Be gamma correct!

41 votes
Date Updated: 
06/14/2009
Author: 
Martin Breidt

gamma corrected color checker

Gamma correction is one of those buzz words that are really easy in
terms of theory and math but confusing in how they are applied in
practice. As a consequence, it is largely ignored by many graphics
practicioners. This illustrated 10 page article is my attempt at
clarifying gamma correction in the context of 3D CGI by answering most
of the typical questions: "What is gamma? Why do we have it? When should I perform gamma correction? And what happens if I just ignore it?"

Note 1: The article is very general and is applicable to all CGI applications. Only in the second part, it contains information specific to 3ds Max.

Note 2: The article is mostly aimed at the typical "one man 3D freelancer" setup using consumer hardware; if you have set up an in-out linear color workflow with calibrated high end monitors working on film scans, it is unlikely you will need it. ;-)

Comments and discussions on specific parts of the article are most welcome!

Video URL: 

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Todd Harland's picture

Excellent document. How did

Excellent document.
How did you match the colors of the materials to the color checker though?
For example, black on the chart is 49,49,51 for sRGB but if you use that on the diffuse color it comes out sort of a medium grey.

Marco Brunetta's picture

Looks interesting... I'll

Looks interesting... I'll clear my schedule for the week so I have time to read it. =p

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