Optical illusion. Optical illusion (14 illusions) Optical illusions illusion drawings

Optical illusions are those effects of visual perception that occur involuntarily or consciously in a person observing certain images.

Such effects are also called optical illusions - errors in visual perception, the cause of which is the inaccuracy or inadequacy of the processes occurring during the unconscious correction of visual images. In addition, the physiological characteristics of the visual organs and the psychological aspects of visual perception also take part in the process of the occurrence of optical illusions.

Optical illusion, presented in this section of the site, consists of distorting perception by incorrectly estimating the length of segments, the size of angles, the colors of a visible object, etc. Its most popular types are illusions of depth perception, inversions, stereo pairs and illusions of movement.

Illusions of depth perception include inadequate reflection of the depicted object. The most famous examples of such illusions are two-dimensional contour pictures - when observing them, they are unconsciously perceived by the brain as single-convex. In addition, distortions in depth perception can lead to incorrect estimation of geometric dimensions (in some cases the error reaches 25%).

Optical illusion Inversion consists of depicting a picture, the perception of which depends on the direction of view.

Stereopairs allow you to observe a stereoscopic image by superimposing them on periodic structures. Focusing your gaze on the picture leads to the observation of a stereoscopic effect.

Moving illusions are periodic images, looking at them for a long time leads to the visual perception of movement from individual parts.

Do you see the frog and the horse in this optical illusion?

This picture is very famous. Turn it over to see how men see women after drinking 6 beers.

Mysterious face found on Mars. This is an actual photograph of the surface of Mars taken by Viking 1 in 1976.

Look at the four black dots in the center of the image for about 30-60 seconds. Then quickly close your eyes and turn towards something bright (a lamp or a window). You should see a white circle with an image inside.

Beautiful illusion of a moving bicycle (© Akiyoshi Kitaoka: used with permission).

Illusion of moving curtains (© Akiyoshi Kitaoka: used with permission).

Interesting optical illusion with perfect squares (© Akiyoshi Kitaoka: used with permission).

And once again perfect squares (© Akiyoshi Kitaoka: used with permission).

This is a classic - no need to explain.

There should be 11 faces in this picture. The average person sees 4-6, attentive people see 8-10. The best see all 11, schizophrenics and paranoids see 12 and more. And you? (Don't take this test too seriously, I heard there might be 13 people there.)

Do you see a face in this pile of coffee beans? Don't rush, it's really there.

Do you see squares or rectangles? In reality, there are only straight lines in different directions, but our brain perceives them in a completely different way!

Apparently reality depends on how the brain is able to interpret the environment. What if your brain receives false information through your senses, if your version of reality is not “real”?

The example images below are trying to trick your brain and show you a false reality. Have fun watching!

In fact, these squares are the same color. Place your finger horizontally on the border between both shapes and see how everything changes.


Photo: unknown

If you look at this lady's nose for 10 seconds and then blink quickly at a light surface, her face should appear in full color.


Photo: unknown

These cars look like they are different sizes...


Photo: Neatorama

But in reality they are the same.

These dots appear to change color and rotate around the center. But focus on one point - there is no rotation or color change.


Photo: reddit


Photo: unknown

This park in Paris looks like a giant 3D globe...

But in reality it is completely flat.


Photo: unknown

Which of the orange circles looks bigger?

Surprisingly, they are the same size.


Photo: unknown

Look at the yellow dot, then move closer to the screen - the pink rings will begin to rotate.


Photo: unknown

The Pinn-Brelstaff illusion occurs due to a lack of peripheral vision.

Believe it or not, the squares marked "A" and "B" are the same shade of gray.


Photo: DailyMail


Photo: WikiMedia

The brain automatically adjusts color based on surrounding shadows.

Stare at this swirling picture for 30 seconds and then move your attention to the photo below.


Photo: unknown

The previous GIF had tired your eyes, so the still photo came to life, trying to regain its balance.

“Ames Room” - the illusion creates confusion in the perception of the depth of the room by changing the angle of inclination of the back wall and ceiling.


Photo: unknown

The yellow and blue blocks seem to be moving one after the other, right?


