What color is moving
  • 620 points West-Protection-2635

    Both move It alternates

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    166 points SirAxlerod

    Exactly. I’m not sure I’d call this an optical illusion as much as I’d call it a mind trick when combined with the question of which. My mind would alternate like “ok, now I’ll look at the black… and now the white”. So I thought it was an illusion of my mind locking to one color but nope… it’s clear it alternates.

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    11 points Wolf_In_Wool

    I was switching between white and black on purpose and apparently didn’t track a color for longer than 1 rotation and was wondering how the other color’s arrows stayed together 🤣

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    7 points NoDebate1002

    Correct. While you see the actual arrows moving, the opposite color is not actually in the shape of an arrow, so they definitely alternate.

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    6 points HoldMyMessages

    Since black is the absence of color and white contains all colors one could argue that the white color is moving. /s

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    1 points qwertyuijhbvgfrde45

    Both black and white are shades so no colours are moving here

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    1 points HoldMyMessages

    Technically, white is not a shade. A shade is a color mixed with black. Adding white to a color creates a tint. So, as we say in the US (I saw your spelling of color 🧐) “you’re a shade off.”

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    1 points ManagementCrafty887

    Yes sir

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    1 points Old_Impression_5616

    wrong, white and black are no colors. they are just brightness levels.

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    -5 points Superilosa14

    It doesn't alternate. Both colors move both times

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    6 points Muroid

    No, they don’t. It alternates one color arrow rotating and the other breaking apart and reforming due to its opposite rotating, then switches.

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    1 points matchstick1029

    There's a technically correct point about total cells of each color being preserved and gestalt identity and whatnot I don't want to dig into rn XD

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    1 points Superilosa14

    White can't move without black giving it way and thus moving itself and vice versa. If you have an object in water you can't move it without moving water too. You think one moves because it's shape resembles some symbol humans have agreed on ("arrow"), but other color at the same time is an abstract shape which moves too and changes shape.

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    1 points SirAxlerod

    Sure “both colors move both times” is true if you don’t maintain the integrity of the arrow shape. But if we don’t maintain the integrity of the shape, that’s like saying a still background is moving in a video of a car moving across the screen.

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  • 191 points PresentDangers

    It may be there isn't a pixel that remains unchanged throughout, so I'd guess the answer to be "all of them".

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    48 points Tenebris-Aetheres

    ORRRRR it’s a trick question in which the answer is none of them because there are no colors, just shades. In any case, i need to sleep. Goodnight stranger

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    13 points PresentDangers

    Sweet dreams.

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    5 points Feztopia

    I don't think changing pixels are a good prove about rotation as you can have a rotating circle which is always looks the same without any color change. And a static background can change it's color if something infront of it rotates and get overlay it. But this one seems like everything moves by alternating between black and white. First the white arrows turn 90 degree, next the black ones turning 90 degree leading to new white arrows as the old white arrows get destroyed in the process followed by the new white ones rotating.

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    1 points I_DontUseReddit_Much

    https://imgur.com/a/nxY48eF
    There are some pixels that do not change.

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  • 84 points Agile_Buy6365

    This is cool looking, but as far as I can tell it's not an illusion

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    16 points yonkzoid

    cool animation = illusion ig /s

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    3 points ready-eddy

    To be fair, it tricks my brain into switching between 2 arrows. I’d say it is an illusion because of this

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    2 points SirAxlerod

    Right. So when asked “which one is moving”, it makes this a mind trick, but not necessarily an illusion because nothing is actually being wrongly perceived. It’s a trick question. Our mind focuses on one and we assume the loop is shorter so we assume the one we confirmed is spinning will spin the same way next time. But that’s not the case. Basically, if we weren’t asked “which one is spinning”, it wouldn’t be any mind bender at all… just a cool graphic.

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    1 points EatYour-HeartOut

    that’s not necessarily an illusion because there literally are two arrows. in between rotations you can only see one color, because there’s only one

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  • 21 points Whatsagoodnameo

    I really wish is was a proper looping

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    4 points Potato_Stains

    It is such a simple loop to have happen. Just WHYYYY

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    4 points Zeune42

    Somebody will repost karma farming a proper loop and we'll be content again

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    2 points lavaboosted

    Here you go

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    1 points lavaboosted

    Here you go

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  • 8 points MrSmock

    Both..? It's not really an illusion, just a neat animation. 

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  • 6 points RecloySo

    Docked points because it's not a perfect loop

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  • 3 points senseless_puzzle

    They're alternating black and white

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  • 3 points PN143

    yes

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  • 2 points Avalion_Star

    Once its white as the filling is black, then its black as the filling is white

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  • 2 points Exciting_Intention86

    The red colour is moving

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  • 2 points Ok_Company1823

    It’s either black or white being fragmented to love them. They are switching. In the end they are all moving. Only different each time.

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  • 2 points Max_CSD

    It's not even an illusion, they literally move one after another

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  • 2 points Introverted-Snail

    I feel like both colors move as small squares inside the …main square. Yea nm. lol

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  • 2 points CM99807

    Both of them, it's not really an optical illusion it's just switching between black and white arrows rotating

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  • 2 points Bierdaddy

    None. It’s black and white. Ebony and Ivory. Shaft and Dirty Harry. 🤷‍♂️

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  • 2 points Kelvax213

    Ive hated the recent posts like these that are just blatantly both/neither. OoHHHhh, WhIcH WaY iS It RoTaTiNg????!1!?? Not an optical illusion, these are just animations at this point

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  • 4 points muscularfeetcalves

    I see it in parts. Sometimes it's the blacks and sometimes it's the whites.

