Farbwahrheit

Farbwahrheit is a term used in German-speaking discussions of color in photography, printing and display technology to describe the degree to which reproduced colors correspond to the original colors under defined viewing conditions. It captures the practical aim of achieving faithful color reproduction in a workflow, from capture to display or print, rather than a strict scientific definition.

In practice, Farbwahrheit involves color management and calibration to minimize color deviations. It is closely related to concepts such as Farbtreue (color fidelity) and Farbgenauigkeit (color accuracy). Measurements combine perceptual evaluation by observers with instrument-based metrics, commonly using color spaces and color difference formulas (for example Delta E in CIELAB or CIEDE2000) to quantify discrepancies between a reference and reproduced color. ICC profiles, device calibration, and standardized viewing conditions are processes applied to maximize Farbwahrheit across devices and media.

Several factors can affect Farbwahrheit, including metamerism (colors matching under one light source but not another), illumination, viewing geometry, device gamut limitations, and differences in white point. As a result, perfect Farbwahrheit is difficult to achieve in practice; it is treated as an objective to approach rather than an absolute.

Though not a formal standardized term, Farbwahrheit is widely used in professional color workflows to describe the goal of consistent, true-to-reference color across cameras, monitors, printers and lighting. See also color management, color accuracy, color fidelity, Delta E, ICC profiles, and color spaces.