Photo: Michaelbach

If you remove the black bars, you see that the blocks are always parallel, but the black bars distort the perception of movement.

Move your head slowly towards the image and the light in the middle will become brighter. Move your head back and the light becomes weaker.


Photo: unknown

This is an illusion called "Dynamic Gradient Luminosity" by Alan Stubbs of the University of Maine.

Focus on the center of the color version, wait for the black and white to appear.


Photo: imgur

Instead of black and white, your brain fills the picture with the colors it thinks you should see based on orange and blue. Another moment - and you will return to black and white.

All the dots in this photo are white, but some appear black.


Photo: unknown

No matter how much you try, you will never be able to look directly at the blackheads that appear in the circles. How this illusion works has not yet been figured out.

By manipulating the human brain and vision, Brusspup is able to create amazing animations with just a black card.


Photo: brusspup

Dinosaur eyes are watching you...


Photo: brusspup

Akioshi Kitaoka uses geometric shapes, colors and brightness to create illusions of movement. These images are not animated, but the human brain sets them in motion.


Photo: ritsumel

Using similar techniques, Randolph creates similar, more psychedelic illusions.


Photo: flickr


Photo: Beau Deeley

Photographers can create amazing two-faced portraits by layering multiple images on top of each other.


Photo: Robble Khan

How does this train move? If you stare long enough, your brain will change direction.


Photo: unknown

Do you think the dancer in the middle is spinning clockwise or counterclockwise? Round trip.


Photo: unknown

The middle dancer changes direction depending on which girl you look at first: the one on the left or the one on the right.

Using clever design, artists like Ibride are able to create 3D art that looks incredible.


Photo: brusspup

Hold your gaze on the flashing green dot for a few seconds and you will see what happens to the yellow dots...


Photo: Michaelbach

A selection of optical illusions and double-digit pictures.

The eyes are a complex mechanism that helps a person correctly perceive the world around him. But as practice shows, even such a seemingly perfect mechanism can be easily deceived.

This can be done using color contrasts, sharply changing proportions and various small details. Thanks to all this, the human eye will see an optical illusion that changes depending on the angle at which you look at it.

What is visual illusion, optical illusion, surrealism?

Optical illusion

Optical illusion (visual illusion)- this is an incorrect perception of certain pictures or surrounding objects by the eyes. In this case, the eyes see the image a little differently than the brain tells them. The correct background, depth and geometric shapes arranged in a certain sequence help to achieve a similar effect in the picture.

All these little tricks prevent the eyes from correctly scanning the image in front of them, and as a result, the brain forces the person to see a distorted picture. Surrealist artists take full advantage of this feature of the human eye and try to surprise people with paintings that have a special meaning. That is why surrealism can also be classified as an optical illusion that can provoke a person to strong emotions.

Pictures-illusions for the eyes, optical illusions, and their secrets

Illusion pictures for the eyes

As you probably already understood, illusion pictures force our brain to perceive images not exactly as they look. This happens because the brain also has patterns, and if it understands that the eyes do not perceive the picture quite correctly, it begins to send impulses that make it completely different.

The brain can also be tricked by using bright colors. If the same picture is superimposed on a different background, then its individual details will be perceived by the eye in a different color.

People are even more misled by pictures that depict geometric shapes that are contrasting in color. At first glance, it may seem to a person that they are located parallel to each other. But in fact, if you look more closely at them, you can understand that they are looking in opposite directions.

And, of course, don’t forget that a loving picture looks different from different angles. In view of this, if you make it contrasting, you will see different depths in it. This can be seen in the example with a contrasting cube.

Complex 3D stereo images for eye training with explanations

Stereo image to improve vision

3D stereo image

3D picture

3D stereo images- this is nothing more than the same optical illusions, simply created by alternating dots and textures. The main principle of such pictures is based on the brain’s ability to compare different data and estimate distances to objects, figures and points as accurately as possible.

Such images are very often used for eye training in the treatment of ophthalmic pathologies. According to experts, if a person looks at such pictures for at least a few minutes a day, his eyes will relax properly.

In order to correctly see the stereo image, you will first need to move away from it at arm's length and try to completely relax your eyes. You should try to look through the image. If you do everything correctly, after some time you will see the most realistic three-dimensional picture.

Pictures-illusions black and white, optical illusion with explanations

Three-dimensional picture in black and white

Black and white flats

If you carefully read our article, you probably realized that illusion pictures work best with color contrast. This is why black and white images are the easiest to deceive our eyes. If you just look at the simplest picture in this color scheme, you will notice that your eyes jump from one element to another, not knowing where to stop.

That is why, when looking at such an optical illusion, it seems to a person that the figures in the image are constantly moving, floating and moving. If, for example, a portrait of a person is depicted in such a color scheme, then depending on the color it will change both its contour and its shape.

Moving pictures optical illusion with explanation: photo with explanations

Eyes see movement due to correctly selected colors

The good thing about moving pictures is that they create a realistic effect. When a person looks at them, it seems to him that he really sees a waterfall or a sea that sways. The best thing in this case is that a person does not need to take absolutely any action to see everything correctly. As a rule, at the first glance at such a visual illusion, the eyes immediately catch the movement of some individual details.

Geometric moving picture

If it is a geometric picture, it will be created using contrasting shades and identical geometric shapes. In this case, the eyes will perceive it almost the same as a black and white image, making it seem to the person that the drawing is always in motion.

GIFs are an optical illusion

The square can only be seen when turning

The picture shows how you can visually enlarge an object

GIFs, like any other illusion pictures, deceive the human eye and it does not perceive them exactly as it did initially. In this case, everything is built on movement. It is from the speed and in which direction the elements move that a person can see different images.

Also, gifs allow you to visually reduce large objects quite well and enlarge very small ones. This happens by moving closer or further from the object you will be looking at.

Visual illusion pictures of hypnosis: photos with explanations

Optical illusion with depth effect

Hypnosis picture focusing attention on a central point

Hypnosis pictures- these are images that can put a person into a state of light trance, helping to relax the nervous system. Most often, this effect is achieved with the same contrast and the same type of lines or figures, placed from largest to smallest. Looking at the image, a person tries to understand the secret of the continuous movement of objects in his field of vision.

And the more he tries to solve the riddle of the hypnosis picture, the more he plunges into a kind of trance. If you try to look at the center of such an optical illusion for a long time, then it will inevitably begin to seem to you that you are moving along some kind of corridor or simply falling somewhere. This state will cause you to relax and forget about everyday problems and obstacles for a while.

Double pictures of visual illusions: photos with explanations

The double meaning of minimalism

Mirror optical illusion

The main secret of double optical illusions is the almost complete repetition of all, even the smallest lines. This creates a mirror effect that allows you to create an image that will look different from different angles. In this case, you can combine two completely different designs in the picture, as long as they fit each other perfectly in shape and color scheme.

Also, a double picture can consist of two completely different images, just when you look at it you will see the outlines of the same figure.

Pictures for visual deception for children: photos with explanations

Pictures for visual deception for children

In principle, visual illusion pictures for children are also based on the contrast of colors, the depth of lines and a correctly selected background. It’s just that, unlike images for adults, in this case, upside-down pictures are most often used.

By looking at them, the baby tries to recognize what his eyes actually see, thereby helping him develop logical thinking. And in order to make it easier for small children to perceive what they see, as a rule, the drawings depict animals or plants that are familiar to them.

For example, this could be a drawing that depicts a cat that turns into an angry dog ​​when it turns over.

In addition, children perceive very well pictures in which the same object has different lengths. In this case, the illusion effect is achieved by the correct background and different colors of two figures that are completely identical in shape.

Geometric visual illusion pictures, triangles with explanations

Geometric illusion

Geometric illusions- this is nothing more than an image of objects of different shapes, which the eye perceives not quite as is customary in geometry. In this case, the ability of the human eye to determine the color, direction and size of objects is used.

But if in geometry they are arranged according to certain rules, then in this case, for example, a rectangle can be composed of several triangles of different sizes. This illusion is designed so that a person, instead of seeing triangles, will look at parallel lines and try to understand how similar they are.

Also in geometric illusions, contrast in size is very often used. Looking at such an image, a person does not see that the two central circles are the same size. Even when looking closely, he thinks that the circle surrounded by smaller objects is larger than the one surrounded by larger ones.

Pictures of optical illusion with a dress: photos with explanations

Pictures of optical illusion with a dress

If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, then you have probably already come across a picture with a question about the color of a dress. As a rule, people cannot give a definite answer to this question because at different times of the day they see a different shade of the outfit. What is this connected with? As already mentioned at the very beginning of our article, the human eye is a rather complex mechanism, the main one of which is the retina (responsible for the correct perception of color).

The retina itself consists of rods and cones, the number of which determines how brightly a person perceives a particular color. For this reason, the dress may appear soft blue to some people, while deep blue to others. When it comes to optical illusions, lighting plays a huge role. In daylight it will appear lighter, but in artificial light it will appear much brighter and darker.

Picture for optical illusion – “Girl or old woman”: photo with explanations

Picture for optical illusion – “Girl or old woman”

Each of us has experienced the “Girl or Old Woman” optical illusion at least once in our lives. But, having looked at it, we simply forget about it and don’t even think about why our eyes see such a dual picture. In fact, in this case, completely two different images are skillfully connected to each other in one drawing.

If you pay closer attention, you will realize that one pattern flows smoothly into the other. For example, the oval of a young girl’s face simultaneously serves as the nose of an old woman, and her ear serves as the eye of an elderly woman.

Surrealism tattoo for optical illusion: photos, explanations

Tattoo imitating the flight of a butterfly

Surreal tattoo

Tattoo with volumetric effect

As you probably already understood, an optical illusion is nothing more than a correctly drawn picture. Therefore, if you wish, you can easily get yourself a tattoo in the style of surrealism.

All you have to do is apply it using contrasting colors, the right directions and background. All this will help you create voluminous and even visually moving images on your skin. You can see an example of a tattoo in the style of surrealism a little higher.

Optical illusions of perception in the interior: photos with explanations

Mirror surfaces in the interior

Optical illusions are good because they can radically change any room. Mirror surfaces are considered the simplest visual deception. With their help, even the smallest room will seem huge and bright.

Horizontal lines on walls

Different textures change the space well. If you want to easily stretch the room, then decorate the walls with horizontal lines. If, on the contrary, you need to reduce something, then frame it with vertical lines.

Floating table in the interior

If you wish, you can decorate your kitchen with so-called floating furniture. To do this, you will only need to buy a table whose legs will be made of either transparent plastic or glass.

Hidden doors

Also, if you wish, you can decorate your home with an invisible door. To achieve a similar effect, you will have to install a door with hidden hinges, and then decorate it in the same color as the walls.

Optical Illusion: Dress Form

Optical illusion: color

As you probably already understood, visual deception can help a person make the world around him more organic, and this applies not only to the interior. If you need to correct your figure, you can try to do this using optical illusions. All that will be required of you is to choose the right color and shape of your outfits.

Surrealism in painting: photos, paintings, explanations

Surrealism in painting

Two-faced picture

Optical illusions are very popular among artists. They help them make their paintings deeper and more interesting not only visually, but also semantically. As a rule, for this they use so-called two-faced pictures.

Most often, in this way they try to disguise the caricature. Surrealist artists use a similar technique to create drawings with a triple image, thereby trying to give their masterpiece a deeper meaning. You can see examples of such paintings a little higher.

Paintings in the style of surrealism by Salvador Dali

Tenderness and strength in one picture

Salvador Dali is considered the most famous surrealist in the world. He always painted images in his paintings that made a person far from art think. This is probably why even now people look at his masterpieces with great pleasure and try to understand what the great artist was thinking about when he painted them.

Video: 3D drawings, incredible optical illusions, optical illusions

Optical illusions are nothing more than an optical illusion of our brain. After all, when we look at a picture, our eye sees one thing, but the brain begins to protest and claim that this is not at all what it is. So it turns out that illusions are created by our mind, which begins to analyze the color, the position of the light source, the location of edges or corners, etc. Thanks to this, the correction of visual images occurs.
Be careful! Some illusions can cause tearing, headaches and disorientation in space.

