Re: Gamma Question and Yahoo, etc

Eric Nelson wrote:
>
> My gamma question has to do with the difference
> between PC and Mac. PC's, as I understand, have a
> gamma of 2.2 and Mac 1.8. My Mac generated images on
> my web site will appear darker on a PC than how they
> look here. While traveling in Asia I check my site
> with the PC's at the local internet cafe and
> everything looks dark as well as at my girlfriend's PC
> in BKK.

I'm sorry, I can't give you any information, only commiseration. I was
just mulling over that very fact just now, in thinking about the
traveling portfolio which was set up precisely because there is no way
to get the same accurate representation on all platforms, systems,
hardwares, softwares ambient illumination, etc. People wanted to see the
images the way they really are, and that's why they started sending the
actual prints around to each other.

I almost gave up having a website because of this. I got the images to
look right on my Mac, and then I remembered that PCs have a different
gamma, so I switched the gamma and saw that they were way too dark. So I
started lightening them, trying to find a midpoint where they would look
halfway okay on both, but the more I lightened them for the PC, the less
visible they got on the Mac. When I was about ready to give up, a friend
on the list told me, "Nobody's work looks right online, get over it!"
and then I was able to accept that there isn't any way to get accurate
representation online, and that that's just the way it is.

If someone has good news about this, I'll be glad to hear it, but I fear
the remedy will simply be to force everyone into one box.

Katharine Thayer
Received on Thu Sep 9 10:12:01 2004