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Hunter L, a, b Versus CIE 1976 L*a*b*

Source: HunterLab - Measure Color...Measure Quality

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White Paper: Hunter L, a, b Versus CIE 1976 L*a*b*

Hunter L, a, b and CIE 1976 L*a*b* (CIELAB) are both color scales based on the Opponent-Colors Theory, which assumes that the receptors in the human eye perceive color as the following pairs of opposites:

  • Light-dark
  • Red-green
  • Yellow-blue
The L value for each scale therefore indicates the level of light or dark, the a value redness or greenness, and the b value yellowness or blueness. All three values are required to completely describe an object's color.

Both the Hunter L, a, b scale and the CIE 1976 L*a*b* (CIELAB) scale are visually meaningful; the three values can be easily understood and translated into color. They are, however, calculated differently. The formulas for Hunter L, a, and b are square roots using CIE XYZ, whereas CIELAB is calculated using cube roots of XYZ.

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White Paper: Hunter L, a, b Versus CIE 1976 L*a*b*