The term "gamma" in the context of color (specifically, color reproduction in imaging) originated in photography and was later adopted by television and computing. It describes the non-linear relationship between input signals and output brightness. [1 <https://www.poynton.ca/PDFs/SMPTE93_Gamma.pdf>, 2 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_correction#:~:text=A%20gamma%20characteristic%20is%20a%20power%2Dlaw%20relationship,roughly%20to%20subjectively%20equal%20steps%20in%20brightness.>]
Origin and Historical Context - Photography (Late 19th Century): The term "gamma" was first introduced to photography in 1890 by Ferdinand Hurter and Vero Charles Driffield. It was used as a measurement of the slope of the characteristic curve of photographic film, essentially defining the film's contrast. - Television (Pre-WWII): When black-and-white television was developed, engineers faced a challenge with Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) displays. CRTs have an inherent non-linear response to input voltage; they require a disproportionately large amount of energy to produce dark images and less for brighter ones. - The "Gamma Correction" Solution: This non-linearity meant that images recorded by linear-response cameras would appear too dark on a CRT screen. Fortuitously, the CRT's non-linear response was similar to the non-linear way human eyes perceive lightness (we are more sensitive to changes in darker shades than lighter ones). To make images appear correct on the display, an "inverse gamma" function was applied during the encoding or transmission of the image signal. This process is called gamma correction. - Modern Standards: The standards established for early television, such as the NTSC standard (which used a gamma of 2.2), influenced modern computing. This 2.2 gamma value became the standard for most PCs, including Windows and later Mac OS X. Modern display technologies like LCD and LED monitors don't have the same physical non-linearity as CRTs, but the gamma encoding standard is still used for efficient image storage and backward compatibility with existing image formats like JPG, TIF, and PNG. [1 <https://www.poynton.ca/PDFs/SMPTE93_Gamma.pdf>, 3 <https://www.unravel.com.au/understanding-gamma>, 4 <https://jmacnut.medium.com/linear-vs-gamma-but-why-4f04cdfacc6d>, 5 <https://mini.gmshaders.com/p/gamma>, 6 <https://www.eizo.com/library/basics/lcd_display_gamma/>, 7 <https://singleservingphoto.com/2011/02/01/ever-wondered-about-gamma.html>, 8 <https://www.nfsa.gov.au/preservation/preservation-glossary/gamma>, 9 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntfkU9jesk#:~:text=I%20want%20to%20follow%20through%20the%20meaning,Digital%20television%20and%20modern%20photography%20and%20video.>] In essence, "gamma" is a mathematical term (represented by the Greek letter [image: image.png]) that became the name for the technical adjustment needed to make images look natural on specific display technologies, leveraging the properties of human vision. [10 <https://www.colormatters.com/computer-colors/the-power-of-gamma>, 11 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_correction>, 12 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma>, 13 <https://www.reddit.com/r/opengl/comments/onxx7n/why_do_i_get_these_artifacts_when_gamma_correcting/#:~:text=But%20it's%20not%20a%20full%20on%20retcon,be%20a%20nice%20tradeoff%20with%20existing%20technology.>, 14 <https://www.havi.co/blogs/understanding-gamma-correction#:~:text=That%20means%20they%20(%20modern%20screens%20like,software%20or%20graphics%20card%20to%20look%20natural.>] *AI responses may include mistakes.* [1] https://www.poynton.ca/PDFs/SMPTE93_Gamma.pdf [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_correction <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_correction#:~:text=A%20gamma%20characteristic%20is%20a%20power%2Dlaw%20relationship,roughly%20to%20subjectively%20equal%20steps%20in%20brightness.> [3] https://www.unravel.com.au/understanding-gamma [4] https://jmacnut.medium.com/linear-vs-gamma-but-why-4f04cdfacc6d [5] https://mini.gmshaders.com/p/gamma [6] https://www.eizo.com/library/basics/lcd_display_gamma/ [7] https://singleservingphoto.com/2011/02/01/ever-wondered-about-gamma.html [8] https://www.nfsa.gov.au/preservation/preservation-glossary/gamma [9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntfkU9jesk <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntfkU9jesk#:~:text=I%20want%20to%20follow%20through%20the%20meaning,Digital%20television%20and%20modern%20photography%20and%20video.> [10] https://www.colormatters.com/computer-colors/the-power-of-gamma [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_correction [12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma [13] https://www.reddit.com/r/opengl/comments/onxx7n/why_do_i_get_these_artifacts_when_gamma_correcting/ <https://www.reddit.com/r/opengl/comments/onxx7n/why_do_i_get_these_artifacts_when_gamma_correcting/#:~:text=But%20it's%20not%20a%20full%20on%20retcon,be%20a%20nice%20tradeoff%20with%20existing%20technology.> [14] https://www.havi.co/blogs/understanding-gamma-correction <https://www.havi.co/blogs/understanding-gamma-correction#:~:text=That%20means%20they%20(%20modern%20screens%20like,software%20or%20graphics%20card%20to%20look%20natural.> As well as to have basic starting place for over all luminescence. s o so , umm if you look at a picture (well especially these days) you can adujust the contrast (differences between saturation, magentas, etc) and um yo need a base line like you said (on the back end) the generate that or it's just a tower of babble and changing colors distances um depath, gamma basically umm hels makes sure all thosese spaces spread and can be adjust uniformaly On Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 11:00 AM cody dooderson <[email protected]> wrote: > I have been going down a rabbit hole trying to figure out the origin and > purpose of the Gamma Color Space. In Unity, it is usually turned on in some > obscure checkbox. I can only assume that the intention is to enrage graphic > designers. So far, each article and forum I read makes me more confused. > Does anyone actually understand the reason for Gamma Color Space. > Is it really based on some experiments now called Stevens's Power Law? and > does Guerin know anything about a power law that shares his name? > > > _ Cody Smith _ > [email protected] > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / > ... --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ >
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