Color Difference

PREPARED BY: M. IRFAN SIYAL

Types of Color Differences

Color differences are classified into three groups,

based on the magnitude of the difference:

Threshold differences (just noticeable differences) Supra-threshold, small differences Large differences

Threshold difference
It refers, to a difference caused by the minimal change in

stimulus required for an individual to perceive a difference between two similar stimuli (or samples).
difference, no difference is perceived. differences (JND).

If the stimulus difference is smaller than the threshold

Threshold differences are also known as just noticeable

From this it is clear that a stimulus difference has to be of

a certain magnitude before a perceptual difference is noticed.

Supra-threshold
Supra-threshold, small differences are perceived

differences where the stimulus difference exceeds the threshold difference but not by large amounts.
These

are the kinds of differences encountered in color quality control.

typically

Large differences
These are differences where the stimulus difference between

the two samples is larger than, say, JNDs.

There is no official definition of large difference. Large differences can be very large, for example between black

and white, or between high-chroma red and blue.

Such differences are rarely of technical interest. Large differences can occur in fastness testing, and so there is

a degree of interest in them in the textile industry.

Describing Perceived Color Differences

Communication of perceived color differences in a

supply chain requires a standard terminology.

In everyday communication, description of perceived

color differences tends to be vague (Unclear), with the possibility of misunderstandings resulting from it.
There is no officially-sanctioned method of verbal

communication of color differences.

Magnitude of difference scale

The

following 5-grade scale is proposed for consistent description of the magnitude of differences:

Trace Slight Distinct Considerable Much

Hue differences
Hue differences should be described using only four

terms, in combination magnitude term:

with

the

appropriate

Yellower Redder Bluer Greener

Lightness differences
The two terms lighter and darker
are sufficient in combination with a magnitude term.

Chroma differences
This is the most problematic subject.

Dyers and colorists are used to describe the non-hue aspect of

chromatic color in terms of colorant strength:

stronger and weaker.

But the locations of dyeings that differ in strength only of a given

colorant in a color solid change along paths that can be much different.
Usually,

as the dye concentration increases, lightness decreases and chroma increases, but only up to a certain point.

Hue also may change as concentration changes.

Chroma differences
By saying that the dyeing must be weaker or stronger, not much

specific is said about how, in terms of the three standard attributes, the color must change.

In addition, dyers often use the terms brighter and duller.

The general meaning of these terms is: brighter means lighter and higher chroma, duller means darker and less chroma. For accurate verbal communication of a required change it would be

best to express the change in terms of all three standard attributes.

For the chroma attribute this would mean: lower chroma, or higher chroma, together with one of the magnitude terms.

CIELAB Color Space and Color Difference Formulas

The CIELAB formula was introduced by the CIE in

1976 which is shown in previous years to be among the best available for predicting average perceived color differences of material samples such as painted chips or textile materials.

 In the a*, b* diagram, colors of constant metric hue

fall on straight radial lines and colors of constant chroma on circles

Chroma C* is calculated as the length of the line

from the origin of the diagram to the point of the sample as the square root of the sum of the squares of the distances in a* and b* C* = [(a*)2 + (b*)2] 1/2

Color Difference Formula

The total metric color difference between two

samples, ECIELAB, is calculated as the square root of the sum of the squares of the three component differences: ECIELAB = [(L*)2 + (a*)2 + (b*)2 ]1/2

The Greek letter (delta) is used to express a

difference; for example, L* means the difference in L* values of two different samples.

Color Difference Formula

The total color difference between two samples can be expressed in

two different manners:

a) as the result of differences in L*, a*, and b*, b) as the result of differences in L*, C* and H*:

ECIELCH = [(L*)2 + (C*)2 + (H*)2 ]1/2

A E value does not provide any indication of how the two

samples involved differ.

For this purpose, it is useful to have the three components of the

total color difference, the metric lightness, chroma, and hue difference. meaning of difference values.

There are convention that make it easier to understand the

Hue Difference
Differences in metric lightness and metric chroma are

calculated in a comparable manner.

It is also possible to calculate a metric hue difference

H* by subtracting from the total metric difference between two samples the metric lightness and the metric chroma difference.

The result, by definition, must be the metric hue

difference: H* = [(E*)2 - (L*)2 - (C*)2 ]1/2

Meaning of Different attributes of differences

In the calculations, usually the data of the sample are subtracted from

those of the standard.

As a result, a negative L* value means that the sample is darker than

the standard, and vice versa for a positive value.

The same applies to chroma differences C*.
The matter is more complicated in case of hue. The hue difference H* does not indicate where in the a*, b* diagram

the colors of reference and sample are located.

 First quadrant of the a*,

b* diagram with a reference and a sample color (green dots) that differ in hue angle, and thereby in metric hue.
The sample has a larger

hue angle, indicating that the hue is yellower.

Color Difference in Lab Scale

Color Difference in Lab Scale

Color Difference in LCH Scale

Color Difference in LCH Scale

References
Colour Vision and Technology, By: Rolf G. Kuehni

Colour Physics for Industry, By: Roderick McDonald