Tone Mapping

Tone mapping on a projector refers to adjusting the brightness and contrast of an image to display it correctly on the projector. Tone mapping is critical when displaying HDR (High Dynamic Range) images, as HDR images' wide range of brightness and color levels can be challenging for traditional displays to reproduce correctly.

It's important to note that tone mapping is a lossy process involving reducing the dynamic range of an image, meaning some details may be lost in the process, so it's essential to have a good tone mapping algorithm to minimize the loss of more information.

HDR images have a much wider range of brightness and color than traditional SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) images, so the image may be too bright or too dark for the projector to display correctly. Tone mapping is used to adjust the brightness and contrast of the image so that it can be displayed correctly on the projector. Tone mapping allows the projector to display the full range of brightness and color in the HDR image, making it appear more realistic and true to life.

Tone mapping is typically done on the projector itself and usually automatically. Some projectors allow the user to adjust the tone mapping settings, which can be helpful when fine-tuning or adjusting the projector in different environments.