True Summer Colors vs Muted Summer Colors: How to Spot the Difference? 🎨
I often see people on Reddit and across other platforms wondering how to tell apart True Summer colors and Muted Summer colors (also called Soft Summer). It makes sense—both are considered “muted” seasons, but the exact kind of mutedness isn’t well understood.
That’s not your fault! 💜
Why This Is So Confusing 🤯
The way we’re usually taught about color—especially in traditional seasonal systems—doesn’t fully match how we actually perceive color. Most color analysis systems rely on outdated color theory (RYB) or how instruments measure light reflection, but that’s not always how color behaves to our eyes.
I designed the Qolord system using a perceptual color space, which is grounded in science and how the human brain actually sees color in the real world. My goal was to group all printable / surface colors in a way that clearly reflects a person’s natural coloring—so that once you know your group, you know exactly which colors support your features and why.
We’ll save the full system breakdown for another time—you can dive into more details in this Reddit post I created. Today, let’s zoom in on a common point of confusion:
👉 How do you visually distinguish True Summer colors vs Muted Summer colors—especially since both are technically “muted”?
What "Muted" Really Means (Visually) 🧠👀
Take a look at the image I’ve attached. You’ll see a triangle-like color map divided by a zig-zag line.
- Colors outside the triangle line are clearer and more intense—they have only either white or black added, but not both (meaning, not gray). These colors feel punchy, clean, and defined. They work best for the clearer seasons (True Winter, True Spring, Light, Bright, Deep groups).
- Colors inside the triangle line have both black and white added—that is, they’re mixed with gray. This is where the muted seasons live (True Summer, True Autumn, Muted groups, Cool Summer/Winter, Warm Spring/Autumn).
Understanding Mutedness (the Right Way) 🎨🧠
Let’s start with a key concept that often gets misrepresented: mutedness is not one thing. There are degrees.
Look at the image I’m attaching. Here’s how the progression works:
- At the top Bright & Clear intensity, colors are most intense—no gray added. Think neon, bold, saturated. These are for clearer seasons like True Spring, True Winter, and others in the Bright groups.
- Medium intensity is slightly softened but still reads pretty clean to the eye. You’d still perceive these colors as quite “clear.” These belong to the Light and Deep groups at the ends, with Cool Summer/Winter and Warm Spring/Autumn in the middle.
- Muted intensity—now we’re in True Summer’s colors (also True Autumn). These colors are no longer bright, but they’re still clearly recognizable as a specific hue. They look softer, more gentle, but not really gray-ish.
- Fully-Muted intensity—this is where Muted Summer (and Muted Autumn) shines. These colors still have a distinguishable hue (you can tell it's a pink, a blue, a lavender), but you also notice a distinct soft grayness layered into the tone. It’s refined, smoky, elegant. But for a True Summer, this grayish layer is too gray and can bring out unwanted shadows and grayness in the face.
- Neutral intensity—this is the bottom level. At this point, hues become ambiguous. A red might look brownish. A blue might drift toward slate gray. You’re not even sure what color family you’re looking at anymore—is it "red? pink? magenta? purple?". The color is so reduced that the neutrality takes over and dominates the overall impression.
So when you hear “muted,” you have to ask: how muted?
Quick Visual Cue: Can You Name the Intensity Level? 👀🎯
To make it simple, here’s a quick tip:
- If a color is clearly a pink, blue, or purple—but soft and calm, not bright—it’s probably belongs to True Summer colors.
- If the same color has a subtle veil of gray over it—like a sheer mist—it’s a Muted Summer color.
- If you have to squint and wonder whether it’s a pink or a taupe or a brown, you’re looking at Neutral.
True Summer is like a cloudy sky with color still shining through. Muted Summer is like the same sky just after rain, where the colors have softened into cool, moody grays.
Why It Matters 👤✨
Wearing colors that are too muted when you’re a True Summer can make your face look shadowy or dull—almost like there's a layer of tiredness. The undertone might be right, but the mutedness is too heavy.
On the other hand, if you’re a Muted Summer, True Summer colors might feel too “clean” or cool-toned, making your own natural softness feel washed out or unsupported.
Getting this distinction right changes everything about how colors behave on your skin. Your face either glows... or it doesn’t.🙈
True Summer vs Muted Summer: A Side-by-Side Look 👗🔍
Let’s ground this in actual examples. Here are a few color pairs that show the difference between True Summer colors and Muted Summer colors (Soft Summer):
-
True Summer Pink: Looks like a softened rose-pink or muted raspberry—light, soft, but fresh.
Muted Summer Pink: Dusty, feels like it’s been softened by fog. -
True Summer Blue: Cool, calm, and definitely blue.
Muted Summer Blue: Slate. Still blue—but a rainy-day version. -
True Summer Lavender: Fresh lilac—soft but still vibrant.
Muted Summer Lavender: Smoky lavender. Still purple, but looks like it’s been filtered through a dusted lens. -
True Summer Green: Soft mint, or eucalyptus. Still visibly green.
Muted Summer Green: The same hue turns smokier—like a gray-sage, more mineral, less leafy.
The same principle works across all hues. The more muted a color, the less it resembles a pure version of its original hue. But that doesn’t mean it’s dull—it’s just different, and if it harmonizes with you, it can be stunning.
It’s these slight shifts—grayness vs clarity—that your eye starts to learn to distinguish with practice. Once you look at the differences enough, it becomes much easier to spot.
Coming soon (or rather someday 🙈) to qolord.com 🔍👕
To make this easier to visualize, I’m building a color library on qolord.com where every group and mutedness level will be shown using the same triangle system I use in color analysis and all theoretical materials.
You’ll be able to:
- Explore True Summer colors in the Muted group and compare it with Muted Summer’s Fully-Muted tones
- Filter colors by all meaningful parameters—hue, intensity %, value %, absolute chroma, absolute lightness, color family, and more.
- Preview how the colors look on apparel items
- Understand the perceptual logic behind your palette in a visual, hands-on way
My goal is to make color analysis not just accurate, but intuitive. So you don’t need to memorize rules—you just look, and your eye gets it.
Got questions? Confused where you fall? Curious how I built the system?
Got questions? Thoughts? Still confused? Drop me a message or comment below. I’d love to keep sharing more insights into the system and how we perceive color.
Join the conversation in Qolord’s official Color Analysis subreddit r/ColorAnalysisDraping—built for curious minds and kind souls exploring color and color analysis together. 💜😊 Make sure to join the Reddit group!
And if this helped you, feel free to share it with someone else who’s been squinting at dusty pinks in despair. 😊
Curious about your own coloring?
Distinguishing your best colors can be surprisingly tricky—especially when they’re only a few notches apart in tone or intensity. That’s where I can help you with virtual color analysis. You’ll receive a ~25 page personalized analysis featuring side-by-side comparisons of your face in different color rectangles and in 933 hoodie shades (yes, really)—organized into smart, logical color groups so you can see the patterns for yourself. It’s not just a result; it’s a whole visual exploration of how color plays on your skin.
https://qolord.com
