Brain Teasers
US Flag
Optical-Illusion
An optical illusion is a visually perceived image that is deceptive or misleading.Optical-Illusion
Look at the center of the image for about 30 seconds. Then quickly shift your gaze to somewhere with a white background. You should see an afterimage of the US flag with the correct colors! This happens because your eye reverses the colors in afterimages.
What Next?
More Optical Illusions...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this optical illusion, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments
It didnt work for me.
Drag the mouse over the flag and you see the correct colors though.
I didn't see it....
Heehee, we did the same experiment in class the other day. Good one.
Neat one!! Thanks.
try staring at it longer.
thats awesome!!
I have seen this before, but it is still great!
I have seen this before, but it is still great!
totally richous
i had 2 do a report on optical illusions and i saw that 1 on the net,keep trying.(next time try something that'll work on every1)
It took a short while, but I got it.
Totally Cool!
Awesome and cool! I could actually see it as described!
COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW!!! Keep these coming and Happy Birthday brainster
I'm so sad! I couldn't see it! I thought there was something wrong with my eyes until I read some of the other comments! Anyway, you win some you lose some!
cool! seen it b4 but still cool! like this! ---> XDD
Oh, that's awesome!
o my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is so cool
I cn't believe some of u cant c it
Hey thats really cool
You can do that while watching TV too. But only if the same image stays long enough.
That was freakin' cool.
Keep them comming
Oh WOW!
BOGUESS I COULDNT SEE NOTHIN WASTED 30 SECONDS OF MY TIME LOL
This is the best 1 that I have seen in a long time and that bunny one I have seen before in one of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not books. Its both. I can't wait until we can do our own optical illusions!!!!!!!!!
Totally cool!
didnt work on me
thats hot
oh it was cool. it worked a little bit but still...
Sadly, I've never been able to see this type of stuff... oh well... probably cool
Ok. I've officially gone mad.
I saw it, and I've seen it before!
creepy!!!!!!
thats so totally bouguess!!!!!!!!!
thats so totally bouguess!!!!!!!!!
asoume!!!!!!!!!!!! i saw it! i saw it!
That was so cool! It worked for me - Thanks!
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGGG! MY EYES!! thats better.
(In hippie voice) Woah, man, like, power to the flags and, like... woah...
It took me more than 30 seconds to look at it, but I eventually got to see the regular colors of the flag. I'm impressed!!!!!! Try to male another illusion that is even better than this one.
That was soooooo cool!!!!!! It worked the first time for me!
I like that one
really cool!!!!!!
That was Freaky! I saw the USA flag on my wall!
I've seen a Marylin Monroe one before where you stare at her green lips and then you see them red, and ove seen a lightbulb one where its balck then it turns yellow!. LOL I love these.
I've seen a Marylin Monroe one before where you stare at her green lips and then you see them red, and ove seen a lightbulb one where its balck then it turns yellow!. LOL I love these.
If only I saw it....
it was okay
Cool but you should probably stare at it for about a minute.
ive seen these b4, and its works better if you put a white dot to stare at in the middle at the green flag and a black dot to stare at in the empty space. somehow, it makes it easir for people to concentrate. (people like me )
KOOL!!!!!!!!! I LUV IT!!!!!!
rock on!
rock on!
Wow...
i didnt see anything..
I think this is a "C" teaser.
I think this is a "C" teaser.
that was awesome
I, like many others here, have seen this one before. But it's still pretty cool!
this one was great, one of the best optical illusions ive ever seen!
i cant bilieve it actually worked, its so cool
i cant bilieve it actually worked, its so cool
Neeto!
Well I saw it for about a milasecond
Amazing
wow!
yeah i saw one of those before..no offense but i think they are boring...
i just tried it again, but i need to put contacts in, so brb
omg! that is just so cool! i stared at it 4 30 seconds. then when i look at the side on the white space...i saw the corc colors of the american flag! i is so cool!
Terrific! I loved the explination as to why the colors come out correct. These are my favorite kinds of illusions.
this is really weird!!!
it didn't work at all o well im sure it's cool
Usualy these illusions are hard!
But wow! It works GREAT on computer screens!
Totally awesome!
But wow! It works GREAT on computer screens!
Totally awesome!
this is well good
this is awesome how did do dat????????????
I didn't see it...my eyes now hurt a little...
ive seen 1s like it b4 but never this 1. it was cool!
i love these!!!!!!!
finally i see it!!
braingle submitted that one..... how do they put the image on the screen?
This is a great demonstration of how the eye sees the world. Did you know that your eye actually sees everything upside-down? It's because of your brain that you think you "see" the world right side up.
Post-script: I copied this into Microsoft Paint and inversed the colors, it is the exact opposite. That's how it was probably made, same program maybe too.
