# Best optical illusion EVER! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834 "2006-07-10T07:06:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/1 "2006-07-10T07:06:14Z")
When you click on [this link](http://homepages.ucalgary.ca/~tannerr/illusion1.html), you’ll see an image of a castle in greyscale. Click on the picture, it will change, and you’ll see a small black dot. Stare at this dot for about 20 seconds, then while keeping your eyes on the dot, click the picture again. What do you see? Awesome, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/2 "2006-07-10T07:19:20Z")
This had better not be one of those things where a scary ghost face pops up after a while. (because those things often make me shit myself.) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/3 "2006-07-10T07:19:39Z")
I don’t know if it’s the best optical illusion EVER!, but it’s somewhat neat. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/4 "2006-07-10T07:24:17Z")
It _is_ pretty good. How would you make your own? Grab a picture, throw it into negative and insert dots in the middle of it and of a greyscale version? (Am going to try this right now). ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/5 "2006-07-10T07:32:13Z")
I didn’t see any colours afterwards. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/6 "2006-07-10T07:33:38Z")
> [@Stark Raven Mad](#): > > This had better not be one of those things where a scary ghost face pops up after a while. > > (because those things often make me shit myself.) Those pop-up things are not allowed here, **SRM**. I would never post such a thing! Besides, the MPSIMS mods would be very unhappy if they came in and found shit in their forum… ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/7 "2006-07-10T07:33:46Z")
My proposed method doesn’t work. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Shai\_tan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Shai\_tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shai_tan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/8 "2006-07-10T07:58:34Z")
I think its neat that if you look away from the dot, the illusion is destroyed. Back to greyscale. But look back to the dot (don’t wait too long) and BAM the color is back. Neat! ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/9 "2006-07-10T08:45:40Z")
Wow, that was surprising. I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was a different photo until I looked away from the dot and realized it was the greyscale one. Cool! ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/10 "2006-07-10T08:47:18Z")
You have to make sure that your cursor is already over the picture while you’re staring at the dot, so you’ll be able to click without looking away. The color only lasts for a very very quick moment. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/11 "2006-07-10T08:53:58Z")
Very neat. I’ve often seen complementary colours being used in optical illusions, but that has to be the best one yet. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/12 "2006-07-10T08:56:49Z")
That’s kinda neat. ---
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/13 "2006-07-10T08:59:25Z")
It lasted about 30 seconds for me. As Shai’tan said, I could look away from the dot, and then back at it and watch the color leave and return. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/14 "2006-07-10T11:09:19Z")
I saw that one a few weeks back. It was neat for the first few seconds, but once I realized it was just using complimentary colours (which become inversed as an after-image once you turn your eyes away and refocus on the picture) it sort of lost its magic. The “misdirection” in this magic trick is that the castle doesn’t change; it only looks like it’s in “colour” (despite being gray stone in the first place) because the surrounding scenery is. Still, it was neat at the start. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/15 "2006-07-10T11:50:22Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > The “misdirection” in this magic trick is that the castle doesn’t change; it only looks like it’s in “colour” (despite being gray stone in the first place) because the surrounding scenery is. Eh? None of it _actually changes_. All of it _appears to change_, for the same reason throughout. The castle appears to change from grey to a pale buff sandstone colour. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/16 "2006-07-10T12:08:47Z")
The appearance of color was very fleeting for me, but cool nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/17 "2006-07-10T12:55:21Z")
Cool illusion, though I wish the colors lasted a touch longer. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/18 "2006-07-10T13:31:29Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Eh? > None of it _actually changes_. > All of it _appears to change_, for the same reason throughout. > > The castle appears to change from grey to a pale buff sandstone colour. Well, that’s what I meant – just the appearance of the change from the afterimage melding with the actual colours to appear to transform the image into its proper natural colour. It’s a neat effect and probably the ultimate demonstration of the peculiarities of vision. The castle though – I can’t really tell if the apparent change is a result of the apparent changes around it giving it the illusion of “real” colour, or if the castle’s complimentary is subtly but importantly differtent enough to give it that “natural” look. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/19 "2006-07-10T13:36:57Z")
Neat - that’s one of the most elaborate complimentary-color illusions I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834/20 "2006-07-10T14:24:08Z")
I think it’s really cool. I am constantly amazed at how our eyes trick us. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-optical-illusion-ever/363834.md?page=2)