Welcome to 123 Optical Illusions
An archive of illusions that play tricks with your brain. Many of the images you will find here demonstrate visual phenomena, and optical or visual illusions. You will learn about the complexities of the human eye first hand. Visit the optical illusions below and test your eyes and brain and learn a little about why.
Albert Einstein Marilyn Monroe Illusion
When you look at this picture close range you see Albert Einstein. Now stand up and take several steps back, roughly 15 feet away, It will become Marilyn Monroe.
Double Picture Illusion
A double picture illusion which results in different things for different people.
Rotating Dot Whirlpool
Try staring at this for more than 5 seconds without going crazy. Then try following it around! Curves constantly die out and then re-evolve as part of another curve.
Graffiti Stairs Illusion
In this subway, this guy spray painted the wall to appear as an illusion of the stairs coming out of the wall.
Wavy Lines Illusion
Are these lines straight and parallel? Use a straight edge to test what you see.
Right or Left Window
Is this window on the right or left of this building?
Elevator Floor or Long Drop?
A very neat optical illusion elevator floor. So clever you would think twice before stepping into this elevator.
Sphere Size Illusion
A visual illusion of two spheres. Does one appear to be larger than the other? Both of the spheres are the same size.
Find The Dog
Take a close look at this image. Can you find the doggy in this picture?
What do you see?
Take a close look at this image. What do you see? Do you see an old man's face or two lovers kissing?
Light Bulb Illusion
Stair closely at this light bulb for 20 - 25 seconds. Then immediately stare at a white area on the screen or at a sheet of paper. You should see a glowing light bulb!
Face on Earth
Take a look at the picture below... Can you see the Face on earth?
The Moving Man
Does it look like he is moving to you? Well, he's not!
Stare at the Circles
Stare at the Circles Below and determine if they are moving or not...
Count The Black Dots
Try and count the black dots. How many do you come up with?
Stare at this Image
Stare at this image as long as you can. It will eventually drive you crazy...
The Crystal Ball
Take a very close look at this image! Stair at the very center crystal ball. Move your eyes very close to the screen and then move away.
Vertical Lines or Not?
Take a very close look at the 2 vertical lines. Do you think one line is longer than the other?
Checker Board Illusion
Checker Board Illusion... Take a very close look at Block A and Block B. Do you think that the colors are a different shade of gray?
Face or Illusion
Photo taken by Viking 1 in 1976. What do you see? Is it a Face or just an Illusion?
How Can This Be True?
How Can This Be True? If the partitions are the same, shouldn't every space be filled?
Crawling Bug Spiral Illusion
Please wait a moment until the spiral has finished loading. When it's spinning smoothly, stare at the center of the spiral for about a minute.
The Color Quiz
Look at the chart and say the color, not the word. Your right brain tried to say the color, but your left brain was reading the word.
Gray Circle Illusion
Stare at the black dot... Did you see the Gray circle disappear?
What do you see?
Take a close look at this image. What do you see? Do you see a Beautiful Woman? Or a Cool Jazz Horn Blower?
How many faces?
Take a very close look at this image! How many faces can you find in this picture?
How many colors where used?
Take a very close look at this image! How many colors where used to make this image?
Five Hidden Wolves
Take a very close look at this image! Look closely to find 5 wolves hidden in the picture.
You Were on my Mind
Take a very close look at this image! What do you see? Sex is on a man's mind.
Take a very close look at this image! Who do you see? Looks like Ex-President Bill Clinton right?
Take a very close look at this image! What do you see? Now, imagine yourself walking in a clockwise fashion. These stairs NEVER end! You will go up and up and up.
What do you See?
Do you see a face? Or do you see the word Liar?
Take a very close look at this image! Do you see a couple or a skull?
Is the left center circle bigger? Actually, they're both the same size.
Take a close look at this so called triangle! Try to perceive its' orientation. Seems impossible.
Do you see a spiral?
Do you see a spiral? Actually, these are a bunch of independent circles! Creating the illusion of a spiral...
Colored Cube Optical Illusion
Is the blue side on the inner left back or the outer left front? Good Luck Figuring It Out!
Cube Optical Illusion
Is the small cube inside a larger cube? Or do you see a small cube on the outside of a larger cube?
Double Imaging Picture
Do you see the face? Or an Eskimo? Good Luck Figuring It Out!
The Picture Of Many Faces
How many faces can you see? Do you see an Elderly Woman, Young Lady, or Man?
Rabbit or Duck Illusion
Do you see a Rabbit or a Duck? If, you Look Hard, You Can See Both!
Building Block Illusion
Do you think it is possible to build this block from the blueprint? It's virtually impossible.
The Wacky Spiral
Do You See A Large Spiral? Well, if you do, You are WRONG. If you look very closely you will see many independent circles.
Courtyard or Terrace Illusion
Is this a Courtyard or Terrace? You Decide...
Crazy Line Trick
Are These Lines Straight Or Crooked? Look Closely! Every Line Is Straight!
What do you see in each picture after it is flipped... Look Closely!
Try to determine the orientation of the items! Perception is off a little... Look Closely! This one will leave your mind confused...
Impossible Monumental Columns
Are the columns square or round? Will they support anything?
Landscape Of Faces Illusion
Do You See A Landscape of Faces? There are quite a bit. See how many you can count.
Tallest Soldier Illusion
Can You Pick Out the Tallest Soldier? Did You Find Him? Hmm... They Are All the Same Height!
Crazy Objective Schematic Illusion
Is it possible to build this gadget? Look Closely and try to determine the orientation of the picture!
Crazy Line Illusion
Analyze the 2 Purple lines. Do they appear to be Straight Or Crooked?
Elephant Leg Illusion
How many legs does this elephant have? 4, 5, 6, maybe 7?
Moving Spiral Illusion
Stare at the center for 10 seconds and begin moving your eyes around the outer perimeter... Does it appear to be moving, shimmering, or just making you dizzy?
Black Dot Optical Illusion
Stare at the dark dot in the center for 10 seconds... Now move your head forward and backward. As your head moves closer to your monitor and then back away from your monitor, the circles will appear to be spinning.
Realistic Dice Illusion
As you look at these dice, try to determine if they are standing up, or laying flat.
Glass Tesseract Animation
This is an interesting illusion animation. It has a very neat effect.
The Lilac Chaser aka Pac-Man Illusion
Lilac chaser is a visual illusion, also known as the Pac-Man illusion.
The Spinning Dancer
The Spinning Dancer appears to move both clockwise and counter-clockwise. Stare at her long enough and you will be able to see her rotate both ways.
The Penrose Triangle
The Penrose triangle is considered the impossible figure. The Penrose triangle appears to be solid on the page, but it cannot be built.
In the accompanying figure a white equilateral triangle is perceived... but in fact none is drawn. This effect is known as a subjective or illusory contour.
In this illusion the figure and the ground are reversible in all ways.
In the Ponzo illusion the converging parallel lines tell the brain that the image higher in the visual field is further away therefore the brain perceives the image to be larger, although the two images hitting the retina are the same size.
Simultaneous Contrast Illusion. The horizontal gray bar is the same shade throughout.
Barber Pole illusion
The Barber pole illusion is a visual illusion that reveals biases in the processing of visual motion in the human brain.
The Bezold Effect
The Bezold effect is an optical illusion, where a color may appear different depending on its relation to adjacent colors.
Here we have an object that may have been photoshopped.