# How relative is color? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304 "2009-11-29T03:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/1 "2009-11-29T03:31:11Z")
I’ve seen some weird tricks with color but nothing beats this [“illusion”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl1lLze5ZpM&feature=fvhl). Is this is trick? How the hell can this be real? ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/2 "2009-11-29T03:54:01Z")
Looks to me like each diamond is actually colored with the same gradient. The light half diamonds at the top make the next row look darker. That row’s darker halves make the next row look lighter, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/3 "2009-11-29T03:57:47Z")
**J Cubed** is right. Do a screen capture, paste into your favorite graphics program, and drag sections of any diamond over others. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/4 "2009-11-29T04:12:09Z")
check this out - [checkershadow illusion](http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.html). it’s a picture and comes with proof and explanations. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/5 "2009-11-29T07:53:24Z")
[Here’s my favorite.](http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w113/flamingriver/?action=edit¤t=colors.jpg&startOption=3) There are only 3 colors. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/6 "2009-11-29T19:28:54Z")
**panache** , your link doesn’t work. It just redirects to the main Photobucket page. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/7 "2009-11-29T19:52:32Z")
The color of the surroundings affect how we perceive the color, as described above. The affect on video is even stronger. I did a project when I was in college involving subtitles over video clips. One of the video clips was flesh tone next to blue (the scene in Jaws where Roy Schneider is chumming the water, and the shark jumps out, and he turns around suddenly.) The white subtitles I had appeared to be pink when superimposed on Roy’s face, while it looked normal when over blue. My instructor explained it’s a common effect because of the surrounding color. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/8 "2009-11-29T22:57:43Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > **J Cubed** is right. Do a screen capture, paste into your favorite graphics program, and drag sections of any diamond over others. That is a stunning illusion. I did just this and I swear the diamond looks to my eyes like it gets darker as I move it up and lighter as I move it down. Yet I know that MS Paint can’t do that 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/9 "2009-11-29T23:14:17Z")
**Panache** ’s [intended link](http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w113/flamingriver/colors.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-relative-is-color/519304/10 "2009-11-29T23:43:07Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > That is a stunning illusion. I did just this and I swear the diamond looks to my eyes like it gets darker as I move it up and lighter as I move it down. Yet I know that MS Paint can’t do that 😉 Try blocking out the surrounding colors, and you’ll see the diamond doesn’t change colors.