huebic
Tools / Analyse

Color Compare

How far apart are two colors, and why? Take each one from wherever it comes from: CMYK printed through any profile, Lab values, a PANTONE code, a library you kept from a CxF file, or a screen color. huebic compares them in CIELAB, the way print is measured, and splits the difference into lightness, chroma and hue. Theory: CIELAB · ΔE · Contrast for screens →

Compare two colorsscreen, Lab, CMYK + profile, PANTONE or your library · ΔE in CIELAB D50

Each side can come from anywhere: the same CMYK through two printing profiles (say FOGRA39, measured M0, against its successor FOGRA51, measured M1), a measured Lab against a PANTONE, or a screen color against your own library. Everything is compared in CIELAB (D50 · 2°), the way print is judged.

How it workswhat the numbers mean

Comparing any two colors

Color Compare takes each color from wherever it comes from: a screen color, Lab values, CMYK printed through any of huebic's printing profiles, a PANTONE code, or a name from a library you kept in the CxF Viewer. Both are turned into Lab (D50, 2°), the way print is measured, and compared there.

Below the ΔE numbers, the difference is split into its parts: ΔL* lighter or darker, ΔC* more or less colorful, ΔH* a shift in hue. That tells you what to correct, not just how much. CMC 2:1 is the formula textiles and packaging often use.

Try the same CMYK through two profiles with A → B: for example FOGRA39 (measured M0) against PSO Coated v3 / FOGRA51 (measured M1). The ΔE shows how much the same ink numbers drift when the printing standard changes.

Reading ΔE

ΔE (say "delta E") puts a number on how different two colors look. Below 1, nobody can tell them apart. Around 2, you can just see it side by side; many brand guides allow up to 2 or 3. Above 5, they're clearly different colors.

There are several formulas because the measure has been improved over the years. Use ΔE00 (CIEDE2000) if you're unsure: it's the one print shops and ink makers use today. ΔE76 is the plain distance in Lab, and reads high in saturated colors.