Post-script: I copied this into Microsoft Paint and inversed the colors, it is the exact opposite. That's how it was probably made, same program maybe too.
thanks for putting this on the site!
actually the aftereffect is governed by the fact that the cones used to see the colors of the image get tired, and allow the other unused cones to show up when looking at a neutral white.
actually the aftereffect is governed by the fact that the cones used to see the colors of the image get tired, and allow the other unused cones to show up when looking at a neutral white.
That's actually the coolest one I've seen all day...actually ever!
My eyes, they're broken!
It's not working...and my eyes are killing me!I need glasses!!!!
DOESN'T WORK
Tried twice without success. Will try again by staring at it a bit longer. I could see a faint flag outline, but couldn't tell the colors.
i like the fact that that happens in that way. way cool
Is it bad if I still see the afterimage about 30 min after seeing the image?
wow that was soo cool
Awesome! I've seen that before somewhere else, but it's never really worked. Did this time though~
COOLIO!!!!! but i only stared at it for like 5 seconds!
try something else
Jul 15, 2006
COOL!BUT I BLINKED!!!
Jul 22, 2006
HEY, ITS NOT FAIR TO DA AMERICANS TO CHANGE THE COLOUR OF THERE FLAG'S!!!!
Didn't see it
it iz cooool !!!
Cool! That was fun
that was great!
it worked
it worked
it was good but it would be good if you did it with other countrys flags because i feel kinda offended being a australian. aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi
That was sooooooooooooo
cool. I didn't think it would work but it did! (Yay)
cool. I didn't think it would work but it did! (Yay)
Small potatoes saw it before
kewll
That so kewl ur going to be on my favorties now lol &hearts: u
That so kewl ur going to be on my favorties now lol &hearts: u
Totally Awesome, Jake! Another fact one can learn if they keep learning about the effects of illusions. Knowledge is a marvelous thing to have, share and use!
i cant get it to work
it worked!!! its sooooo kool!!!!
Those things are so cool!
If you have got a very good art editing program, you can take a picture, make it black and white, thake the same picture and invert the colour, then put it on a little slide thing, stare at the first picture for bit, then go onto the next one, for a couple of seconds, you can see the actual colours that it's meant to be! Try it!
If you have got a very good art editing program, you can take a picture, make it black and white, thake the same picture and invert the colour, then put it on a little slide thing, stare at the first picture for bit, then go onto the next one, for a couple of seconds, you can see the actual colours that it's meant to be! Try it!
that is friggin scary amzing mad kool
Probably woulda worked if it burnt into your eyes?
AWESOME!!!!!!!! FOr those of you who can't see it look just below the third stripe and stare at the exact same place looking nowhere else on the flag. Then have a piece of white paper next to you and look at the paper (don't hold up the paper) and you will see it really faintly. At first i didn't see it but then i got it.
thanks chocolate chip tht helped i finally saw it this is very vey very cool to see but it is pretty time consuming and nowi ma wasting my time writhng this comment.....ok bye now
that is soooo cool... but now i still see it when i blink..... oh well.... THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mar 13, 2007
to see it I had to blink fast.but it did finally work.
Nothing happened when I tryed it.
It really didn't work for me either. maybe it was becuz i blinked a second.
Apr 09, 2007
ha...ha...sigh
Apr 09, 2007
im dizzy wwwooaah ow i just fell lol keep up the good work woah ow i did it again
Actually, this occurrs because the colors get burned into your retinas, and your eye becomes fatigued of seeing the same colors. Therefore when you look at a white sheet of paper, you see the complementary colors of what you were just looking at.
u can just close your eyes
i saw this in a science book once. i thought it was cool. i like it
keep em coming mate thats cool
love this one!! its my favorite of them all!!!
all i can say is wow! however, people like my dad wouldn't get it. He's colorblind
I have ms can someone tell me why this kind of illusion dont work on me.
LOL THAT IS SO TRUE!!i did see it!!!WOW! thats cool!!!=) ;)
Ok...... either I'm blind or thats a heck of an illusion! Good One! I pledge Alliegence...To weird Flags... ♥☺☻ ♥☺☻ ♥☺☻ ♥☺☻ ♥☺☻ ♥☺☻
Wow my eyes hurt now!!!! great illusion
it was soooo cool but ilike only saw it for 2 seconds
I can see howw it works but not working today
Very interesting... I find the whole concept of the eye reversing colors to be intriguing... I wonder if there is a way to base a research project (which I have to do in the fall) on this concept-Send me a message if you have any ideas...
i didn't see it hold on let me try again
ok now i see it good 1 jake thats going into my favs
OK, now this is really great. I wonder what causes this?
all i see is black know
its cause when you look at anything, and then you look at a white surface, you see only the oppsite colors of the specturm instead of the ones you were really looking at....something to do with color cones in your eye getting tired of relaying the same color to your brain, so they reverse it and it refreshes them or something....
