When I make digital pictures of violet flowers they turn out blue. The human eye can see violet just fine, but the sRGB sensor in a digital camera cannot accurately record violet.

Most end up recording it as dim blue, since it triggers the blue sensor. Purple can be an acceptable substitute for violet. Open Photoshop, and mix some red and blue to make the flower look right.

Look at the RGB color space in the cie1931 figure; only colors within the white sRGB "triangle" in the color space have representations.

Film is a little better, as it's not limited to the B in RGB, but it still cannot accurately capture violet light. RGB color models can represent every kind of hue, but the saturation and brightness in digital cameras is limited to within the color triangle.

Deep crimson reds, fully saturated monochrome greens, and anything in the violet area are examples of colors that digital cameras cannot record. So, there are many shades that the eye can see that cannot be recorded with the current digital technology.

Other Articles by John:

Getting Old
RGB & Violet
Smaller Camera Bags
Fun with Optics
Canyonlands, Utah
Scanning Old Letters
Bedke's Advice - Photoshop

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