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Another 10 Amazing Optical Illusions

Jamie Frater . . . Comments

Following the popularity of our Top 20 Amazing Optical Illusions list, we are presenting you with another 10.

10. Leaning Tower Illusion

Pisatowers-1

The two images above are identical, yet the tower on the right appears to be leaning more steeply. The reason for this is because the visual system treats the two images as if part of a single scene. Normally, if two adjacent towers rise at the same angle, their image outlines converge as they recede from view due to perspective, and this is taken into account by the visual system.

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9. Color Perception

0204

Believe it or not – the pink spots in the image above are the same – if you don’t believe me, open the image in photoshop and compare them.


8. Inverse Image

Jesus

Stare at the center of the image above for about 30 seconds then immediately look at a blank white wall or a piece of white paper. Stare at the blank paper and an image will emerge. The more you stare, the clearer the image becomes.

7. Instant Gratification

Pic31123

This one works immediately – stare at the dot in the center of the image and move your head back and forth – the rings will rotate.


6. Straight Lines

Cushion5

The image above is composed entirely of straight lines. If you don’t believe, try using a ruler to test it.

5. Believe it or not

Monspiral

This one is amazing – the blue and green lines in the picture above are the same color.


4. Sacred Heart Illusion

Aparicion.0

Click the image above to open it as its full size then slowly move your head away from the image.

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3. Moving Squares

Movingsquareillusionmq2

Move your eyes around the image above and the squares will appear to rotate.


2. The Hollow Face Illusion

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti8Vul5s-GE&rel=1]

This excellent video clip illustrates a brilliant optical illusion known as the Hollow Face Illusion.

1. Monster Magic

B02

In the image above, the two monsters are the same size.

Jamie Frater

Jamie is the owner and chief-editor of Listverse. He spends his time working on the site, doing research for new lists, and collecting oddities. He is fascinated with all things historic, creepy, and bizarre.

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  • 20Fan20

    Just play the game Guitar Hero for a few hours. Now look at the wall. Everything looks like it is moving up.

    This is easier to do with no social life…

    • Ramdamdam

      Ive had that happen!!!! I thought I was going crazy!!

  • Yah the guitar hero trip is awesome, I enjoy it on a regular basis.

    And number 2 is amazing and creepy!

  • Great list, but I have to disagree with #5, I checked with photoshop and the colours are not the same. I can’t remember what the URL is but there’s a site where you can download a printable version of the dragon from #2 so you can fold it yourself :) it’s really cool.

    • KieraJayy

      i checked number five in MS paint, and they are the same exact shade of green.

      • PJ

        I checked in MS paint as well, and they are DIFFERENT.

      • buttercup108

        Exactly which lines are the article referring to?

  • ImplosiveFire – you must have a defective photoshop because I did too and they are definitely the same. You can see it also by zooming in to 3200% – the colors appear the same on the screen at that zoom level. They are both r:0, G:255, B:150. :)

  • mrbizmark

    i took no5 into paint and got the same colors.

  • Sirea

    Yeah I agree as well, the colors from number 5 are both the same shade of pastel greenish.

  • petey mcgee

    i love these. my eye doctor has books of these in the exam rooms to read while you wait.

  • dvhann

    number 4 gave me a rank headache from looking at it

  • dvhann

    nothing against jesus or anything.

  • me

    i love a good ol guitar hero trip

  • We have No. 2 at home, it’s pretty cool. Theres another ones like it somewhere on the nets with a charlie chaplin mask

  • James

    Nothing rotates on #7 for me…

    • JO

      better get ur eyes checked!!

  • Mav

    hahaha I love these. What a great trip!

  • lola

    whats is supposed to happen in “4 sacred heart”? I see a Christ figure, is that it?

  • aplspud

    I love optical illusions. My favorite on here is the hollow head. There are several videos of this effect online, all neat. As an English teacher and tutor, I make my students read their papers out loud to proofread. They are always amazed at how they will read what they think is on the paper, but actually isn’t. Ex., they wrote “The cats is on the bed.” But they will read “The cat is on the bed” because they know that is correct. Not really an optical illusion, but another trick of the mind.

