Taking red sandstone as the research object and employing digital speckle correlation method as the monitoring technique, this study conducted uniaxial compression tests to investigate the evolutionary characteristics and patterns of full-process deformation paths under uniaxial compression. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Initial loading stage: The horizontal deformation increment paths of rock sampling points remained essentially consistent, while the horizontal deformation direction underwent systematic alteration during loading. (2) Advanced loading stage: Significant differentiation emerged in both vertical and horizontal deformations, with deformation paths exhibiting an umbrella-shaped divergence distribution pattern as loading progressed. Horizontal deformation increment values demonstrated stage-specific variations across different loading periods. The differentiation of sampling point deformation paths showed direct correlation with their spatial positions and crack formation locations. (3) Throughout the complete loading failure process, deformation path angles exhibited distinct oscillatory characteristics: initial stage fluctuations displayed large amplitudes with long cycles, intermediate stage fluctuations showed small amplitudes with short cycles, and final stage fluctuations manifested large amplitudes with short cycles. Particularly around peak load conditions, the angular deformation path curve demonstrated abrupt increments and high-frequency oscillations with fluctuation amplitudes reaching ±180°. (4) The evolutionary characteristics of deformation paths in red sandstone under uniaxial compression effectively reflect the stress state and deformation failure trends throughout the loading process, providing valuable references for understanding rock failure mechanisms and conducting short-term rock failure prediction research.。