Some LED colors not accurate

SteveL54

Senior Member
Here is a shot I took in New York City a few months back. I shoot in JPEG, and only minimal editing. Mostly just cropping, and minimal color correction.
The problem is with the traffic light and the don't walk light. They should be red, but clearly they are orange.
The other red lights - neon signs, taxi tail lights, etc. seem to be correct.
I usually keep the WB on auto,
Any ideas?


nyc_007a.jpg
 

PaulPosition

Senior Member
I *think* it is just the way these lights work coupled with a long-ish exposition... The yellow component "burns" more than the red one.

The mask in the photo below was lit from inside by my tablet showing a 100% pure red screen... And it came out quite yellow.

(Sorry, dunno how to upload from said tablet)
"Rouge ou jaune" par PaulPosition: https://flickr.com/photos/37948140@N00/14376352744
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Ever wonder if the "red" your eye sees is really red, or is it your brain telling you it's red because of where it is and your expectations?

The LED's used in the lights are not colored, only the glass they shoot through is. The older the red on the glass, the more faded. Take a look at the Traffic Light page on Wikipedia - lots of orange colored "red lights". I suspect there's not a lot you can do about it outside of selective hue correction in post.

Don't walk lights have always, in my experience, been somewhere between red and orange.
 

SteveL54

Senior Member
You could be right about the don't walk sign, Jake. But I'm sure that the red traffic light is red. Otherwise, it would certainly be confused with the orange caution light.
I'm going to take a few shots of some this weekend and see if I get the same result. Maybe even try playing around with the WB to see if that makes a difference.
 
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