  • trebek

    AHHH! I see Jesus everywhere! I can’t make him go away. Couldn’t that have been a picture of Marilyn Monroe or somebody instead?

  • lola: yes – the lines are meant to melt away :)

    trebek: hahaha

  • aplspud: that is very interesting and confirms my main point on the top 10 tips for improving your writing – that you must revise at least 3 times!

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  • JD

    I love optical illusions.

  • Mikerodz

    After all of these, how can you say I’m sure, I saw it.

    Salute, jamie

  • mikerodz – good point :)

  • aplspud

    jfrater: At least! I also recommend to proofread by starting at the end of the paper and going line by line backwards. That way you break the narrative and look at each sentence individually.

  • aplspud – that is a brilliant idea!

  • Inverse image things never work for me. What was I supposed to see? But this was fun, thanks! Good list, hehe.

  • Da_Canadian_Man

    On number 5, i thought they were different. Open it in paint, zoom in 800% and you will see they are the same.

  • Drogo

    HAha, When I looked at #7, #8 was still there. (like trebek said)

  • Dandelion

    Number 8 is really good.

  • Harsha

    For #8 it is much more effective if u rapidly blink when looking at the wall. #4 is quite common …I have one of John Lennon!!

  • dalandzadgad

    very neat, i haven’t seen a few of these..

    btw, here’s the dragon if anyone wants to check it out for themselves :)

    http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/5639/2020/1600/dragon.0.jpg

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  • chadster

    I checked # 5 on paint (using the dropper thingy) I also zoomed in and both colors were a similar teal color, nowhere near the green or blue in the image. Very Cool :)

  • JMurf

    God is an illusion…………as are socks

  • Oh wow, that hollow face illusion is creepy.

  • Diogenes

    Vasarely wet dream.
    the way to go.

  • jaide

    omg i like the 2 monster ones there really cool. Really great optical illusion but the back ground creates that image.

  • davo

    another nice list as well i love this site!

  • number5

    Regarding number 5… the thumbnail is jpg, the original image (klick the thumbnail) is png. The colors are only the same in the png. That’s probably what confused ImplosiveFire (and me).

  • copperdragon

    number 5 was the most amazing.
    it is similar to the pink dots illusion (#9) and the grey checkerboard (in a different illusion list).

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  • Somnus

    Well the blue and green are the same color, covered by the aliasing of orange at the sides and it turns out different from far.

  • Scott

    The thing with Guitar Hero is absolutely true.

  • BoredAtWork

    Hey Implosive, here is one place to download a printable version of the Dragon,

    http://www.grand-illusions.com/images/articles/opticalillusions/dragon_illusion/dragon.pdf

  • s00-zie

    i thought i was the only one who had the guitar hero thing! whew i feel slightly less crazy now!

  • Descartes

    @Mikerodz: Optical illusions do open to door to a type of sensory skepticism, but the fact that we consider these are illusions means that there is another way of perceiving them which is not ‘illusory’. While it may be true that to say we saw something only means that we lack another perspective which we can say is ‘true’ or ‘disillusioned,’ it is another thing to then say that what we normally say “we really saw” we did not see, or should be skeptical about our ‘seeing it.’

    In other words, we are justified in considering these illusions. And we have no justification for believing that the monitor in front of me, or the keyboard upon which I type to be an illusion, or anything similar.

    This is how, after seeing these, you can still I say, “I am sure I saw it.” But since you ended your comment with a period, perhaps I am misunderstanding you by ‘answering’ your intent: you perhaps were not asking how we could say that, but merely stating your skepticism. If you were interested in stopping there, I apologize for attempting to help you with your skepticism.

  • The Eye

    I am not sure that these are ‘optical’ illusions. Many of them have to do with visual perception, which does not stop at optics, the eye (the etymological origin of ‘optic’–with perhaps the exception of the inverted face, which has primarily to do with the retina) or much of anything that has to do with ‘optics’ properly discussed. In fact, the types of illusions in 5 & 9 cannot be predicted or explained by Newton’s optics or successive theories.

