22 must-see optical illusions that will blow your mind
Various optical illusions include images of horses and tigers, moving figures, and floating ships. Optical illusions show how our brain interprets images using factors such as color, light, and surroundings. They are captivating examples of realization. Optical illusions have fascinated people in different cultures for centuries. They both delight and confuse individuals and social media also enjoys sharing them. Many optical illusions have gone viral, leaving millions of people astounded.
Check out our top optical illusions in our must-see round-up below. Our mix of old and new creations will surprise you. If you want more, check out these amazing optical illusions. And if you’re going to create your own illusion, check out our guide on downloading Photoshop for the tools you need.
What are optical illusions?
Do your eyes ever deceive you? Have you ever seen something that confused you so much that you had to blink and look again? The optical illusion may have fooled you. Optical illusions are images or pictures that appear different from reality. This happens when our eyes send misleading information to our brain, causing us to see things that aren’t there.
22 Best Optical Illusions Pictures and Gifs
Here we list some trending optical illusions; Which includes optical illusion pictures, portraits, faces, elephants and more.
1. Swirling Vortex Optical Illusion
We love optical illusions that look like they’re moving but are still images. These examples are called physical optical illusions. They occur when the brain’s senses become overwhelmed with too much color, light, motion, or dimensions to process.
This design is mesmerizing with its purple and yellow swirl-like pattern. Don’t worry; This is not a GIF or video. The image is finally stable. When you look at the design, the different patterns, lights and levels trick your mind into thinking it is in motion. Focus on the center of the image, and you’ll see it stop.
2. Are these lines parallel?
Your eyes may deceive you, but they are really right. The café wall illusion works because of the strong difference between the two types of bricks. When we look at images, our brain begins to make dark areas appear lighter. This is called radiation. This process may be responsible for creating a false distortion effect.
3. Hypnosis Circle Optical Illusion
The hypnotic circle optical illusion, created by Brusapp, is a geometric trick. The white circles form a rotating circular pattern inside the red circle. However, this is just an optical illusion, so it cannot be true. The white circles move in straight lines, but their timing creates the illusion of circular motion. You can find the full video on their YouTube channel.
4. Optical illusion elephant
Since when have people been fascinated by optical illusions? This statue from the Airavatesvara Temple in Tamil Nadu, India is one of the oldest optical illusions. The beautiful Dravidian architecture of the 12th century has intricate carvings of chariots and avatars. Among them you can see two creatures joined by one head. Look at the creature on the right. it is an elephant. The elephant on the left is a bull if you cover its body and legs.
5. Optical illusion of Van Gogh’s Starry Night
We are amazed by this incredible Van Gogh optical illusion that helps us see the stars. If you look at the rotating image, the famous illustration will appear to be spinning and spinning. This is an interesting example of how our brain can distort a vision based on how our eyes see it. I could spend hours staring at it. The original painter, who was known to be addicted to absinthe, may have envisioned a similar painting.
6. How many horses are there?
Here’s another horse-themed illusion that has been confusing people since the 1970s. The design makes us wonder how many horses there are in the painting. No matter how many times we counted the horses, we never got the answer that artist Bev Doolittle got right. This optical illusion is unique. This is a literal optical illusion created intentionally by the artist.
7. Black hole expands optical illusion
Optical illusions are mind-boggling, but few come as close to showing the future as this one. When viewers look at the center of the black hole, they may imagine that it is getting bigger and closer. However, the image is not dynamic at all. It’s just the viewer’s brain reacting and guessing what will happen. A report in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that more than 86% of people who saw the illusion perceived the shape as extended. Are you one of them?
8. Cat on the Stairs Optical Illusion
The Internet is divided over the cat-themed optical illusion. People are still determining whether the cat in this post is going up or down the stairs. The cat direction illusion has been circulating online since 2015, but we still need to figure out how it’s working.
9. The Hidden Tiger Optical Illusion
From small cats to giant cats. Here is an incredible optical illusion by an artist. Can you find the tiger hidden in the image? This is not the first tiger you see, but the one showing its teeth. Once upon a time, there was an invisible tiger. We promise you’ll find it in the image, and you’ll be amazed when you do. This optical illusion is both literal and amusing, making us smile.
10. Impossible Slide Optical Illusion
Are you a fan of optical illusions? How about 3D printable? Struck Duck did the same with this Mindbender. This optical illusion shows a ball rolling down a 3D-printed slide, defying gravity. If you watch the entire video, you’ll notice that the illusion changes depending on the angle you view it from.
