Be gamma correct!

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!