Visual perception

Visual perception is the human ability to see and understand our surroundings by virtue of the sensitivity of our eyes to wavelengths of light across the entire visible spectrum, from red to violet.

  • Visual perception is a complex process that relies on the intricate interaction between our eyes, the brain, and the interpretation of light signals.
  • It enables us to perceive various visual attributes such as shapes, sizes, textures, depths, motions, and spatial relationships.
  • These elements collectively contribute to our comprehensive understanding and interpretation of the visual world around us.
  • Visual perception is associated with eyesight but also encompasses the brain’s capacity to interpret information received from our eyes.
  • The interpretation of visual information depends on the attributes of visual perception.
  • The human eye and vision are attuned and responsive to the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • Light is typically composed of multiple wavelengths, and observers are usually exposed to a range of adjacent wavelengths or a combination of wavelengths from various parts of the spectrum.
  • Colour is not an inherent property of electromagnetic radiation but rather a characteristic of an observer’s visual perception.
  • Colour is what humans perceive when light is present.
  • Objects appear to be different colours to an observer depending on the wavelength, frequency and intensity of light at the moment it strikes the retina at the back of the eye.
Related diagrams

Each diagram below can be viewed on its own page with a full explanation.

References

Colour is not a property of electromagnetic radiation, but a feature of visual perception by an observer.

  • The human eye and so human visual perception are tuned to the visible spectrum and so to spectral colours between red and violet.
  • There are no properties of electromagnetic radiation that distinguish visible light from other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • Objects appear to be different colours to an observer depending on the wavelengths, frequencies and amplitude of visible light at the moment it strikes the retina at the back of the eye.