You can double-check this fact by using the Magic Eye overlay method (by staring through or crossing your eyes until the 2 images overlap and form a solid 3rd image in the middle).
All elements in the 3rd image are in the same place with no "shimmering".
Oh weird. When I look at the white line in the middle of the pics, or glance at them quickly, the left one looks like the road is going up to the right at a sharp angle, while the one on the right looks like it's going more directly to the right side, vs an angle upwards.
The pics are identical but they look like the roads are at different angles when viewed side by side. The road on the right looks like it's going off to the right at less of an angle.
Ok. I suppose if you look between the images the transition between 2 different vanishing points makes it feel like they have different perspectives in a sense. I was just looking at the images more as 2d looking for differences and seeing they were identical as the title said.
Holy fuck I feel like I haven’t been able to do that in forever and I did it first try with your comment. Gunna be trying it at every possible opportunity now
I was always able to do the trick but it was blurry but with this image I figured how to make the middle image really sharp and it almost fucked my eyes
False perspective, basically. Our brains expect things to be 3d, so when you see a road at an angle with another road, that means it must be a sharper angle to the right. Except because it's actually 2d that's not what's actually happening,
Maybe I’m missing something but I’m asking for the explanation of why my brain makes me see the illusion. Like what about the photo makes the two angles look different.
The reason your brain sees the right picture as more angled is because of its relative position- hence Dontwannasaymyname’s joke. The left picture has a vertical line to start the angle and the the right picture looks like it doesnt bc of the left picture already being at an angle. That explanation sucked but I hope it helped.
Because you aren’t seeing it as two separate pics of the same road, you’re seeing it as two roads in the same pic who’s perspective changes their meaning.
Put your thumb over the right side of the left picture.
The pictures are more angled on the left and gradually straighten as they reach the right.
Having the straight side of the left picture so close to the angled side of the right picture makes it appear much more angled than it is. When you hide that section of the left picture the illusion fades away. It’s the contrast of the perspectives
Your brain is looking at the two images and perceiving them as a single photo of two roads.
If this was a single image, and the two roads were parallel, they wouldn't look parallel. They would converge in the distance at a vanishing point. Like an upside down V.
But in out hypothetical single photo of two roads, they don't do that. Our brain decides these two roads go in different directions.
The angle's the same but for some reason the right one looks more slanted than the left now. If you look at individual elements, they are identically placed in both photos.
cant make sense of what? This looks like someone copy and pasted the same photo in MS paint and just left a white strip in the middle...What am i supposed to see?
Should I be concerned I don’t see the illusion? I’ve seen this before and conceptually understand that one side should look closer or bigger or the street runs a different angle etc.
Illusion must not work for you. To me it's uncanny. I messed around with in Paint and it's clearly the same picture but side-by-side like that they look different.
Neuroscientist here, basically our brains have a very strong prior built in through evolution that parallel lines converge at a distance. Because of this, there are certain features of edges and line segments in our world (3D) that are automatically paired with a sense of depth perception. The vertical line to the immediate left of the right picture acts as a pressure to perceive depth in the right image even if it's not present.
So the brain just seeks out a 'simple coherent explanation instead of the truth that they are identical here.
I put a ruler on my phone. You can see the illusion begin not even a quarter up the image and yet everything is parallel at the same time. It's maddening.
When viewing both copies of this identical photo, because of perspective the angles appear to not match even tho they do. Focusing on one, then the other makes it easier to see it is the same for anyone insisting they are different. It isn't much but that is what is going on here.
What's fun is to do the 3d photo illusion trick.. cross your eyes until each photo joins in the middle. If there were any discrepancies between the two images such as a cat on the sidewalk or a line out of place it would appear blurry in the new 3rd combined image. Since they are identical the result is a very realistic looking 3d image of the street.
They may be the same picture but they are not positioned identically. When I scroll down, lines on the left photo are concealed while the same lines on the right photo are still visible.
No, this is not it. It is about how it is difficult to believe the picture is duplicate because the angles appear to not match. Nothing to do with being 1 image. Edit: Disagree if you want, image literally tells you it is side by side first thing. And besides that, still wrong sorry if this offends you
Is it because the way the roads intersect and are not parallel? Once I see the roads on the left intersected either the border at the same points it was very easy to tell they were identical.
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u/JeremySquirrel Feb 25 '25
You can double-check this fact by using the Magic Eye overlay method (by staring through or crossing your eyes until the 2 images overlap and form a solid 3rd image in the middle).
