New algorithm for calculating perceived colour difference of images

Faithful colour reproduction of digital images requires a reliable measure for comparison in order to evaluate the reproduction performance. The conventional methods attempt to apply CIE colorimetry-based colour difference equations, such as CIELAB, CMC, CIE94 and CIEDE2000, to complex images on a pixel-by-pixel basis, and calculate the overall colour difference as the averaged difference of each pixel in the image. This method is simple and straightforward but often does not represent the colour difference perceived by the human visual system. The present paper proposes a new algorithm for calculating the overall colour difference between a reproduced image and its original. The results obtained show that this new metric provides a quantitative measure that more closely corresponds to the colour difference perceived by the human visual system.