Avoiding image persistence on Apple LCD displays

With some Apple LCD displays, if you leave an unchanging image (like a login screen or a desktop picture) on the screen for a long time, you might see a faint remnant of the image even after a new image replaces it. This is called "persistence."

You can prevent image persistence by using the Energy Saver sleep feature to turn off the display when it is not in use or by using the Screen Saver to make sure that a static image isn't on the display for long periods of time. The Energy Saver sleep feature is very useful because the backlight bulbs are turned off during periods of inactivity, which may prolong their useful life.

In the rare event that an image does become persistent, you can usually get rid of it by following these steps:

First, temporarily set the Energy Saver sleep setting to "never sleep". Then display an all-white pattern across the entire display for the same amount of time that the persistent image had been displayed on the screen. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Create an all-white graphic in a graphics application such as Graphic Converter or Photoshop, and save it as a JPEG file.

2. Use this as the image displayed by the screen saver.

3. Turn the display brightness down (but not off) to preserve backlight bulb life.

4. Verify that the persistent image is gone.

5. If necessary, repeat the process until the persistent image is gone.

6. Restore the Energy Saver settings.

To create an all-white graphic, follow these steps:

1. Open your graphics application.

2. Create a new graphics file.

3. Use the resolution of your display (in pixels) as the height and width of your new graphic.

4. Save your new graphic, and select "JPEG" as the format.