The approach that helped me is thinking in photons. 50% in pixel values is only 25% of the photons that 100% in pixel values represents (approximately). Linear

The approach that helped me is thinking in photons. 50% in pixel values is only 25% of the photons that 100% in pixel values represents (approximately). Linear light measures just means converting to photons before you do any operations, and then converting them back to the encoding. I almost wish gamma was a more obvious encoding process, like gzipping a file, rather than a simple function. That would save a lot of conceptual pain.