Color Contrast Tool (using APCA)
This is a tool to check for color contrast using APCA(the candidate method for WCAG 3) and which is backwards compatible with WCAG 2.1, but is actually based on human perception.
Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm (APCA) is a contrast assessment method for predicting the perceived contrast between sRGB colors on a computer monitor. It has been developed as an assessment method for W3 Silver/WCAG3 accessibility standards relating to content for computer displays and mobile devices, with a focus on readability and understandability.
Check minimum contrast guidelines for WCAG 2.1 here
APCA™ is the candidate contrast method for WCAG 3, and is currently in public beta. WCAG 3 is still in development and subject to changes prior to adoption.
APCA is a part of the larger S-Luv Accessible Readability Color Appearance Model known as SARCAM (formerly SAPC). These models are specifically related to color appearance on self-illuminated RGB computer displays & devices, and also for modeling accessible user needs, with a focus on readability.
The APCA generates a contrast value based on a color pair, and this value is perceptually based: that is, regardless of how light or dark the colors are, a contrast value of Lc 60 represents the same perceived readability contrast. This is absolutely not the case with WCAG 2.x, which far overstates contrast for dark colors to the point that 4.5:1 can be functionally unreadable when a color is near black. As a result, WCAG 2.x contrast cannot be used for guidance designing "dark mode".
The APCA contrast value is perceptually uniform, and pivots near the point where the CS curve flattens due to contrast constancy. Halving or doubling the APCA value relates to a halving or doubling of the perceived contrast. There is a subtle weighting for higher contrasts to smaller, thinner fonts.
Read more about it here
- Enter any hex, rgb, css color value to the corresponding input fields for text color and background color (refer Color Usage section for details)
- You can use the color pickers to pick colors
- You can also send colors in the query params in the form of '
txtColor=<>&bgColor=<>' to automatically load the contrast in the page from the url
Color Usage: (refer to colorparsley for detailed information)
The following are the available color input types
- No Alpha
'#abc'or'abc'(interpreted as'aabbcc') (remove # while entering in URL)'#abcdef'or'abcdef'(hash is ignored) (remove # while entering in URL)'rgb(123, 45, 67)'or'123,45,67''aquamarine'or'magenta'(full CSS4 named colors list)'color(srgb 0.765 0.89 0.556)'
- With Alpha
'#abcf'or'abcf'(interpreted as'aabbccff') (remove # while entering in URL)'#123456ff'or'123456ff'(hash is ignored) (remove # while entering in URL)'rgba(123, 45, 67, 1.0)''color(srgb 0.765 0.89 0.556 / 1)'
- Greyscale Shorthand
'#ab'or'ab'(interpreted as if'ababab') (remove # while entering in URL)'123,'(interpreted as if'rgb(123, 123, 123)')'87%'(interpreted as if'rgb(87%, 87%, 87%)' = [221.85,221.85,221.85])
- As hex
0xabcdef
- As integer
11259375