OpticalIllusions.com

Interactive illusions

Illusions you can play with: reveal the trick, time a stare, drag a layer or test your own eyes.

Checkerboard Shadow IllusionInteractiveBrightness illusionsCheckerboard Shadow IllusionA dark square in light and a light square in shadow are the same grey.Simultaneous ContrastInteractiveBrightness illusionsSimultaneous ContrastA uniform grey bar looks lighter on the left and darker on the right.Cornsweet IllusionInteractiveBrightness illusionsCornsweet IllusionLeft and right halves are the same grey, but the left looks lighter.Afterimage FlagInteractiveColour illusionsAfterimage FlagStare at a cyan, black and yellow flag and a red, white and blue one appears.Müller-Lyer IllusionInteractiveGeometric illusionsMüller-Lyer IllusionThree identical lines that look clearly different in length.Motion Aftereffect SpiralInteractiveMotion illusionsMotion Aftereffect SpiralWatch a spinning spiral for 30 seconds and still things start to move.Stereokinetic RingsInteractiveMotion illusionsStereokinetic RingsTurning flat circles that suddenly pop out as a cone or tunnel.Troxler FadingInteractiveMotion illusionsTroxler FadingStare at the cross and the soft colour spots vanish into grey.Moiré PatternsInteractiveMotion illusionsMoiré PatternsTwo sets of rings overlap and phantom waves sweep across them.

Play with your perception

Reveal hidden tricks, time a stare, drag a layer or measure how far an illusion fools you. Interactive illusions turn a curiosity into an experiment you can repeat.