Novel UV absorbing compounds and photographic elements containing UV absorbing compounds

1-Amino-4-cyano-1,3-butadiene compounds of the formula ##STR1## WHEREIN N IS 1 OR 2; WHEN N IS 1, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are the same or different and represent hydrogen, alkyl including substituted alkyl, aryl including substituted aryl or cyclic alkyl groups, except that both R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 cannot be hydrogen, or taken together R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represent the elements necessary to complete a cyclic amino group and, when n is 2, at least one of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 is alkylene or arylene; G represents an electron withdrawing group. The compounds are especially useful in photographic elements as UV absorbers. Particularly useful UV absorbers are 3-dibutylaminoallylidenemalononitrile, 3-dihexylaminoallylidenemalononitrile, 3-tert-butylaminoallylidenemalononitrile, 3-diisobutylaminoallylidenemalononitrile, 3-di-sec-butylaminoallylidenemalononitrile, 3-hexahydroazepinoallylidenemalononitrile, 3-N(n-butyl)-N-cyanomethyl aminoallylidenemalononitrile, 3[N,N-bis-(2,2-diethoxyethyl)amino]allylidenemalononitrile, 3(N-methyl-N-cyanomethyl)aminoallylidenemalononitrile, 1,4-piperazino bis(allylidenemalononitrile), N,N-diethyl-N,N-di-(4,4-dicyanobutadienyl)-1,6-diaminohexane, 3-[N,N-bis(2-cyanoethyl)amino]allylidenemalononitrile, 3-morpholinoallylidene methylsulfonylacetonitrile, 3-morpholinoallylidene 4-tert-butylphenylsulfonylacetonitrile, 3-piperazinoallylidene 4-tert-butylphenylsulfonylacetonitrile and 3-N-methylpiperazinoallylidene 4-tert-butylphenylsulfonylacetonitrile.