What is gamma correction?

Gamma is the curve between the numbers in an image file and the brightness you see. Gamma correction raises every color value, taken as 0 to 1, to the power of 1 divided by the gamma. A gamma above 1 brightens the midtones, below 1 darkens them, and pure black and white never move. It fixes images that look too dark or too pale because they were saved with a different gamma than your screen expects, such as linear renders from 3D software or raw scans.

Tool description

Open an image and set the gamma. At 1 nothing changes. 2.2 brightens an image stored as linear light so it looks right on screen, and 0.45 (1 divided by 2.2) does the opposite. The preview updates as you drag, and the compare button shows the original next to the edit. Download the result at full size as PNG, JPG, or WebP.

Examples

What four grays (0 to 255) become at different gammas:

Gamma 32 64 128 192
0.45 3 12 55 136
1 32 64 128 192
1.8 80 118 174 218
2.2 99 136 186 224

Features

  • The standard power curve: output = input ^ (1 / gamma)
  • Keeps pure black and pure white
  • Full size download, made in your browser

Tips

  • If an image looks dark and harsh, with crushed shadows, try 2.2. If it looks pale and flat, try 0.45.
  • Gamma works on each color channel separately, so a brightening gamma also makes colors a little paler, and a darkening one makes them a little richer.
  • To fine tune by eye, change the gamma in small steps around 1, like 0.8 or 1.2.