I'm always in the mood for something unusual, especially in graphics. Today in my in-box was this little gem and it's kept me as mesmerized as it has the rest of the Web. Take a look at the GIF.
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Frozen, the basic illusion looks like this. But actually see it as a GIF ... the illusion is masterful. Look carefully. Although the figures appear to be walking up the stairs and jumping down, in actuality, they're not moving at all. It's an illusion of color and light that's tricking your perception. Here's the link for the full GIF. |
Now what's happening here is what's called a "reverse-phi illusion". Stanford University describes it as "a "basic effect" whereby "If a bright point appears at one position, and then reappears at a position shifted to the right, we tend to see a single object moving left to right." But basic or not, the illusion is totally mind-blowing and people just can't stop looking at it. Masterfully rendered, and totally hypnotic. And just in case the link above doesn't work (they sometimes don't), I'm pinning a second link right here for you. https://twitter.com/i/status/1329610899976437765
Would you like another illusion? How about the rotating cubes? This one has been around for a little while, but it's also stunning. The only way to prove the cubes aren't rotating is to concentrate on one of the corners. But I'm sure you would swear the cubes were moving.
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The Rotating Cubes illusion came out in September and caused quite the stir. It's another opportunity to prove that what we see isn't always the reality of what's in front of us. Here's a link. |
I'm not 100% sure the link above will work, so again I'm putting a second link here just in case. https://twitter.com/jagarikin/status/1228122662368448512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1228122662368448512%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.creativebloq.com%2Fnews%2Foptical-illusion-cubes . It's a long link, but hopefully the short one will work for you and you won't have to be bothered with all of this. It's worth a look.
So what is it about these illusions? Well, if nothing else, they prove that what we see isn't always what is real, or even what is actually presented. It brings forth the long-held opinion that "eye witnesses" are often very wrong, and that accuracy depends on many different factors. I have always enjoyed static optical illusions, and it's fun seeing them moving forward into perceived movement with the aid of computers.
Have an excellent Tuesday, I'm going to leave this here because I've probably blown your minds enough for one morning - LOL. As always, please be kind, stay safe and please, wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow ... at least, that's the plan.
