Hunter Lab (also known as Hunter L,a,b) is a color space defined in 1948^[1][2] by Richard S. Hunter. It was designed to be computed via simple formulas from the CIEXYZ space, but to be more perceptually uniform. Hunter named his coordinates L, a and b. Hunter Lab was a precursor to CIELAB, created in 1976 by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), which named the coordinates for CIELAB as L*, a*, b* to distinguish them from Hunter's coordinates.^[3][4]

L is a correlate of lightness and is computed from the Y tristimulus value using Priest's approximation to Munsell value:

${\displaystyle L=100{\sqrt {\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}$

where Y_n is the Y tristimulus value of a specified white object. For surface-color applications, the specified white object is usually (though not always) a hypothetical material with unit reflectance that follows Lambert's law. The resulting L will be scaled between 0 (black) and 100 (white); roughly ten times the Munsell value. Note that a medium lightness of 50 is produced by a luminance of 25, due to the square root proportionality.

a and b are termed opponent color axes. a represents, roughly, Redness (positive) versus Greenness (negative). It is computed as:

${\displaystyle a=K_{\mathrm {a} }\left({\frac {{\frac {X}{X_{\mathrm {n} }}}-{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}{\sqrt {\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}\right)}$

where K_a is a coefficient that depends upon the illuminant (for D65, K_a is 172.30; see approximate formula below) and X_n is the X tristimulus value of the specified white object.

The other opponent color axis, b, is positive for yellow colors and negative for blue colors. It is computed as:

${\displaystyle b=K_{\mathrm {b} }\left({\frac {{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}-{\frac {Z}{Z_{\mathrm {n} }}}}{\sqrt {\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}\right)}$

where K_b is a coefficient that depends upon the illuminant (for D65, K_b is 67.20; see approximate formula below) and Z_n is the Z tristimulus value of the specified white object.^[5]

Both a and b will be zero for objects that have the same chromaticity coordinates as the specified white objects (i.e., achromatic, grey, objects).

In the previous version of the Hunter Lab color space, K_a was 175 and K_b was 70. Hunter Associates Lab discovered^{[citation needed]} that better agreement could be obtained with other color difference metrics, such as CIELAB (see above) by allowing these coefficients to depend upon the illuminants. Approximate formulae are:

${\displaystyle K_{\mathrm {a} }\approx {\frac {175}{198.04}}(X_{\mathrm {n} }+Y_{\mathrm {n} })}$

${\displaystyle K_{\mathrm {b} }\approx {\frac {70}{218.11}}(Y_{\mathrm {n} }+Z_{\mathrm {n} })}$

which result in the original values for Illuminant C, the original illuminant with which the Lab color space was used.

Adams chromatic valence color spaces are based on two elements: a (relatively) uniform lightness scale and a (relatively) uniform chromaticity scale.^[6] If we take as the uniform lightness scale Priest's approximation to the Munsell Value scale, which would be written in modern notation as:

${\displaystyle L=100{\sqrt {\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}$

and, as the uniform chromaticity coordinates:

${\displaystyle c_{\mathrm {a} }={\frac {\frac {X}{X_{\mathrm {n} }}}{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}-1={\frac {{\frac {X}{X_{\mathrm {n} }}}-{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}$

${\displaystyle c_{\mathrm {b} }=k_{\mathrm {e} }\left(1-{\frac {\frac {Z}{Z_{\mathrm {n} }}}{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}\right)=k_{\mathrm {e} }{\frac {{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}-{\frac {Z}{Z_{\mathrm {n} }}}}{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}$

where k_e is a tuning coefficient, we obtain the two chromatic axes:

${\displaystyle a=K\cdot L\cdot c_{\mathrm {a} }=K\cdot 100{\frac {{\frac {X}{X_{\mathrm {n} }}}-{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}{\sqrt {\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}}$

and

${\displaystyle b=K\cdot L\cdot c_{\mathrm {b} }=K\cdot 100k_{\mathrm {e} }{\frac {{\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}-{\frac {Z}{Z_{\mathrm {n} }}}}{\sqrt {\frac {Y}{Y_{\mathrm {n} }}}}}}$

which is identical to the Hunter Lab formulas given above if we select K = K_a/100 and k_e = K_b/K_a. Therefore, the Hunter Lab color space is an Adams chromatic valence color space.