Lab Delta E Calculator

Lab Delta E Equation:

\[ \Delta E = \sqrt{ (L_2 - L_1)^2 + (a_2 - a_1)^2 + (b_2 - b_1)^2 } \]

L1 (Lightness):

a1 (Red-Green):

b1 (Yellow-Blue):

L2 (Lightness):

a2 (Red-Green):

b2 (Yellow-Blue):

Delta E Result:

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1. What is Lab Delta E?

Delta E (ΔE) is a metric used to quantify the difference between two colors in the CIELAB color space. It represents the Euclidean distance between two color points in this three-dimensional space.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Delta E equation:

\[ \Delta E = \sqrt{ (L_2 - L_1)^2 + (a_2 - a_1)^2 + (b_2 - b_1)^2 } \]

Where:

\( L_1, L_2 \) — Lightness coordinates (0-100)
\( a_1, a_2 \) — Red-green coordinates (-128 to +127)
\( b_1, b_2 \) — Yellow-blue coordinates (-128 to +127)

Explanation: The equation calculates the straight-line distance between two color points in the Lab color space, providing a single numerical value representing the perceived color difference.

3. Importance of Delta E Calculation

Details: Delta E is crucial in color-critical industries such as printing, photography, graphic design, and manufacturing for quality control, color matching, and ensuring color consistency across different devices and materials.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the Lab values for both colors. The L values represent lightness (0 = black, 100 = white), a values represent red-green axis, and b values represent yellow-blue axis.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What do different Delta E values mean?
A: Typically, ΔE < 1 = not perceptible, 1-2 = perceptible through close observation, 2-10 = perceptible at a glance, >11 = very different colors.

Q2: Are there different Delta E formulas?
A: Yes, there are several variations (ΔE76, ΔE94, ΔE2000, ΔECMC) with different weighting factors for improved perceptual uniformity.

Q3: What industries use Delta E measurements?
A: Printing, textiles, automotive, plastics, photography, graphic design, and any industry requiring precise color matching and quality control.

Q4: How accurate is the basic Delta E formula?
A: While simple and widely used, ΔE76 may not always correlate perfectly with human perception, especially for certain colors. More advanced formulas address this.

Q5: Can Delta E be negative?
A: No, Delta E represents a distance between colors, so it's always a positive value (or zero for identical colors).