Delta E in Monitors: What it is, What it is for, Characteristics and Values

When buying a monitor , when you look at its technical specifications, there are times when the manufacturer specifies certain Delta E (dE) values, but without having a perception of what it means, it will not help us to determine if these values are a good thing. or bad. In this article we are going to tell you what this term is, what values are used to define it and of course what is the use of knowing them.

When you want to choose a monitor, and more so if it is for professional tasks, there are many parameters that you must take into account, and many times manufacturers express certain values such as Delta E assuming that users know what it is, when the reality is that with so much parameter what is achieved is that the choice is even more complicated. However, as we are going to tell you below, this is a fairly simple parameter to understand, as well as important. Go for it.

Delta E in Monitors

What is Delta E and why does it matter?

Delta E (often expressed as dE) measures the amount of change in the visual perception of two colors . This measurement provides valuable information on the color accuracy of a screen, as the average person will not notice a Delta E error of less than 3. However, a trained eye such as a content creation professional can see errors of 1 , while those less than 1 are generally considered imperceptible. Professional-grade monitors achieve a dE of 2, where the color difference is barely detectable.

Delta E

When comparing monitors, it is better for the user to choose one that has a lower Delta E value, as this means more accurate grayscale color and tracking.

Accurate color reproduction on a monitor is especially essential for creative professionals who need to ensure that the colors they see on their screen are as accurate as possible relative to the colors we see in the real world. With a lower Delta E value the input (such as from a camera) will be more accurate, and it is also useful for those who use multiple monitors; Imagine editing an image of an apple in a bright crimson color and that when you open it on the other monitor it has a dull red … this would not be a good thing.

The dE values represent the mathematical difference between a color input and the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) standard. The CIE, founded in 1913, first created an algorithm to standardize color difference in 1974, and it has been used ever since. The most recent update to the standard occurred in 2000, which is why some manufacturers use the Delta E 2000 or dE2000 for short.

As we have already noted, these values are very important for professionals and creatives who depend on color accuracy, but it is also important for gamers who want to get the most out of their monitor.

How to express color accuracy with dE

Some analysts use Delta E to test grayscale accuracy.

Delta E escala de grises

For example, the image you can see above shows the readings of a monitor before its hardware calibration. The yellow horizontal line in the graph below represents a dE of 3, so any bar that extends above it has very visible color accuracy errors.

The color bar (red, green and blue) that is highest in the RGB balance graph (the top part) is the tint that we will see if the Delta E value is greater than 3. In this example, the monitor will look like greenish when the maximum brightness is set to 20-60% and therefore is a monitor that will need to be calibrated properly in order to have adequate color accuracy with it.

dE2000

This monitor in sRGB mode shows a mean Delta E above 3, so inaccuracies (represented by misalignments with the dots and squares in the image) would be visible to the naked eye by the human eye. In this case, they are small errors in the green and blue colors, so the colors will appear bluish or greenish depending on their hue and the brightness of the screen.

In any case, as a general rule in any monitor this can be solved by calibrating it, and really only those who use professional applications for creating visual content will notice a clear difference.