This study reports the experimental investigation of two photoactive aminobenzazole derivatives in the solid state by FT-Raman and Infrared Spectroscopies (FTIR) and its comparison with theoretical models. The optimized molecular structure, vibrational frequencies, and corresponding vibrational assignments of these compounds have been investigated experimentally and theoretically using Spanish Initiative for Electronic Simulations with Thousands of Atoms (SIESTA) and Gaussian03 Software Package. The FT-Raman and FTIR spectra were acquired with high resolution and emission frequencies identified by simulating the vibrational modes. The most intense peak observed in the FT-Raman spectra is the in-plane deformation vibrational of O-H bond that could be related to the vibrational region responsible for the stabilization of the enol conformer in the ground state which undergoes ESIPT to form a keto tautomer in the excited state. Additionally, the position of the amino group played an important role on the vibrational characteristics of the studied compounds. Also, the simulations proved to be a good approach in undertaking the FTIR and FT-Raman experiments. The use of graphic correlations helps us to determine the method and basis that best fit the experimental results. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.