Gamma 1.0 (fully color-corrected system, e.g. NeXT)
Gamma 1.5 (typical SGI box)
Gamma 1.8 (typical Mac box)
Gamma 2.2 (TV standard, PhotoCD output and average Web computer)
Gamma 2.5 (no correction, e.g. most PC boxes)
Below are grayscale linear gradients converted to several different gamma values. They should appear very smooth, with continuous transition from pure black to bright white. The gray tones should be completely neutral, without tint of any color. The gradient corresponding to your system gamma should appear "most linear", with mid-tone gray exactly in the middle.
If you can see wide bands of the same color, it means that you video card is in low-color mode. Switch it to 24 bit or higher mode. This is an object lesson on why you do need a video card that supports 24 bit mode at your favorite resolution to view photographs. Banding will spoil your fun, especially with black and white images. (24 bit color = 8 bit grayscale = 256 shades of gray, while 15 bit color = 5 bit grayscale = 32 shades of gray. Give me a break...) Avoid 16 bit mode, as it gives grays that are not neutral, because one color gets one more bit than others.
Gamma 1.0 (fully color-corrected system, e.g. NeXT)
Gamma 1.5 (typical SGI box)
Gamma 1.8 (typical Mac box)
Gamma 2.2 (TV standard, PhotoCD output and average Web computer)
Gamma 2.5 (no correction, e.g. most PC boxes)
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