Amazing Illusions

Tomato Inset Illusion

When you move your head in and out or any side directions, the inset appears to move and hop.

Stare at the red dot at the centre of the image to the left for at least 30 seconds, then take a look at the right square . You will see the right square getting faded out and also flickering. You should also try moving your head closer and further away from the monitor while keeping your eyes on the centre and you will see some additional effects.

Flying Saucer Illusion

Flying Saucer, captured on a phone camera over Broadsands, Devon. UK on 2007-11-16.

-Bob Askew.

3D Fork Illusion

This optical illusion works because we try to assign a three dimensional aspect to a two dimensional picture. The technique of perspective angles has been used.

The two ends taken by themselves look correct. If you cover either end, the picture looks right. The perspective angles used on the left side to make the “U” confuse us when we incorporate them into what is on the right side of the picture. Then, since the right side has three parts which have curved lines, we group those three parts together and see them as round.

Chromatic Afterimage Illusion

Stare at the plus sign on the left for about 30 seconds. As you do this you probably will see some colors around the blue and green circles. After about 30 seconds, shift your gaze to the plus sign on the right. What did you see?

You probably saw a yellow and desaturated reddish circle. Did you notice that they were not there before you tried this experiment? Furthermore, unlike the colored circles on the left, the ones you saw on the right moved around as your eyes moved, which proves that these perceptions are the result of afterimages in your visual system and not some trick of the stimulus presentation on the right.
It is observations such as this that led Ewald Hering to propose the opponent processes theory.