Image difference analysis is essential in computer vision, graphics processing, and media quality assessment. Whether you’re evaluating compression artifacts, detecting subtle regressions, or comparing perceptual similarity, various metrics help quantify differences between images.
This article discusses popular image difference metrics, their pros and cons, and recommends ΔE-ITP, a modern, perceptually optimized color difference metric. We’ll also look at how to implement DeltaE ITP—including transforming images from SDR, HLG, and PQ into ITP—and interpreting the reported color differences effectively.