Why do CIE chromaticity diagrams show colors outside the sRGB triangle on my monitor?

Asked 12/9/2014

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On a CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, the visible spectrum outline extends beyond the sRGB triangle. For example, around 460 nm the diagram appears to show a blue that lies outside sRGB. If my monitor likely cannot even display full sRGB, how can I still see those colors in the diagram? Is the image just an approximation, or is the diagram inaccurate?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

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This is just a visualisation. The colours in the diagram do not represent the real colours of the noted wavelengths (what you see is dependent on the capabilities and calibration of your monitor anyway), but are chosen to give you an idea where the different colours rougly lie.

Originally by user32110. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user32110

11y ago

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What you see in that image is only a visualization, not a literal display of all real chromaticities.

A monitor can only show colors within its own gamut, so any chromaticity diagram viewed on-screen must be converted into the monitor’s RGB space. Colors outside that space cannot be displayed exactly; they are approximated, clipped, shifted, blurred, or otherwise adjusted to give a useful visual guide.

So the blue you see outside the sRGB triangle is not proof that your monitor is displaying that actual out-of-gamut wavelength. It is just a screen-rendered representation intended to show where those colors lie relative to the gamut boundary.

Also, some published diagrams are not strictly rendered in sRGB and may use altered processing to reduce harsh discontinuities, so the displayed colors can be even less literal than they appear.

In short: the diagram is conceptually correct, but the colors on your screen are approximate. There is no “real” on-screen chromaticity diagram that can faithfully show all visible colors on an sRGB or limited-gamut monitor.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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