desaturated

Desaturated refers to a color with reduced saturation, meaning its chroma or intensity is diminished while its hue remains recognizable. In color models such as HSV, HSL, and CIELAB, saturation (or chroma) measures color purity; lowering it moves the color toward gray.

Desaturation is used in art, photography, film, and design to create muted palettes, emphasize form and light, or adjust mood. It can be applied globally or selectively to specific colors, leaving others more vivid. Digital tools offer methods such as decreasing the saturation slider, adjusting color-specific saturation, or converting to grayscale. Desaturation can also be part of color grading to achieve a subdued look.

In printing and painting, desaturation can be achieved by mixing with gray or with complementary colors to dull vibrancy. A fully desaturated color is grayscale; partial desaturation yields toned or muted colors described as desaturated, muted, or washed-out.

Desaturation affects perception by reducing color contrast and can influence readability of color-coded information. It is distinct from lightness or brightness; a desaturated color can be dark or light depending on luminance.