Which process maps linear light to display-referred gamma for viewing?

Which process maps linear light to display-referred gamma for viewing?

• A. Gamma correction
• B. Scene linearization
• C. Color grading
• D. De-bayering

Answer: (A)

Encoding linear scene brightness into a nonlinear form for viewing on a display is the idea here. Human vision responds nonlinearly to light, so gamma correction uses a power-law curve to map linear luminance into a range that the display can reproduce in a way that looks natural to the eye. This encoding allocates more precision to darker tones and less to highlights, helping preserve detail where we’re most sensitive. The display then applies its own transfer function, and the combination yields perceptually consistent brightness across the scene. In other words, gamma correction prepares the signal so that viewing on a typical display results in what we expect to see.

For context, scene linearization would convert data to linear light, not to a display-referred gamma; color grading tweaks mood and tone, not the optical response to brightness; and de-bayering reconstructs full color from a Bayer sensor pattern.