What every coder should know about gamma
https://blog.johnnovak.net/2016/09/21/what-every-coder-should-know-about-gamma/ [blog.johnnovak.net]
2019-03-27 13:08
Given that vision is arguably the most important sensory input channel for human-computer interaction, it is quite surprising that gamma correction is one of the least talked about subjects among programmers and it’s mentioned in technical literature rather infrequently, including computer graphics texts. The fact that most computer graphics textbooks don’t explicitly mention the importance of correct gamma handling, or discuss it in practical terms, does not help matters at all (my CG textbook from uni falls squarely into this category, I’ve just checked). Some books mention gamma correction in passing in somewhat vague and abstract terms, but then provide neither concrete real-world examples on how to do it properly, nor explain what the implications of not doing it properly are, nor show image examples of incorrect gamma handling.
I came across the need for correct gamma handling during writing my ray tracer and I had to admit that my understanding of the topic was rather superficial and incomplete. So I had spent a few days reading up on it online, but it turned out that many articles about gamma are not much help either, as many of them are too abstract and confusing, some contain too many interesting but otherwise irrelevant details, and then some others lack image examples or are just simply incorrect or hard to understand. Gamma is not a terribly difficult concept to begin with, but for some mysterious reason it’s not that trivial to find articles on it that are correct, complete and explain the topic in a clear language.
Includes a link to the classic, Gamma error in picture scaling.