In color science, color difference or color distance is the separation between two colors. This metric allows quantified examination of a notion that formerly could only be described with adjectives.

Color spaces more closely express the relative attributes of color such as lightness/darkness, saturation (chromaticity) and hue. They are particularly useful in measuring and comparing color differences between two specimens — such as a target color that must be repeatedly reproduced in a production process. Figure 1.

Delta E (ΔE) is a metric used to measure and compare colors. Originally developed by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), it evaluates the difference between two colors in a multi-dimensional space to provide a quantitative value depicting color difference.

When combined with tolerances and pass/fail thresholds, color difference meters ensure products stay within tight color specifications. They quantify the smallest variations undetectable by eye that can still degrade quality and consumer satisfaction.

Apr 1, 2011 · Color perception is crucial for human existence. For this purpose, color spaces have been developed to describe mathematically the color that a person can feel with unaided eye. There was a new...

Explore the world of CIE ΔE* color difference equations and how they impact color perception in the printing industry. Learn about the evolution from ΔE76 to ΔE2000 for more accurate color matching.

Explore CIE ΔE* color difference equations & their importance in color perception. Learn which formula suits your industry needs.

A color difference equation is a mathematical model that aims to closely correlate the visual difference (DV) to the computed color difference (DE), obtained under specific conditions (sample size and arrangement, background, lightness sources etc.).

This user-friendly interface makes color comparison simple and efficient. It displays HEX codes and real-time color previews for both selected shades, allowing users to quickly assess differences without needing advanced knowledge of color science.

This calculator computes the color difference between a sample color and a reference color. Both colors are expressed as CIELAB. If you have colors in some other form (e.g. XYZ), you may use the CIE Color Calculator to convert them to Lab for use with this color difference calculator. The color differences are computed in several different ways: