Colour · Personal style
Colour season palette compare.
Pick any two of the 12 seasons, for example True Summer vs Light Summer or Deep vs Dark Winter. See the palettes side by side with measured differences in lightness, chroma and warmth, plus a short list of how to tell them apart. It runs in your browser and nothing is sent or stored.
Pick two seasons
Popular pairs:
Comparison
| Measure | Cool Summer | Light Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Average lightness L* | 57.7 | 83.3 |
| Average chroma C* | 26.7 | 16.7 |
| Warmth (mean b*) | -17.1 | -8.5 |
| Hue angle h° of mean colour | 301.8 | 297.4 |
How to tell them apart
- The biggest separator is lightness (L*): Cool Summer is deeper than Light Summer by 25.6 units.
- Next is chroma (C*): Cool Summer is more saturated by 10 units.
- Cool Summer: Cool leads, at medium depth and slightly muted: blue-based rose, slate blue, cool grey-green. Orange and gold clash.
- Light Summer: Light and slightly cool: airy powder blue, soft pink, lilac. Stark black or heavy dark colours overwhelm it.
- Both are Summer seasons, so they share the same family of colours; the difference is one of emphasis.
How the comparison works
Each season here is a six-swatch palette written by TNAADO. The page turns every swatch into CIELAB, averages them, and subtracts one season from the other. The "how to tell them apart" list ranks the three measures by how large the gap is relative to the spread across all 12 seasons, then adds a one-line tell for each season.
How the numbers are computed
- Each swatch's hex value is converted from sRGB to linear light, then to CIE XYZ under D65, then to CIELAB (L*, a*, b*).
- Average lightness is the mean L* of the six swatches (0 is black, 100 is white).
- Average chroma is the mean C* = sqrt(a*² + b*²) of the six swatches. Higher means more saturated.
- Warmth is the mean b* of the swatches: positive is toward yellow, negative toward blue. The hue angle h° is the angle of the mean (a*, b*) point.
- ΔE*ab (CIE76) is the straight-line distance between the two palettes' mean (L*, a*, b*) points.
These numbers describe TNAADO's illustrative swatches, not skin, hair or any person. Other sites draw the same season names with different colours, so their numbers would differ.
All 12 seasons and common alternative names
| Season | Also called | Standalone page |
|---|---|---|
| Light Spring | - | Palette |
| Warm Spring | True Spring | Palette |
| Bright Spring | Clear Spring | Palette |
| Light Summer | - | Palette |
| Cool Summer | True Summer | Palette |
| Soft Summer | - | Palette |
| Soft Autumn | - | Palette |
| Warm Autumn | True Autumn | Palette |
| Deep Autumn | Dark Autumn | Palette |
| Deep Winter | Dark Winter | Palette |
| Cool Winter | True Winter | Palette |
| Bright Winter | Clear Winter | Palette |
Sources
- CIELAB and its LCh form: CIE 15, Colorimetry, and ISO/CIE 11664-4:2019, Colorimetry, Part 4: CIE 1976 L*a*b* colour space.
- sRGB to XYZ: IEC 61966-2-1, Multimedia systems and equipment, Colour measurement and management, Part 2-1: sRGB, with the D65 white point (Xn 95.047, Yn 100, Zn 108.883).
- The season system itself has no scientific source. It is a stylist tradition and this tool treats it as one. The palettes are TNAADO's own illustrative values, not copied from any consultant's deck.
Cite this page: TNAADO Tools, “Colour Season Palette Compare,” tools.tnaado.ca/color/colour-season-palette-compare/. A style guide, not a validated instrument.
Colour season comparison FAQ
What is the difference between True Summer and Light Summer?
Using this page's illustrative palettes (True Summer is our Cool Summer), Light Summer is much lighter, around 25 L* units higher on average, while True Summer is cooler and a little more saturated. In style-guide terms, Light Summer is led by lightness and True Summer by coolness. The exact gap depends on the swatches used, and other sources draw the two differently.
Are Deep Winter and Dark Winter the same season?
Usually yes. Many stylists use the two names for the same deep, cool season, and this page lists Deep Winter with Dark Winter as an alternative name. Naming is not standardised, so check which palette a given source means before comparing results.
What do lightness, chroma and warmth mean here?
Lightness is CIELAB L*, from 0 (black) to 100 (white). Chroma is C*, how far a colour is from grey. Warmth is b*, the yellow-blue axis, where positive is yellower and negative is bluer. All three are averaged over six swatches per season.
Can a computed difference tell me which season I am?
No. The numbers compare two sets of swatches, not you. They help you see how the seasons relate. To find a likely season, try swatches from each palette against your face in daylight.
Why do other sites show different True Summer colours?
There is no official palette. Each stylist or app picks its own swatches, so the same season name can map to noticeably different colours. These palettes are our own illustrative values, and the measured differences apply to them only.
Is anything I pick saved or sent?
No. The comparison runs in your browser, nothing is transmitted and nothing is stored. The pair you pick is kept only in the page address if you share it.
What this is, and what it is not
This is a popular style guide, not a scientific test. No peer-reviewed research validates the 12-season system, and results vary with lighting, screens and the system used. The palettes are our own illustrative hex values and will look different on different displays. Use them as a prompt to try colours in daylight, not as a rule.