11. Phantom Queen Optical Illusion
Watch this great video featuring the winner of the 2021 Illusion of the Year contest. The Phantom Queen optical illusion involves the appearance of an invisible queen piece on the chessboard. The video shows a comfortable 3D shape that matches a chessboard pattern. The queen is hidden in the figure, making it appear as if she is not on the board.
12. Spinning Horse Optical Illusion
The spinning horse illusion has everyone wondering which direction it is rotating? The geometric horse twists and turns and TikTok users are speculating about its direction, but we still don’t know how it does it.
13. Moving pictures
Artist Akiyoshi Kitaoka created a mesmerizing optical illusion. The design creates the illusion of motion by using ‘unusual motion phenomena’, even if it is a still image. The way an image hits our retina at a certain location causes our brain to think the picture is moving.
14. What is hidden between the stripes?
Dr. Michelle Dickinson recently shared an eye-crossing striped optical illusion on Twitter. let’s find out! When you shake your head vigorously (carefully!), it comes to life. An image will appear within the lines. What kind of furry friend do you see?
15. Spinning Disc Optical Illusion
This illusion is from the book Eye Benders by Clive Gifford and was inspired by experimental psychologist Akiyoshi Kitaoka. No, this is not an optical illusion GIF. It is a still image, but the wheels appear to be rotating before your eyes. This happens because your eyes constantly scan and adjust to an image as they autofocus. Focus on just one to stop the wheel.
16. How many numbers? optical illusion
The Internet was completely perplexed by this confusion about numbers. It asked a simple question: How many numbers do you see? First of all, there are only three numbers. But the longer you look, the more numbers you’ll see. There are total seven numbers. Please tell what those numbers are.
17. Floating ship optical illusion
Optical illusions are usually created by hand or digitally, but occasionally, we find natural examples. These spectacular ‘floating’ ships are one of the most amazing phenomena we have ever seen. A person walking in Cornwall was surprised to see a boat floating on the water. A photo of this unusual scene became very popular online. This is a type of optical illusion called accidental optical illusion.
18. Union Flag Optical Illusion
Many of us ignore the beauty of the world around us. What do things look like if you are color blind? The BBC made a video in 1985 using an optical illusion with the Union Flag to teach people about color blindness.
Spectators must concentrate on the dot for 20 seconds to see the flag in its original color. After that, the screen will turn white, and the flag will appear red, white and blue due to the “three receptor phenomenon”. According to the narrator, this happens because events take over other color receptors when some of them get tired. This fallacy, even though it is over 35 years old, still boggles the mind. Are you still celebrating your anniversary? Remember to check out Queen Elizabeth II’s optical illusion too!
19. Rotating boxes
Are these boxes moving in place? no sorry! They are completely calm. Flashing background creates illusion. To understand what’s happening, try focusing on just one corner of the cube. This will help you stop spinning and see the truth for yourself. Check out this confusion shared by Twitter user @jagarikin.
20. 2-in-1 rotating optical illusion
This optical illusion is both mesmerizing and mind-boggling, consisting of two illusions. The dots may appear to change color or disappear depending on how you look at the design. To experience the illusion of the design, follow the light brown spot or look at the cross in the center for 30 seconds. Lenstor created this optical illusion, which is one of the best we’ve seen this year.
21. What color is the circle?
This optical illusion, created by the creators above, uses a similar idea. It’s simple but still enjoyable to watch. As this gradient moves across the background, the color of the circle changes. No. It’s not like that. The circle remains of the same color. The only thing that changes is the color of the background against which you view it. The brain sees colors differently depending on the environment of the object. We enjoy optical illusions with scientific explanations. They help us remember important things about the use of color in design.
22. Super Illusion Brothers
super illusion ブブブズ pic.twitter.com/bLkFhBOCeU
— じゃがりきん (@jagarikin) 20 November 2020
Get ready to have your mind blown by this captivating optical illusion. The artwork, titled ‘Super Illusion Brothers’, shows a group of figures climbing a flight of stairs and then jumping from the highest point. Isn’t it? No. It’s not like that. This is an optical illusion post, so there are no surprises there. The little green creatures are totally cool. This is a type of illusion called ‘bright phase’ that tricks our brains into perceiving bright objects differently.
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We list the most popular optical illusions. Scientists believe optical illusions occur because our brains are great at recognizing patterns and familiar objects. Our brain quickly pieces together different pieces to create a complete image. Clever artists can use these tendencies to fool our eyes and brain into showing illusions!