FTGAMMA(1)

📦
version 2.15.0 · 9 versions
, in arch rolling

💅 FTGAMMA(1) — the ftgamma page, bestie 💅

okay so welcome to FTGAMMA(1) from the General Commands Manual — this is the whole vibe for ftgamma, aka your screen gamma calibration helper. ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

ftgamma — screen gamma calibration helper. That's the name, no cap. 💖

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

ftgamma

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Okay so what does ftgamma actually do? It displays patterns that are sensitive to gamma correction. The vibe check is real.

It renders slightly slanted lines using either grayscale anti-aliasing or subpixel anti-aliasing. Tiny tilted lines, two different rendering moods.

  • Grayscale case — the correct gamma helps the lines have uniform perceived thickness. Like, they should feel equally thick all the way along, not doing a weird diet in some spots. 🌈
  • The gamma value with a vanishing moiré pattern — that's the ideal one for anti-aliased font rendering. Yes bestie, the moiré pattern should literally vanish.
  • Subpixel case — the correct gamma removes color fringes that are still hanging around even after LCD filtering. No leftover rainbow edges, please. 💅

Alternatively — because this program said “why not both?” — it displays a series of gray stripes filled with either a solid color or a checkered pattern of pixels. Gray stripes, solid vs checkered, the classic showdown. 🫶

Your monitor's gamma value roughly corresponds to the horizontal position where the solid and checkered stripes are equally bright when seen from some distance. So step back a little, don't press your face to the glass, and find where they match. 👑

There are three brightness targets being explored:

  1. 33%
  2. 50%
  3. 67%

If the input-output curve of your monitor does not follow the ideal power law relationship, you might observe slightly different gamma values at different brightness levels. Keep that in mind, bestie. 😭

It's also possible to examine gamma values for basic colors. So yes, colors get their little gamma moment too. 🌸

Important vibe: this program does not have any options. No flags, no secret menu, nothing extra. It just runs. Periodt. 💀

This program is part of the FreeType demos package. 🧚

And that's the whole page, bestie — FreeType 2.15.0, dated October 2026. Catch you in the next manual, mwah. 💜🦋

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