Color distance

In order to measure the difference between two colors, the difference is assigned to a distance within the color space. In an equidistant-method color space, the color difference ∆E can be determined from the distance between the color places:

ΔE = √ (L*₁-L*₂)² + (a*₁-a*₂)² + (b*₁-b*₂)².

 

According to DIN 53218, Delta E is assigned the following meanings:

0: No color difference

1: Slight color difference

2: Small color difference

3: Medium color difference

4: Large color difference

5: Very large color difference

In industrial color measurement, color differences between 0 and 1 often play an important role.