What is worng with Linear color space?

Actually, results with gamma color space in unity 5 are better than Linear:

Using standard shader, model with Diffuse, specular+gloss and normal maps. Realtime GI.

Gamma space:

Linear space:


Model using Standard shader with only diffuse.

Gamma:


Linear:


What do you think?

 

The linear lighting images do look like they have more something...surface fidelity? Some look better, some worse. IMHO, most surfaces look more believable in linear. There's a photo-realistic quality to surfaces in linear that gamma doesn't represent as well.

I'm sold on using linear when I learn about linear vs gamma space, but in practice (regardless of "correctness"), I believe if an image or surface looks better, it is better.

 

There's a lot of subtle points between the two to point out to like or dislike - in the end they both look very good. The most specific consistent difference I can point out myself is gamma seems to either be picking up reflective color of things around it (or the skymap perhaps) while the linear seems to have more true to its own color.

 

You need to understand that linear is not supposed to look "better"(eye candy), it supposed to look more correctly, closer to how it would look irl. Also you shoudn't testing it with only some object, but whole scene with terrain, different objects etc. Then you'll see much more differences.
Ps. funny thing is that actually second image where you can clearly see shadow, looks much better, more real, look how house is brighter where shadow covers it, it's looks like it would have global illumination(bounced lightning from ground).

 

Yes the surface fidelity is better in linear, but what about reflectivity or color scattering? Compare the pilar of rock at the skybox.... I did the same scene with Skyshop in unity 4, and its getting better results on linear space...

As I said to dougdodd, its not about eye candy, its abaout visual fidelity. Compare the pilar of rock in the skybox. The only point that actually looks better is the surface fidelity as dougdodd said. Testing with Skyshop in unity 4 with the same scene its getting better results on Linear space.

Maybe I have to learn much more about enlighten.