Invisible chair. The optical effect, which gives the viewer a false impression of the location of the seat, is due to the original design of the chair, invented by the French studio Ibride.

Volumetric Rubik's Cube. The drawing looks so realistic that there is no doubt that this is a real object. Twisting the piece of paper, it becomes obvious that this is just a deliberately distorted image.

This is not an animated gif. This is an ordinary picture, all elements of which are absolutely motionless. It is your perception that is playing with you. Hold your gaze for a few seconds at one point, and the picture will stop moving.

Look at the cross in the center. Peripheral vision turns beautiful faces into monsters.

Flying cube. What looks like a real cube floating in the air is actually a drawing on a stick.

Eye? A shot from photographer Liamm, who was filming a foam sink but soon realized it was an eye staring back at him.

Which direction does the wheel spin?

Hypnosis. Stare without blinking at the middle of the image for 20 seconds, and then move your gaze to someone’s face or just a wall.

Four circles. Be careful! This optical illusion can cause headaches lasting up to two hours.

Ordering squares. The four white lines appear to be moving randomly. But once you put images of squares on them, everything becomes quite natural.

The birth of animation. Animated images by overlaying a grid of black parallel lines on the finished drawing. Before our eyes, static objects begin to move.

An optical illusion is a trick of human vision. Observations of some images leave visual illusions in our minds.

Optical illusion is the unreliable perception of certain visual information. A person, looking at an illusion, incorrectly estimates its size or shape, creating a deceptive image in his mind.

The reason for erroneous perception is the structural feature of our visual organ. The physiology and psychology of vision allow us to make the wrong final result and instead of round shapes, a person is able to see square ones, and large pictures will seem small.

Illusion - error of visual perception

Optical illusion can be divided into several main types:

  • incorrect color perception
  • misperception based on contrast
  • misperception of object size
  • incorrect perception of image depth
  • twisted illusion
  • "shifter"
  • illusions that move
  • 3D pictures
  • optical illusion contour

The human brain can react deceptively to some images. It seems that the image moves or even changes color only due to the fact that the brain perceives the visible light of some pictures.

Moving pictures optical illusion, photo

One of the most popular are the so-called moving pictures. The secret of this type lies in color and contrast perception.

moving picture

It is enough to look at the center of this picture for a few seconds, then look away to one of the sides of the salad frame of the image, and the picture will literally “float”.



moving illusion "wall"

This illusion can be classified into two types: “curvature of shape” and “moving illusion”. Firstly, the uneven placement of the cubes allows us to conclude that the lines are crooked.

However, they are absolutely smooth. Secondly, if you move the picture up and down using the slider on your monitor on the right, you can see how the cubes move and run.



moving illusion

Thanks to the textured image, it seems that the squares in the center of the picture are moving.



an illusion that moves

Thanks to the contrasting image of the round disks, it seems that they are moving in different directions: clockwise and counterclockwise.



the illusion moves

The patterns in the picture are of different sizes and stand out with bright contrasting colors. This is why the lines and curves appear to be moving.

What kind of visual illusion pictures are there for children?

  • Visual illusions are one of the most popular intellectual entertainments for children. Observing such pictures allows you to develop your child’s thinking.
  • He tries to understand why this happens, that what is desired is not presented as reality.
  • In addition, groups of eye muscles are exercised. This helps improve blood circulation to the optic canal, which means it serves as a kind of prevention of blindness and other problems.

While observing illusions, the child exercises his logical thinking and develops his brain.

The most popular illusions for children:



animal shifter

This illusion helps the child understand which animal is shown in the picture: a cat or a dog. The child analyzes all external features and remembers the characteristics; in addition, he tries to visually turn the image around, which trains his eye muscles.



volumetric illusion

This illusion provides the child with the opportunity to see a three-dimensional image. In order to do this, you need to bring your face closer to the image, direct your gaze to the middle, diffuse your vision for five seconds and then quickly focus. This activity intensively trains the eye muscles and allows the child to develop vision.



mirror illusion

Uniform prints located mirror to each other allow the baby to find common features of external parameters in different animals.



optical illusion

This image allows you to develop abstract thinking: in the proposed picture you can see a simple branched tree. But if you read the contours correctly, the image of a newborn child will appear before your eyes.

