Hi Cameradan,
The official idea that MAXON has to that theme is in the Manual.
(CINEMA 4D> CINEMA 4D Visualize, Broadcast, Studio Advanced Render Global Illumination> GI Setup
GI Setup)
The question is here of course, if your pipeline is gamma based or not. I recommend of course a Linear Workflow and nothing less than 32bit/c (Open EXR).
Gamma is and was a good idea for low bit images, especially 8bit/c. You might find a lot of data (mostly incomplete or sometimes even wrong) on the web.) There is a coexistence between the Human perception and monitors, which is professional source called the (freely quoted) “happy coexistence of a problem”. (Charles Poynton, 2nd edition, Digital Video and HD).
From my point of view the low bit/c workflow can’t be mapped on 256 steps without gamma distribution, other wise you would have 50% of all your values on the highest “stop”, which is certainly the end of the usability.
You have to understand that there is a need to keep the data uniform (always the same gamma) and there is a need to have that material always visible for the human eye in the same way. That might change heavily and even for TV studios, there is no recommendation that is the same all over the place. Monitor Gamma is (based on TV standards) based as Film on viewing conditions. Which means context based.
If you split the workflow in data for the computer (rendering and compositing) and in the human interface part (TV, FILm, Print etc) you should use pure linear (1.0) for that, and for your viewing purposes as well one single value, or perhaps a LUT, if you work predominately in film.
This is my idea about, and I know some people stuck in the way it was so far.
Apple has changed its Gamma, but that is based on the viewing conditions. In the moment you start mixing the TWO, you might run into trouble.
Again, take serious recourse to look this up, the web is filled with half digested ideas about the linear workflow.
All the best
Sassi
