Re: Color contrast between semi-transparent colors

Le 29/10/2012 00:14, Simon Sapin a écrit :
> We do want something "close" to the text color, but in luminance space,
> more or less.

I went a bit too fast and did not prove this.


> You already proved the bounds of the luminance for the
> background blended on its backdrop: they are reached when the backdrop
> is black or white. We only need to the background luminance closest to
> the text’s, but within these bounds.


The contrast ratio of two luminance values is defined as:

   C(L_a, L_b) = (L1 + 0.05) / (L2 + 0.05)
   given
   L1 = max(L_a, L_b)
   L1 = min(L_a, L_b)

Now let’s consider C(L) = C(L, L_text) the contrast between a variable 
blended background lumimance L and a fixed text luminance L_text. We are 
trying to minimize C(L)

* At L = L_text, C(L) = 1 with both "legs" (C is continuous.)
* For L > L_text, C(L) is affine with positive coefficient and is 
therefore strictly increasing.
* For L < L_text, C(L) is the inverse of a strictly increasing affine, 
and is therefore strictly decreasing.

Therefore, L = L_text is the absolute minimum of C(L) and a smaller 
abs(L - L_text) ("distance" in luminance space) implies a smaller C(L) 
(smaller contrast ratio)


> If the text luminance*is*  within these bounds, the minimal contrast is
> 1:1. Otherwise it is either higher than both (minimal contrast is
> obtained on a white backdrop) or lower then both (minimal contrast is
> obtained on a black backdrop)


-- 
Simon Sapin

Received on Monday, 29 October 2012 06:59:40 UTC