Gamma curve
Also known as: gamma, transfer function, tone curve
The curve that maps recorded values to on-screen brightness. Standard gamma looks natural; log and HDR curves spread values differently to hold more range.
Updated
What it means
Cameras do not store brightness in a straight line. Human vision is more sensitive to differences in dark and middle tones than in bright ones, so video uses a gamma curve that spends more of the available values on shadows and midtones. The display then applies the inverse curve, and the picture looks natural.
Different curves serve different goals. Standard video gamma, as in Rec. 709, is ready to watch. Log curves flatten contrast to fit more dynamic range into the file, and HDR curves like PQ and HLG map values to much brighter displays.
The curve is part of what people mean when they talk about a camera profile or a picture look.
How it works in practice
Knowing which curve your footage uses tells you what to do in the edit. Standard gamma footage needs only light correction. Log footage needs a conversion to standard gamma, usually with a LUT or color management, before it looks right. HDR footage needs either HDR delivery or tone mapping.
Editors let you adjust the curve directly for creative looks: lifting shadows, rolling off highlights, or adding an S-shaped contrast curve. Small adjustments go a long way, because the curve affects every pixel in the frame.
Matching curves is the first step in combining clips from different cameras.
What to watch out for
Applying the wrong conversion is a common mistake. Treating standard gamma footage as log, or log as standard, gives crushed, neon colors or gray, lifeless images. Check the camera setting used for each clip before applying any LUT.
Gamma mismatches between apps and players also cause exports that look darker or more washed out than in the editor. Test exports on the devices your viewers use.
Finally, pushing a curve too hard on 8-bit footage reveals banding in smooth areas like skies, so keep strong curve changes for 10-bit material.
How RawClip handles it
RawClip does not apply LUTs or change curves. Upload footage in a standard profile, or convert log and HDR clips to a normal look first, and the AI builds your highlight from those files.