What is "dynamic range"

Dynamic range, abbreviated DR, DNR, or DYR is the ratio between the largest and smallest values that a certain quantity, such as in signals like sound and light, can assume. It is measured either as a ratio or as a base-10 ( decibel) or base-2 (doublings, bits or stops) logarithmic value of the difference between the smallest and largest signal values, in parallel to the common usage for audio signals. Often the term is improperly used in signal or image processing to indicate either the values interval or its size.

The term dynamic range may mean:

• Dynamic range, dynamic range is a term used frequently in numerous fields to describe the ratio between the smallest and largest possible values of a changeable quantity.
• High dynamic range imaging, the intention of HDRI is to represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes.
• High dynamic range rendering, HDRR is the rendering of computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in a larger dynamic range than the final output range.
• Contrast ratio, the contrast ratio is a metric of a display system, defined as the ratio of the luminosity of the brightest and the darkest color the system is capable of producing.
• Exposure range, the range of light intensities that a camera can capture. A camera system with a higher exposure range will be able to record more details in the dark and light areas of a picture.