It's ALOT of fun to make these yoursef! i do it all the time...make a simple picture with a black dot at the center (but the whole picture has to be in reverse coloring...if you dont know the oppisite of a color, draw a huge blob of that color with a black dot in the middle and stare at it for like 30 sec or more...then close your eyes, or look at something completely white. That color you see is the reverse color)
This actually happens in your eye for anything you look at for any amount of time. but the less you look at it, the fainter the image is.
post a comment back, and while you are typing stare at one point in the green box for however long at a time, then look at the white area next to all the smilies! it looks pink!
It's ALOT of fun to make these yoursef! i do it all the time...make a simple picture with a black dot at the center (but the whole picture has to be in reverse coloring...if you dont know the oppisite of a color, draw a huge blob of that color with a black dot in the middle and stare at it for like 30 sec or more...then close your eyes, or look at something completely white. That color you see is the reverse color)
This actually happens in your eye for anything you look at for any amount of time. but the less you look at it, the fainter the image is.
post a comment back, and while you are typing stare at one point in the green box for however long at a time, then look at the white area next to all the smilies! it looks pink!
Nice one. But when I looked at something white it reverted colors. It was cool.
WHOA!
hi
Good one.
It didn't work for me.
good one. I saw that in my science book once.
this is really cool i like it!!
This ones really cool! our eyes are amazing 'contraptions' !!
AWSOMENESS
This is so cool. Good Job
didnt work. waste of time
Didn't work and now my eves hurt!
They have that at COSI in my hometown so I already knew what it was gonna do. I still love it though. ( :
I'm dizzy and my eyes hurt!
well it didn't work for me but that's ok thanks
hehehe... I've seen this one at The Children's Meuseaum.
That wqas so cool it worked it messed with my eyes please help eye doctors oh thank god my eyes are save
Dec 12, 2007
I suggest staring for 45 seconds, then looking into the extra white space within your internet surfing application. To renew the sight effect, blink.
cooly
i think that the amount a person needs to stare at the flag depends on the concentration level. Oh and by the way, does anyone have a more detailed explanation? Nothing on google. I mean like why the eye turns colors around or which colors turn into which colors. Just curious.
Fhempen's comment was helpful but not totally detailed. Help?
what can i help you with?
easy to make on paint (windows) open a picture in paint, go to the menu. under image you click on invert colors or skip the menu part and hit ctrl+I
Great illusion-never saw this before!
that is awesome!!!... never saw this one before, but it really works
Doesn't work unless you want it to - the brain and eyes can be fooled into thinking/seeing anything if you really want to!
THAT WAS SO AWESOME!
it didn't work
OMG...i saw this when i was in like...4th grade?but it's still fun
OMG!!! THAT WAS SO KOOL!! At first i couldnt see it but then when i focused i saw it and it was AMAZING!!! Rock on!!
wow totally awesome, didnt think it would work but it did!
i worked OMG.
It didn't work
that was SWEET! i'd never seen this one before
We have this painted up in the cafeteria at my school... Yeah it is real cool when i get bored at lunch i lookat it.
Didn't work for me.
Couldn't see it
Oooooooh yeah?! hmmmmmmmm!!! wehehehehehehehehe.........
realllly cool never thought it would work
WOW that was super cool
great optical illusion!!
great optical illusion!!
ive seen this one only with the union jack!
darn
i cant get it to work
i cant get it to work
this is very fun.. i loved it
that was fun, i saw this one before
try not to blink and the image is brighter
try not to blink and the image is brighter
that was funkin awsome
The explanation wh some of us did not see it depend on how the picture quality of your computer imige. EXAMPLE: If you have an HD computer you will get better results.
Nice illusion...please make more of these!!!
OMG ish MAJIKAL
thats creepy
thats creepy
OH MY GOLLY GOLLY GOLLY GOLLY GOLLY GOLLY GOSH HOW ON EARTH IS THAT POSSIBLE U CREEP ME OUT WELL KOOL I LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE KREEP ME OUT LOVIN IT
that was AMAZING
Didn't work for me =[
Tried for a minute then it worked =]
all the times ive tried it i never saw it but when i saw it on my wall i said "so friggin cool!"LOL
Awesome!
OMJ!!!!!!!!!! SO ASWOME! SOOOO COOL!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. You n=know what, I actually saw the Canadian flag. Not good.
This is weird but as I was up to about 20 seconds, off in the white I saw red & white stripes...weird...
i DiDN'T SEE ANYTHiNG HAPPEN..iT DiDN'T WORK
*CURSE YOU EViL ViLLEN*..LOL
*CURSE YOU EViL ViLLEN*..LOL
it made my eyes water
that was totaly cool!!!!
wow...I'm going to do it again!!!
wow...I'm going to do it again!!!
