Middle gray

In
photography,
painting, and
other visual
arts, middle
gray or 50% CIELAB lightness in
middle grey is sRGB color space. (Y =
a tone that is 18.4/100.)
perceptually rgba(119,119,119,1)

about halfway
between black and white on a lightness
scale;[1] in photography, and printing, it is
typically defined as 18% reflectance in
visible light.[2] This gray reflects exactly
1/5th the number of photons per square
unit as compared to a reference white of
90% reflectance.[3]

Middle gray is the universal measurement

standard in photographic cameras. To
calibrate light meters, whether in a camera
or hand held, the 18% gray card was
conceived. It is assumed that the
measurement taken by a meter gives the
exposure for a shot so that some of the
light reflected by the object measured is
equivalent to middle gray.[4] Because
human perception adjusts to the overall
brightness level (and is logarithmic rather
than linear), the perceived middle gray is
subjective to the observer. This must be
kept in mind when using a camera with a
built in light meter (which is neither
subjective nor logarithmic). Most scenes
reflect just 12% to 13% of incident light
falling upon them. Therefore, the camera
light meter assumes an 18% gray level.
This can easily be observed when one
relies solely on the exposure given by a
camera with a built in light meter when
taking a snow scene - the image will come
out dark. Using an 18% gray card as an
expose guide will mitigate this error.

In the sRGB color space, CIELAB middle

gray is equivalent to 46.6% brightness.[5] In
24-bit color, this is rounded to RGB value
(119,119,119) or #777777.[6]

History
In the Zone System of Ansel Adams,
middle gray is known as "Zone V" in the
scale of 11 zones from Zone 0 (black) to
Zone X (white).[7]

As early as 1903, middle gray was defined

as the geometric mean intensity between
a white and a black intensity that are in a
ratio of 60:1.[8] That is equivalent to 12.9%
of the white intensity.

Table of middle grays

Below are various "middle" grays as based
on various criteria. In the center of the
rendering of the "Absolute whiteness"
middle gray, a small black and white
checkered image has been included which,
if viewed from a distance, should look like
a gray with exactly 50% whiteness. On a
correctly calibrated sRGB monitor, this
should appear to be of equal brightness to
rgb(188,188,188) or #BCBCBC.
 Relative
Middle Appearance
whiteness (≙ sRGB CIELAB gamma RGB value for
gray as if viewed in
CIEXYZ brightness lightness correction sRGB monitors
defined by sRGB[note 1]
luminance)

Geomean rgb(101,101,101)
12.91% 39.46% 42.63% 2.95
of 60:1 or #656565

rgb(119,119,119)
L*a*b* 18.42% 46.63% 50.00% 2.44
or #777777

18% gray rgb(124,124,124)

20.00% 48.45% 51.84% 2.32
card or #7C7C7C

rgb(128,128,128)
sRGB 21.40% 50.00% 53.39% 2.22
or #808080

Mac, pre- rgb(146,146,146)

28.72% 57.23% 60.53% 1.80
OS X 10.6 or #929292

Absolute rgb(188,188,188)
50.00% 73.54% 76.07% 1.00
whiteness or #BCBCBC

1. LCD screens, even when correctly

calibrated, often have a brightness
that varies considerably depending on
the viewing angle. Try stepping back
and changing your position until the
checkered image in the center of the
absolute middle gray (50% relative
whiteness) appears to dissolve into
 the background. If the image does not
appear to be of the same brightness,
then the "middle grays" rendered in the
table are NOT correctly displayed on
your screen. (Also take care to make
sure your browser window is not
zoomed since any magnification may
distort the brightness depending on
how your browser adjusts for gamma
when blending the pixels, e.g.
rendering the zoomed image at sRGB
middle gray, or 21% whiteness, instead
of 50%.).

References
1. Stephen Quiller (1999). Painter's Guide
to Color: Includes the New Quiller
Color Wheel . Watson-Guptill. ISBN 0-
8230-3913-7.
2. Blain Brown (2002). Cinematography:
Theory and Practice : Imagemaking for
Cinematographers, Directors, and
Videographers . Focal Press. ISBN 0-
240-80500-3.
3. Woods, Mark. How to Effectively Use
the Gray Card Archived 2014-11-29
at the Wayback Machine.
cameraguild.com
4. Steven Barclay (1999). The Motion
Picture Image: From Film to Digital .
 Focal Press. ISBN 0-240-80390-6.
5. Geffert, Scott (2008). Adopting ISO
Standards for Museum Imaging (PDF)
(Technical report). imagingetc.com,
Inc.
. http://www.brucelindbloom.com/index
.html?ColorCalculator.html
7. Jonathan Spaulding (1998). Ansel
Adams and the American Landscape:
A Biography . University of California
Press. ISBN 0-520-21663-6.
. Daniel Coit Gilman; Harry Thurston
Peck & Frank Moore Colby (1903). The
New International Encyclopædia .
Dodd, Mead and Company.
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