’s going on during gameplay, especially if you are in a well lit room.

Your TV or monitor isn’t always the one responsible for black crush. Some movie directors and photographers intentionally set the camera in such a way, which allows blacks to be crushed, in order to create negative space. So how can your display show something that wasn’t there in the first place?

Checking for black crush on your screen isn’t difficult and requires no technical knowledge whatsoever.