May 09, 2009
when u look at it for 30 second look at a white wall and start blinking.... it didnt work for me until i looked at a wall and then started blinking
SO COOL! the only problem is, I STILL SEE IT! but still fun, hopefully it will go away soon.
if you look at neon colors and look at a white surface than you see every thing in the positive colors. the human eye gets confused with neon colors. the neon is actually correct colors but the eye tricks the brain. even if your color blind and someone sees something like the flag at the top of the page the colors are normal to that person. im no genius. its just common logic.
I didn't really see it, but while I was looking, there were these red and white stripes kind of slowly getting away from the incorrect colors...my mind never works with afterimages.
that was cool but i only saw it 4 a second
awesome
this was awsum! i culd totally see it.
i didnt think it would work but it did!
That is very creepy
Well ladies and gents it totally works form me gigigirl1099 animallover2000.
rubish it doson't chage colous
Cyril it is NOT rubbish. Your probally going to just have to say mississippi 30 times. Either that or your not looking at the center of the flag. It is kind of hard to see if you quickly look at a brown table or something, so looking at a piece of paper is the best choice. Blinking rapidly at a piece of white paper is the best way to see it.
Apr 12, 2010
I didn't see it.
That is one of the awesoest optical illusions ever!! My friend and i tried it and we saw the pure colors of the regular American flag!!! omg i loved it! i voted, "fun"!! Of only there was a vote called "amazing"!!!! I would vote that. Thanks for putting it up there, anyways... I loved it. And for those people that can;t see it.... go get checked by an eye doctor maybe... :l it is impossible to not see unless something is wrong with your eyes. go get checked by an eye doctor if you can't see the right colors. bYE
Great illusion, I actually did a science project on the causes of this illusion in the 3rd grade!!
This was a great opticial illusion!
what is the answer 2 lvl 1 on The Cryptographic Case of the Missing Arm someone plz answer
it was awesome!
It worked! It worked! IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It doesn't matter how long I look at this..... i still can't get it!!!!!!
I looooooooooooooooved that illusion! It really works, and I just can't believe it!
omg I can not believe that actually worked!
OMG! That is............AWESOME! i have not seen anything like that!!!!!!!! I LOOOOOOOOOVE all puzzles. If you have any puzzles send me a private message with your username and the puzzle.
I didn't see it.
Cool
I didn't see it the first time I did it either, thought after doing it this time, I blinked a little bit while looking at a blank wall, and I saw it.
Nice!!!!
Oct 30, 2011
Oh, thank god.. I wanted to read the comments to make sure nothing will pop up
OMG IT ACTUALLY WRKS! i looked at my wall and my jaw literally dropped!
Feb 22, 2012
that was AWESOME!!!!1
i don't like this teaser- it never works for me...... next time post an easier one please!!!!
Me likes this one when the flag started fading off my wall i just started singing "bye bye miss american pie" haha and the oringinal don mclean one not madonnas version. Dont like madonnas version that much prefer don's one it has a lot more emotion and verses to it. Anyway back to the illusion i love it has anyone tried the jesus one like this? It freaks my bro out haha i
Andylee said: This is a great demonstration of how the eye sees the world. Did you know that your eye actually sees everything upside-down? It's because of your brain that you think you "see" the world right side up.
^ This is blowing my mind.
^ This is blowing my mind.
EPIC. JUST EPIC.
Ive spent approximately three hours on the laptop on the same page just looking at this illusion and it hasn't worked. However Im sure that its cool!
Wait! I tell a lie, I just saw it, yay!
It didn't work for me either, but I know it does work, we used this effect in art class, because when you paint you use a color's opposite in it's shadow, because that is the way you see it in real life. And btw, basic color opposites, or compliments are: red-green, blue-orange, and yellow-violet. I was taught that black-white did not work the same way.
Amazed every time I do this one.
I'm partially colorblind. I will vote fail for that alone! LOL. I wish I could have seen the effect though.
I think the flag actually looks a LOT better this way.
I'm an odd person.
I'm an odd person.
>>Yeah, but imagine the UK flag like this!
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE the illusion!!!!!!! I think it's my favorite out of all the others! So eye- catching
I LOVE the illusion!!!!!!! I think it's my favorite out of all the others! So eye- catching
AWESOME!!!!!
Science ROCKS!!! (so does braingle and optical illusions)
Science ROCKS!!! (so does braingle and optical illusions)
haha high contrast mode go brrrr
Noice! Loved it!
WHO FIGURED THIS OUT?!?!?!? SO COOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Took a while but I got it
If you can't see it stare at it for an extra 10-20 seconds longer and make sure where you look after words is SOLID WHITE. took me 5 tries. got it tho.
if you turn on color inversion and stare at the regulat flag and then look at solid black it you will see the inverted version again. SO COOL
Turn on color inversion
To post a comment, please create an account and sign in.
Follow Braingle!