Wrong colors on an LG have a few distinct causes. If the picture is black and white, LG has an article on turning grayscale off: it is an accessibility setting under All Settings, Accessibility, Grayscale, so switch it off. If the screen is red or has a color cast, LG has a red or black and white screen article that points to a bad cable or a source setting, so reseat the HDMI cable, swap the cable and port and try another source.
The checks in more detail
Run the Screen Self-Diagnosis to see whether the test image has correct colors: if it does, the TV is fine and the fault is the source, cable or settings. Choose Cinema, Filmmaker Mode or Standard and reset the picture settings, since Vivid oversaturates. Check Color Depth, Color, Tint and Color Temperature (Warm 2 is close to standard) in Expert settings, and White Balance.
Check the source's color format: a PC or console set to limited or wrong RGB range washes out or crushes colors, so set RGB Full or Limited to match the TV's Black Level under HDMI settings. Turn on HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color for 4K HDR sources. Check HDR: HDR content on an SDR mode looks flat. For pink or green tints, replace the HDMI cable, since a marginal one drops color channels.
Update the software and unplug for a minute. Persistent tints or stripes in the test image may need service. Compare the TV with a second display showing the same photo. If both look the same, the file is the cause, and if only the TV differs, the settings, cable or panel are. If colors change when you swap the HDMI cable, the cable or port is the cause, and if they change with the app, the app's settings are.
Differential
Likely causes of “LG TV line colors look wrong, washed out or tinted”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A bad HDMI cable
What separates it The picture has a red, pink or green cast because the HDMI cable is bad
How to confirm Swap the cable and the port, and see whether the cast follows the cable
- 2
A source color range mismatch
What separates it The picture looks washed out or crushed because the source color range does not match
How to confirm Match the RGB range and the black level between the source and the TV
- 3
Vivid mode
What separates it The colors look oversaturated because Vivid mode is selected
How to confirm Choose Cinema or Filmmaker mode, which give more natural colors
- 4
A panel fault
What separates it There are stripes in the test image, which points to a panel fault
How to confirm Contact LG service, since stripes in the test image point to a panel fault
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the Self-Diagnosis image shows the colors correctly
- The picture mode that is selected on the TV
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedTurn off grayscale
ReversibleTurn off grayscale in the Accessibility settings, if the picture is in black and white.
Run Screen Self-Diagnosis
ReversibleRun Screen Self-Diagnosis, to check the panel with its own test image, without a source.
Swap the HDMI cable and port
ReversibleSwap the HDMI cable and the port, to isolate which of them is causing the cast.
Choose Cinema or Filmmaker
ReversibleChoose Cinema or Filmmaker mode, and reset the picture, for the most natural colors, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Match the color range
ReversibleMatch the color range on the source and on the TV, so blacks and whites look right.
Check HDR
ReversibleCheck HDR, and make sure that the source and the TV both handle it consistently.
Update the software
ReversibleUpdate the software on the TV, and then retest the colors with the same source.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- OLED
- OLED colors are calibrated per model; the G-series uses brighter panels.
- QNED
- QNED models use quantum dot color with a backlight.
- Filmmaker Mode and the OLED Motion Pro
- The C4 offers Filmmaker Mode for accurate color and a Game Optimizer for consoles. Turn off the energy saving options when judging color, because Energy Saving dims and shifts the picture. OLED Motion Pro and TruMotion add smoothing that some find unnatural; set them to off or user for films.
- HDR and the HDMI port
- For HDR sources enable HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color on the port in Settings, General, Devices, HDMI Settings. A console set to the wrong range makes blacks gray. Reset the picture mode and calibrate in your normal room light.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit models B3, B4, B5, C2, C3, C5, CX OLED TV, G3, G4, M4, QNED90T, UR9000.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the Self-Diagnosis shows wrong colors or stripes, contact LG
- !If only one source is wrong, check its settings
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Red and black and white screens.
Screen and Sound Self-Diagnosis by model year.
Sound but no picture.
Software Update menu.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is my LG picture black and white?+
Grayscale in Accessibility may be on.
Why is it red or tinted?+
A red or tinted picture points to a cable or a source fault, so swap the cable.
What is the Self-Diagnosis?+
A test showing whether the TV displays.
Can the color range matter?+
Yes, the color range can matter, since a mismatch gives washed out or crushed colors.
What is Filmmaker Mode?+
An accurate picture mode with processing off.
Why is HDR dim?+
Deep Color may be off for the port.