    In fact, many of these illusions have little or nothing in common with each other if we look closely at the causes and effects. Five and 9 are not caused by nor have the same effects as 1 and 10. For the latter, I would be inclined to say that they are cognitive illusions, for they lead us to make incorrect judgments comparing their objects (This leans more, this is bigger). The sacred heart or inverted face are more of perceptual illusions, given that they cause us to see things that are not there, or to not see things that are there. We could divide this category once again based on the causes of these illusions. And perhaps we should consider 5 & 9 chromatic illusions, since they are caused by the distribution of color, and their effect is the (mis)perception of a hue.

    Not that this is an exhaustive or systematic account; I bring it up merely to point out the variety of phenomena that we lump together under the misnomer ‘optical illusions.’

  • beff

    i have a headache……..

    • Trustin

      do things that will give you an adenialrne rush. Sky dive, run in traffic, swing off a vine in the rainforest. Slap a cop and run. Idk anything that extremely excites you and such.(huffing paint is a drug. just fyi, the chemicals in it are considered drugs.)

  • Taija

    #2 is creepy – I wouldn’t want one in my own house. :D

    And #5 is just amazing.

  • thirtytwo

    #5 – I also found on my first attempt that they were different colours, then realised the png/jpg difference. Definitely the same in the png version. :-)

  • Fruckert

    how the hell does that dragon thing work?

  • Trick

    hey if u moe your head quickly back and forth for number 4 u can see the image clearer but not too fast just as long as your eyes are focused straight on the picture……

  • m0nk3yhum0r

    MAKE MORE OF THESE LISTS PLEASE!!!

  • David in London

    This is pretty impressive too. Watch the spinning wheel for as long as you can (it lasts about a minute) and then look at the back of your hand.

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W8nhPTYtiig&feature=related

  • Kris

    I tried the one one #8 and I saw Ted Nugent on my wall!

  • diogenes’ dildo

    Kris:
    He’s got you in his sight buddy! Clear the pen now!….
    Run Kris! Run

  • Huston

    Hahaha, Kris, I think you’ve been watching too much Aqua Teen man.

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  • fudrick

    I’ve never had the Guitar Hero thing, even though I do play it a lot. Is anyone here really good at it or does everyone just play at parties and stuff?

  • pretzelqueen564

    Ew

  • Schiesl

    My Favorite optical illusion was on Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Brain Episode, it is awesome.

  • Schiesl
  • domrocks

    it was asume it sucket it was BAD

  • Hayzel

    It was wicked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • corn

    #2 is sooo creepy!
    I don’t get #3, though. Nothing moves. . .

  • em0703

    8-th – when i stare at it and look away, i actually see jesus. that made me laugh.

  • Ti

    Pulled #5 into Photoshop. They are very similar, but no matter where I pull colors from out of that image, the blue is slightly darker than the green. Pretty close, though. Still crazy.

  • Beltsasar

    I print screened nr 5 and took the blue and the green out and made a huge seection of each..Their not the same. thei.re blue and green

  • solaris station

    no 8 is cool

  • bima

    the fact about no #7, it rotates more rapidly if the eye is exhausted or you are stressed

    it is said (i forgot the source) that criminals/juvees sees the rotation faster than average

    and if you dont see it rotate i presume you are a very calm/focused type of guy or at the moment you are mostly like that

  • David Hopkins

    Fascinating! It’s so hard to believe the tricks our minds can play on us!

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  • steph

    #5 is correct, they are both the same shades of green, not exactly, but VERY similar

  • jhey

    hmm… col!!!!

  • moopersoup

    I’ve seen a version of number 8 done before with the american flag. When you looked at the blank wall you would see a full color flag. Some of these were really just amazing.

  • Parad0xfool

    Great list!

  • hFHRHGHHA

    that was sary (I AM NORWAYSK)

  • Sakada

    I know ways of getting high woutiht drugs..but you shouldn’t get high just because you’re bored. Go exercise or eat..i dont know but just dont get high..cuz you’re gonna like how it feels and then you’re gonna start with drugs..

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