CIELAB
A color space built around human vision, with lightness (L*) and two color axes (a* green to red, b* blue to yellow).
Also called Lab color, L*a*b*, CIE Lab
CIELAB describes color the way people perceive it: L* is lightness, a* runs from green to red, and b* from blue to yellow. Equal steps in Lab look roughly like equal differences to the eye.
It is used to measure how far apart two colors are (Delta E) and as a neutral middle step when converting between devices.
Guides that cover CIELAB
- Screens Why Colors Look Different on Every Screen Why do colors look different on different screens? Learn how color gamut, calibration and color profiles change what you see, and how to fix it. Read on.
- About Swatching About Swatching Swatch.ing is a designer-built set of free color tools: palette extraction, HEX/RGB/CMYK conversion and precise color picking. Learn why it exists here.
- Warm & Cool What Is Color Temperature? Color temperature explained: how Kelvin is measured, warm vs cool light and colors, and how temperature affects lighting, design and photos. Read the guide.
- CMYK What are CMYK colors? What is CMYK? Learn how the CMYK color model works, how it differs from RGB, and why print looks duller than your screen, plus how to convert. Read on.
- Terms of Use Terms of Use Read the Swatch.ing terms of use covering acceptable use, tool limitations, intellectual property and the conditions for using our free color tools.