What Is the Gamma Setting on a Monitor or TV?

Brightness and contrast are two self-explanatory display settings and are pretty easy to configure. However, you might have noticed a mysterious third setting called “gamma.” This article will explain everything you need to know about gamma and what to set it to.

What Is Gamma?

Gamma is the correction factor that adjusts the complete brightness levels of images to ensure that our eyes can correctly perceive them. This need for gamma correction arises from differences in the linear way cameras capture light and how our eyes interpret those differences in light. This might sound confusing, so let’s look at a practical example.

Let’s say you took two identical lamps and placed a random object in front of them. When you turn one lamp on, the object will be illuminated. If you now turn the second lamp on, you have theoretically doubled the amount of light reflecting off the object, but your eyes will only perceive a small difference in brightness. However, a camera can capture that difference in luminance quite effectively. If you take a picture of the object and display it on a screen, the final image will appear washed out in contrast to its real-life appearance. You can watch a demonstration of this phenomenon and a full-length explanation in the video below.

Gamma corrects light on a non-linear basis, which means it doesn’t simply increase or decrease light like the brightness setting. Instead, the input signal (such as the raw image from a camera) is transformed and non-linearly compressed into RGB data in accordance with the gamma value.

Why Is Gamma 2.2 the “Standard” Setting?

Gamma 2.2 provides the most accurate, true-to-life visual representation. It’s the value scientists and engineers landed on after extensive research and testing. Ebner and Fairchild published a conference paper in 1998 that describes how they converted linear intensity into lightness on a grayscale using the CIELAB exponent of 0.43. The value 2.3255, the reciprocal of 0.43, is actually closer to gamma 2.4, but since most computers are used in bright homes and offices, gamma 2.2 was chosen instead for better visibility.

Interestingly, while gamma 2.2 has been the standard on Windows for decades, Apple used gamma 1.8 for a much brighter image. Apple made the switch to gamma 2.2 in 2009 with the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

Here’s a comparison of gamma 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4. The original image with gamma 2.2 is in the middle.

If you focus on the brightest and darkest parts of the image (highlights and shadows), you’ll notice that gamma 2.2 strikes the best balance. Conversely, gamma 2.0 has more detail in the shadows but makes the rest look washed out and bright, whereas 2.4 loses some detail in the shadows but gains contrast in the bright parts.

And while 2.2 gamma has a nice balance, we can also learn from this little case study that there isn’t an ideal gamma setting for everything. That’s why images are often edited to look nicer across all displays. As for video games, many of them let you adjust the gamma setting so that you can match it with your preferences. This is perfect if you

Subjectivity plays a massive role in gamma. For instance, some ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ players increased the in-game gamma slider to get a darker and gloomier atmosphere to better fit the visuals of Night City. Others, like me, had trouble seeing items in the dark and consequently had to set the gamma value below the default.

What Should I Set My Gamma To?

Generally speaking, the standard gamma 2.2 should look the best across the board. Gamma 2.2 is the standard that professional digital content creators use on their highly accurate displays, so the content is best enjoyed on the same gamma setting. This applies to video games, movies, pictures, videos, and even website color schemes. If a game or app lets you change the gamma settings, you should use that instead of changing the value on your monitor’s settings.

Other gamma values might look better under certain circumstances, though. If you’re in a dark room and have a bright display, gamma 2.4 can look great. Conversely, if most of your computer time is spent with sunlight shining directly on the monitor, you might need to adjust your gamma to 2.0 or even lower to see better. To get the best results, spare a few minutes to calibrate your monitor’s gamma in relation to the other settings.

Gamma is the least understood but most interesting setting on our displays. Gamma isn’t usually something we have to play around with, as gamma 2.2 is the default setting out-of-the-box across the industry, but it’s nice that we have the option nonetheless. I encourage you to play around with your gamma settings to see if you prefer something darker, like 2.4, or slightly brighter, like 2.0, to help with dark details.