I've been trying to decide whether or not i should use gamma correction in my renders. On one hand, it can make a picture look nice and realistic. But sometimes, it makes a render look dull/grayish and washed out, and kills highlights.

This is a particular problem with the "horde werewolf model" that i've seen used pretty much everywhere. When i render it with gamma correction ticked on, with proper postwork it comes out looking nicely on my monitor. However, when i turn up the brightness settings, the werewolf model gets "washed out", and this only happens when i render with GC on. While it may look great on my system, other people who have brighter monitors may see this "Washed out" look, and it could become a problem.

Is there a particular reason for this happening? I'm torn between using gamma correction or not. I've attached two pictures so you guys can check out. Do they look good, or are they "washed out" and bright? This first picture is supposed to be a dark werewolf, with only the blue/golden highlights showing. These second picture in the next post is white highlights and slightly brighter. Both are rendered with gamma correction 2.20.