---
title: "Basic Properties"
url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/VPTONEMAPPING-ID_VIDEOPOSTPROPERTIES.html"
section_path: "Render Menu > Render Setting > Post Effects > Tone Mapping > Linear Modes"
element_id: "VPTONEMAPPING"
group_id: "ID_VIDEOPOSTPROPERTIES"
description: "The linear modes brighten or darken all regions of the image uniformly. This means that some image regions can be drowned out."
---

## Basic Properties

### Operator

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_OPERATOR`

# Linear Modes

The linear modes brighten or darken all regions of the image uniformly. This means that some image regions can be drowned out.

## Linear

### Scale

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_SCALE` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

This is a simple mode that simply multiplies all color values with the **Scale** factor. Both dark and bright regions will be brightened or darkened.

## Photo Linear

### Exposure

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_EXPOSURE` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

### ISO

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_SENSITIVITY` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

### F-Stop

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_FSTOP` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

### Gamma

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_GAMMA` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

If you have knowledge of photography, these settings should be familiar to you. These common camera settings **Exposure** (the larger the value, the brighter), **ISO** (the larger the value, the brighter (this setting represents is the film/sensor sensitivity)), and **F-Stop** (the larger the value the darker) can be used to adjust the results.

The **Gamma** value can be used to increase (larger values) or decrease (smaller values) the image's mid-range brightness (which is actually not linear behavior if the value is not equal to 1).

## Auto Linear

This operator can be compared to a camera's automatic exposure: an average brightness value for the image is ascertained internally on which a correct value for Exposure and F-Stop will be defined, based on **Photo Linear** formulas. Subsequently, a gamma correction can be made using the **Gamma** setting.

## Max White

This option ascertains the brightest point and sets it to white. The remainder of the image will be "scaled" relative to this point. If there are very bright regions in the image, darker regions will be made much darker or even black.

# Non-Linear Mode

## Reinhard 02

### Pre-Scale

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_PRESCALE` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

### Post-Scale

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_POSTSCALE` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

### Burn

Parameter ID: `VP_TONEMAPPING_BURN` · Range: [0.00..+∞]

![Image: 041018.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/041018.jpg)\
Three Rheinhard curves with different **Burn** values from 1 to 3.

The Rheinhard operator is based on tone mapping techniques used in photography. As you can see in the image above, bright regions are compressed in particular. This tone mapping method is the most prevalently used method for rendering.

**Pre-Scale** primarily affects darker regions (higher values can be used to brighten shaded regions) and the **Post-Scale** is used to adjust brighter regions, as can be seen in the image above, and even blends between linear and exponential curve progression.

# Example

The following scene is and example, rendered without Tone Mapping:

![Image: 041019.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/041019.jpg)\
The luminous material at the left has a brightness of 250%, a sphere lies at the right in the dark.

As you can see, there are over-exposed and very dark regions. The image doesn't look good. In the following you can see how some of the operators work:

![Image: 041020.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/041020.jpg)

**Photo Linear** is not used here because it behaves similarly to the other linear operators.

As you can see in the image above, **Auto Linear** works best (in combination with **Gamma**): Very bright regions are darkened and dark regions are brightened. **Rheinhard** doesn't work very well with this scene: very dark regions cannot be brightened adequately. This operator works best for scenes with even lighting and no very dark regions (e.g., interior room renderings).

The linear operators don't work well with the example scene because they either darken bright regions, which makes dark regions even darker or they brighten dark regions, which over-exposes brighter regions.