The Checker Shadow Illusion is an oldy, and remains a goody. The illusion shows how bad we are at gauging luminance, our eyes and brains are easily tricked by relative brightness and especially we fooled by 3-D scenes.
I have only ever seen Professor Ted Adelson’s illusion in its original form — a drawing. But this amazing video put together by artist Brusspup illustrates the mind-bending trick better than any piece of paper. Check it out:
What’s happening? According to my copy of Mind Hacks (page 72), the 3-D elements of the scene, along with the shadow, lead us to think that the shadowed square is lighter than it really is. Because it is in shadow, and the surrounding squares are darker still, our brains compensate. Whereas the luminance remains the same, the perceived brightness changes.
But even when I know this, the trick still hurts my head.
Incredible Shade Illusion! [Brusspup/YouTube]
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