What are hypnosis pictures, optical illusion?

Some images are called “pictures of hypnosis” because they are capable of misleading and a kind of trance, when a person diligently tries to understand the secret of the drawn objects and why they move.



hypnosis picture

There is a belief that if you look for a long time at the center of a moving image, a person imagines himself plunging into a deep tunnel without a bottom or edge. It is this immersion that distracts him from other thoughts and his trance is comparable to hypnosis.

Illusion pictures in black and white, optical illusion in contrasts

Black and white colors are completely opposite. These are the most contrasting colors of all. Looking at such a picture, the human eye literally “doubts” which color to pay the main attention to, and that is why it turns out that the pictures “dance”, “float”, “move” and even appear in space.

The most popular black and white illusions:



parallel black and white lines

The secret of the image is that the lines on the lines are drawn in different directions and that is why it seems that the lines are not at all parallel.



black and white illusions

These images allow us to see two images in one picture. The drawing is based on the principle of contour and contrasts.

black and white illusion based on concentration

In this illusion, for the effect you need to look for a long time at the red dot located in the image.

One minute will be enough. After this, your gaze is averted to the side and on any object you see what you previously observed only on the monitor.

What is optical illusion 3d pictures?

This type of illusion allows a person to literally “break his brain.” This is because the picture displays the arrangement of objects in such a way that, firstly, they become three-dimensional on a plane, and secondly, sometimes they are too difficult to understand.



simple 3D illusion

This picture makes it unclear to a person the location of objects: their sides and surfaces. Nevertheless, the drawing is perceived in volume.



complex 3D illusion picture

More complex images require a person to peer into the depths of the picture for a long time. It is worth completely dissipating and splitting vision and after some time sharply restoring it.

A three-dimensional figure (in this case a woman) with clear contours will appear on a completely flat picture.

Optical illusions pictures optical illusions

Optical illusions are errors that can occur in our vision. The causes of optical illusions are errors of perception.

While looking at a picture, inexplicable movements, disappearances and appearances may occur. All this is justified by the physiological and psychological aspect of visual perception.



optical illusion "black dot"

The secret of the illusion is that when we notice a small black object in the center, we do not pay attention to our surroundings.



optical illusion "elephant"

The unclear image of the contours allows us to see that the elephant has eight legs instead of four.



optical illusion "sun"

Contrasting colors and unclear boundaries of the picture allow the image to literally vibrate the moment we look at it and remain immobilized when we turn our gaze to something else.



optical illusion “one picture - two images”

Based on a mirror image with exact repetition of all forms.

Optical illusion pictures: dress, explanation of the illusion

  • The famous online “virus” and the “blue or gold dress” joke are based on visual perception, depending on the individual characteristics of each person
  • Once upon a time, everyone received a picture on social networks from friends with the caption “What color is the dress?” And many of your friends answered this question in completely different ways: either blue or gold
  • The secret to perceiving a picture lies in how your visual organ is built and under what conditions you observe this picture.
  • In each specific case, the retina of the human eye contains a certain number of cones and rods. It is the quantity that plays the role of perception: for some it will be blue, for others it will be golden


optical illusion "dress"

It is important to pay attention to the fact of lighting. look at the image in bright light and you will see a blue dress. Go into a dark room for half an hour and then look back at the picture - most likely you will see a golden dress.

Double pictures are an optical illusion, what's the secret?

As mentioned earlier, the secret of this illusion is hidden in the complete repetition of the lines of the drawing when it is mirrored. Of course, this can not be done in practice with every picture, but if you carefully choose the form, you will get quite an interesting result.



classic double picture "old or young woman?"

Looking at this image, you need to decide for yourself: “What do you see first?” Of the possible options, you will see a young girl, turned in profile with a feather in her headdress, or an old woman with a long chin and a large nose.



modern double image

Among the more modern versions of the double image, we can distinguish paintings that simultaneously depict two separate drawings. In such cases, the features of one image are read in different lines.

Video: “Five of the most incredible optical illusions. Optical illusion"

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