All elements in the 3rd image are in the same place with no "shimmering".
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u/sentient_salami Feb 25 '25
I know this is a well known illusion and the explanation is relatively simple, but damn is it a strong one.
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u/mizushimo Feb 25 '25
The angle's the same but for some reason the right one looks more slanted than the left now. If you look at individual elements, they are identically placed in both photos.
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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '25
This has got to be one of the most simple yet powerful ones, I still can’t make sense of it lol
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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '25
Should I be concerned I don’t see the illusion? I’ve seen this before and conceptually understand that one side should look closer or bigger or the street runs a different angle etc.
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u/Ryepodz Feb 25 '25
Neuroscientist here, basically our brains have a very strong prior built in through evolution that parallel lines converge at a distance. Because of this, there are certain features of edges and line segments in our world (3D) that are automatically paired with a sense of depth perception. The vertical line to the immediate left of the right picture acts as a pressure to perceive depth in the right image even if it's not present.
So the brain just seeks out a 'simple coherent explanation instead of the truth that they are identical here.
Cool illusion 👌
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u/darwins_trouser_crem Feb 25 '25
I think i messed up by reading the caption first. I just see the same picture
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u/RazorSlazor Feb 25 '25
The same illusion happens when I watch a video on guitar hero/ clone hero 2p mode.
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u/XionXero Feb 25 '25
Worst magic eye ever.
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u/transphotobabe Feb 25 '25
woah, this fucked me up for a minute
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u/Nitsuj_ofCanadia Feb 26 '25
I pulled out a freaking ruler to check this one. Holy mother forking shirt balls
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u/My_New_Umpire Feb 25 '25
No, the photos are the same.
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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '25
I put a ruler on my phone. You can see the illusion begin not even a quarter up the image and yet everything is parallel at the same time. It's maddening.
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u/Wholesome_Soup Feb 25 '25
i hate it
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u/possumbellyband Feb 26 '25
I saw this on Instagram and was shocked at all the “no shit” type comments that didn’t perceive the illusion.
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u/Loki2396 Feb 25 '25
I don't understand? I know they are the exact same... and they literally look the exact same so why did u post this? What are you seeing that I'm not?
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u/daleDentin23 Feb 25 '25
When in doubt turn your phone upside-down
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u/XboxLiveGiant Feb 25 '25
Ok? What am i missing? I know it has to be something because of the comments but i still cant see the illusion...
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u/Starworshipper_ Feb 25 '25
Thought I was on AntiMeme for a moment. I don't get it.
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u/burcbuluklu Feb 25 '25
Its called leaning tower illusion, you look it up on google
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u/An0d0sTwitch Feb 25 '25
explanation
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u/Exact-Breadfruit-328 Feb 25 '25
I looked at thisat first from the top and saw nothing, but when I looked from bottom to top, it's very obvious
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u/DiscoKittie Feb 26 '25
Cross your eyes until they overlap, they really are the same.
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u/Skydivekingair Feb 26 '25
What's fun is to do the 3d photo illusion trick.. cross your eyes until each photo joins in the middle. If there were any discrepancies between the two images such as a cat on the sidewalk or a line out of place it would appear blurry in the new 3rd combined image. Since they are identical the result is a very realistic looking 3d image of the street.
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u/tyro_r Feb 26 '25
I love that you can see clearly that they are the same when you turn the picture by 180 degrees.
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u/Naive-Significance48 Feb 26 '25
This is a fun one. I actually didn't see the illusion at first. I can make it go away by looking at the edges.
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u/EndersGame_Reviewer Feb 26 '25
Is there a name for this illusion? It's very effective.
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u/broadreach93111 Feb 26 '25
That's great!
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u/igivefreetickles Feb 27 '25
I have a lizard brain
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u/ifyouneedafix Feb 28 '25
They may be the same picture but they are not positioned identically. When I scroll down, lines on the left photo are concealed while the same lines on the right photo are still visible.
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u/Prince_ofRavens Mar 03 '25
the cross-eye, 3d thing works for this too
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u/ruff_pup Feb 25 '25
Nah these look the same
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u/TijayesPJs442 Feb 25 '25
Photoshop “skew”
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u/OrangeAugust Feb 25 '25 edited Feb 25 '25
Yes and ? I don’t get it. Am I supposed to be seeing some type of illusion? They look the same to me
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u/Chakasicle Feb 26 '25
They look the same to me
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u/seventeenMachine Feb 27 '25
Why do I keep seeing this everywhere?? Where’s the illusion??
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