fun fact contract (and therefore)gamma burn in on OLEDS is a nightmare Also fun fact) That I would actually like to know the kind of the why's to: Gamma and contrast on very high and some lower rfresh monitors need a um small black pixel or sometimes bunch of them as um divider called a black space--i haven't a clue why. It's come up on pretty geeky forums because CRTs didn't need that , and no idea why.
On Thu, Nov 27, 2025 at 10:22 AM Gillian Densmore <[email protected]> wrote: > 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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