Both new and older LG TV owners will often question “what is the best picture mode for my LG TV”
The best picture mode for LG TV largely depends on your usage.
If you play video games, then you likely will prefer a different picture mode than someone who purely uses their LG TV for watching films.
Avoid the LG standard picture mode when possible
Although the LG standard picture mode is the “jack of all trades” it is also the master of none.
The standard picture mode is for the generalist media consumer who bounces from TV shows, Movies and Gaming.
If this sounds like you, and you are still using the “Standard Picture” mode, then you are missing out on the best that your LG TV has to offer.
The standard picture mode offers a subpar performance in all categories, and we would suggest that you manually change the picture modes on your LG TV to suit the media that you are viewing.
What is the worst LG TV Picture Mode?
This is an easy answer: The worst picture mode is the Auto Power Saver or APS mode.
APS is limits the brightness of the picture and the overall performance of your LG TV in exchange for reduce power consumption.
Another issue with the APS picture is that it can cause intermittent dimming on your LG TV.
Gaming Picture Mode
It may not surprise you to hear that the best picture mode on LG TV for gaming is either “Gaming” or “Game Optimizer”.
The reason that we recommend these modes is not about the picture quality, but mainly the performance and experience.
The gaming picture modes on LG TV’s usually limited the post-processing of the picture in exchange for a more responsive and quicker picture display.
The majority of gamers would prefer a slight hit in “picture quality” in exchange for a better gaming experience.
Different Games, Different Pictures Modes?
The vast majority of the most popular modern AAA+ games are usually fast-paced and competitive titles that directly benefit from the aforementioned “Gaming” picture modes.
There is an argument however, if you prefer slower paced games, that another picture mode may be suitable.
For Slower Paced Games, Try Cinema Picture Mode
If your game doesn’t require responsiveness, then we would recommend that you try out the “Cinema” LG picture mode.
You can have the picture post-processing enabled to ensure the best picture quality in exchange for the fast response that you don’t need.
The Best Picture mode for TV Shows and Movies
When you are watching a TV show or movie, we generally recommend that you enable the Cinema picture mode.
LG have optimized this mode for you with post-processing that offers the best picture in both dark and bright scenes.
Best picture mode for sports
For sports fans, LG has optimized its TV’s and offered a “Sports” picture mode.
Sports are generally fast-paced events, and the “Sports” picture mode helps in reducing motion blur.
On older and unoptimized TVs, or if you are not enabling the sports mode, you can notice blurriness appear around moving objects.
This motion blur can be off-putting, especially when watching sports such as soccer or Formula 1 racing.
Best Picture mode for PC / Mac users
I personally use an LG C1 TV as my monitor for productivity and work.
The ISF Expert modes offer the best monitor experience without causing any eye strain.
I did run into the issues when the brightness kept changing on my LG TV. This was easily resolved by disabling the Auto Bright Limiters (ABL).
If you game on your PC or Mac, then you can always switch to game mode for that purpose.
Other picture mode considerations and tips
Change the picture settings and calibrations
Don’t be afraid to tinker with the picture setting and find out what is right for you.
If things go wrong, you can always reset your LG TV to the default picture settings.
If you want to dive deeper into the picture settings, then there are a lot of really in-depth resources that tell you about LG TV picture calibration.
Try LG Super Resolution for older content
If you often view older content, that is of a 720p resolution or below, then you can try the LG Super Resolution setting to enhance the picture sharpness.
This works for older TV shows and movies, running content from formats that predate DVD’s such as VHS, and finally, this is also worthwhile trying if you are a retro gamer.
Super Resolution can help by enhancing the picture if you are pulling out the older PlayStation, SNES or MegaDrive.
Check out this article on what is LG Super Resolution and how to use it.
Conclusion
As you can see, the answer to “What is the best picture more for LG TV” is nuanced based on your usage.
The information provided in this article should enable you to make an informed decision and find the best picture for your LG TV.