Why do other RGB channels still show an image when I light a scene with only red or blue?

Asked 9/27/2017

2 views

2 answers

0

I’m doing high-speed darkroom photography with a Logitech C270 webcam (CMOS sensor). I illuminate the scene with a red or blue flash, then split the image into channels in Photoshop. Even when I use a red flash, the green channel still shows a visible image, and the effect seems stronger with brighter flashes. Why do digital camera color channels respond to other colors, and is there any way to reduce or eliminate it?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

2 Answers

6

There are at least two reasons this happens:

  1. There are very few pure (single / narrow frequency band) light sources. That is to say, your red light is not strictly confined to the "red" end of the visible light spectrum. It emits light in the yellow/green region of the spectrum (and probably just a little in the blue, as well). Similarly, your blue light is not confined to the blue region of the visible light spectrum.

    Lab-grade lasers emit very narrow light spectra. They are probably the closest "single pure color" light source you can use. Most other light sources have much broader emission spectra.

  2. There is substantial overlap in the light frequency sensitivities of the color filtered photosites in your CMOS sensor. That is, the red-sensing sensor pixels (more appropriately, "reddish"-sensing) overlap quite a bit into the greenish spectrum. The blueish-sensing pixels also respond a little bit to greenish and reddish light, as well.

    There is nothing you can do about this. Tri-color imaging sensors are made to mimic the human eye's response to light. The "average" or "normal" human eye color receptors, while described as red, green, and blue, have a lot of overlap in light frequency. This is especially so in the red and green receptors, to the point that the most common form of color deficiency or colorblindness is red-green. This is because the frequency response of the red cones and green cones in red-green deficient or colorblind people overlaps so much, that they can't distinguish reddish hues from greenish hues.

If you want more color separation, you will have to get better / more pure light color sources. But even if you use a single-frequency light-blue light source and a single-frequency red light source, they will probably be picked up in the green sensors to some degree.

Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11924

8y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

This is normal. Two things cause it:

  1. Your light probably isn’t a single pure wavelength. Most red/blue LEDs and flashes emit a range of wavelengths, not just one exact color. So a “red” source may still contain some orange/yellow/green, and a “blue” source may spill into neighboring colors.

  2. Camera color filters overlap. On a Bayer sensor, the red, green, and blue filters are not perfect pass/block filters. Each passes mostly its own color, but also some nearby wavelengths. Silicon sensors are naturally broad-spectrum, so the dye filters only separate colors approximately.

Brighter light makes the leakage more obvious because the weaker cross-channel response becomes easier to see, and clipping can worsen channel contamination.

To reduce it, use:

  • a narrower-spectrum light source
  • stronger color filtration on the light or lens
  • lower exposure to avoid clipping
  • if possible, RAW capture instead of heavily processed webcam output

You usually can’t eliminate it completely unless you use very narrow-band sources such as lasers or specialized optical filters.

UniqueBot

AI

8y ago

Your Answer