hi ghonma,

thanks again. We do disagree on the calibration part, but the debate helped me to figure out the Poser-GC thing. Hence, I write it out to inform anyone else interested. All comments are welcome, of course.

On the PoserPro2010-GC:

When one takes various shots of the same object, with different zoom and other settings, and Level/Gamma correct each individual image, one gets slight differences that has to be adjusted for when combining all those shots into one final object texture. This way, one can get photoreal textures for the girl, the bikini, the car and the background, for example. Or photoreal textures for skin, hear, eye, leather and lace.

But all those textures have received different corrections, and in order to use them in one scene one has to balance them against each other, for even more photorealism. One can do that upfront, or even in post using object masking, but now PP2010 can do it internally as well. Good feature.

On the calibration:

All physical devices have characteristics that put them into trouble producing detail in either dark or light areas. Paper / ink interaction, voltage to light emission, all non-linear outside the midtone range. One doesn't need any faults or cheap stuff for it. 

For that reason one never sends an image directly to a device, but to the device driver instead. This thing tries to make an inverse translation, in order to get the image out of the device as it went into the driver. Basic gamma adjustment is the rudest way, applying a standard (like sRGB) profile comes next, and using an up to date monitor specific profile is best. Such a profile exactly inverts the devices behaviour.

As a result, the image will look exactly the same on each monitor that uses an up to date device specific profile. There is no hardware related information embedded in the image any more. I can see it right in front of me, by moving a single image around over a single large scale multi-PC multi-monitor desktop. Or by displaying it in large on this monitor-wall in a 2x2 display setup. No color changes.

All this becomes different when only native of generic (say sRGB) color management is applied. As is usually the case when people view each others gallery images. When the result is overly dark, the creator very likely is on a Mac while you're on a PC. When the result is overly light, it's likely to be the reverse.

The renderer indeed is not a physical device, and has no limitations to be corrected for. So, the result usually will need a Levels (Dynamics) adjustment, but not a gamma correction: it's linear between the images white- and blackpoints. But one might want to add in a gamma correction, to make the image look like a real camera shot, eventually compensated for outdoor-clouds or indoor-church conditions. That's personal, as there is nothing to fix. Or one might want to adjust the image to make it not too much off for people with a non-calibrated tube, on Mac as well as PC.

Happy Posing.

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Usually I'm wrong. But to be effective and efficient, I don't need to be correct or accurate.

visit www.aRtBeeWeb.nl (works) or Missing Manuals (tutorials & reviews) - both need an update though