some example, this is V4 HiRes Wet skin as it comes with the package.

Diffuse value is 1 = 100%, color is white (100%) and the face itself is about 80% at its brightest point (nose), so Diffuse will count for 100% x 100% x 80% = 80%.

Specular value is 100%, color is say 18% grey and the brightest point on the greyscale specular map is about 80% (I guess they just turned the face texture into greyscale). So Specular will count for 100% x 18% x 80% = 15%.

Ambient value is 25%, color is red 45% which produces a 25% x 45% = 11% red glow from the body.

Alternate Specular is white (100%) times the Blinn effect, which appears about 20% grey.

As a result, our Wet Vicky returns 80% (Diff) + 15% (Spec) + 20% (Alt_Spec) = 115% of the captured light and will add the 11% glow to it.

This is fine if you do the same with other objects in the scene, it will then suggest just stronger lighting. but when you want to merge the render into a photograph, Vicky will stand out far too much with matching lighting levels.

Back to the original case, at the beginning of this thread: what happens when you apply gamma correction? Essentially it will reduce the effect of the darker color swatches, so the result with GC applied will show noticably far less Specular (18%) and less red glow (45%). The effect of the texture maps (80%) will be reduced slightly, and the Blinn will not be effected (no color swtch involved) at all which compensates the loss of specular a bit. Next to softened shadows and hilights you will experience some loss of color strenght and a less redder teint.

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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