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    11 points Feztopia

    Yes they alternate

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  • 2 points Tosslebugmy

    For some reason, black when it goes horizontal, white when it goes vertical

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  • 1 points Son_Of_Myers

    The arguement here is that there is a static background being either white or black, with objects of the opposite moving, but because the split is 50/50 there's no way of proving either, so without further information the answer is either are moving, but never both

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  • 1 points StrionicRandom

    Yes

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  • 1 points Tiyath

    Since in most programs the canvas is white by default, I'm voting for "Black arrows move on a white canvas"

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  • 1 points SnooCauliflowers5652

    The answer is yes

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  • 1 points Lowbider

    I say white because background is black

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  • 1 points Interesting_Box8124

    Yes

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  • 1 points radixntz

    White

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  • 1 points catnapspirit

    Now I know what a dog chasing his tail feels like..

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  • 1 points Superilosa14

    Both

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  • 1 points Zesty_Sigma

    They're both moving

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  • 1 points Silent_Erremite

    Yes.

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  • 1 points ptmoal

    White and black

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  • 1 points plainskeptic2023

    Focus on either the black or white arrows.

    Try following that color as it spins pointing in a full circle, e.g. north-east-south-west.

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  • 1 points Hero-san77

    But if you're thinking about my baby
    It don't matter if you're black or white, hee heee

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  • 1 points RebelWithoutaPause10

    Both

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  • 1 points LauraTFem

    depends on whether you’re using additive or subtractive color. Considering the digital medium, one must assume white is moving.

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  • 1 points DaphniaDuck

    The black and white arrows don't rotate at the same time, but alternately. Black arrows rotate 90 degrees clockwise, then white arrows rotate 90 degrees clockwise, then black arrows rotate 90 degrees clockwise...etc. Also, black and white are considered neutral values, not colors.

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  • 1 points Carl_the_Half-Orc

    Yes.

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  • 1 points Haringat

    Huh? Both move. Black can't move without white moving and vice versa.

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  • 1 points ApprehensiveTop4219

    So it looks like they alternate, this one is technically a mind trick but I'll take it over those darn color changing squares

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  • 1 points TheFightens

    Sometimes black sometimes white

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  • 1 points Hatsjekidee

    None. Black and white aren't colours 🤓

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  • 1 points Queasy_Form_5938

    Neither, black nor white is a color. They are shades

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  • 1 points Airwolfhelicopter

    Yes

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  • 1 points Champion-Dante

    The illusion breaks if you just focus really hard on one color.

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  • 1 points LavenderSpaceRain

    It switches back and forth with the rotations.

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  • 1 points azulnemo

    But black and white are shades, not colors 🙃

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  • 1 points nicole-dimaggio-

    Both black and whites arrows are moving

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  • 1 points Pococurante228

    Yes

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  • 1 points lsc84

    Not an optical illusion.

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  • 1 points Invictus0623

    Both

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  • 1 points Arangarx

    Yes.

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  • 1 points generic-user66

    Yes

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  • 1 points Specialist_Body_170

    There are no colors here

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  • 1 points OverYou2943

    White, and it's made up of every color. Literally every color moves, that's how light works. Duh.

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  • 1 points billthedog0082

    Escher would be so jealous.

    https://mcescher.com/

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  • 1 points Realistic_End3662

    it’s actually alternating which arrow is turning, so it’s fake

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  • 1 points Traumfahrer

    Red.

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  • 1 points HottCherrry_

    That one

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  • 1 points Ok_Support3276

    Nothing is moving. Pixels change color. 

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  • 1 points idk69420666666

    Bofa

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  • 1 points Scifieartist909

    White. Because white is the combination of all colors in the visual light spectrum. Black is the absence of light and therefore the absence of color. So the only "color" that is moving is white.

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  • 1 points Interesting_Fig_4718

    red green and blue.

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  • 1 points paulestus13

    this is not an illusion, it's just a "clever" video

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  • 1 points ElskerLivet

    None of the pixels are moving. They are however changing color.

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  • 1 points kynde

    I hate that it wasn't made to loop right...

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  • 0 points QueenTenofSpades

    Black arrows point left and right. White arrows point up and down.

    Wait. No. Black arrows point up & to the right. No. Wait. Black arrows point left and right. Wait. No…

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  • 0 points KibaWuz

    STOP MAKING ME SAY THE OTHER ONE,LET ME SEE JUST ONE COLOR MOVING AND NOT BOTH OF YOU

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  • 0 points kapaipiekai

    Fantastic

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  • 0 points pikachu_one

    This is super cool. Haven’t seen before.

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  • 0 points Fricki97

    Why do men not understand our sings?

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  • -1 points nakedascus

    To the people who think they "take turns" or move "one color at a time":
    Both colors are moving at the same time, the illusion is that you only consider one of them to move ar a time.

    To the people who say none of the colors are moving because that's how animation technically works:
    you are wrong and I don't care

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    0 points itpguitarist

    The colors are both moving but the colored arrows are taking turns moving because they are destroyed and recreated every other turn to allow the other to move.

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    0 points nakedascus

    Post title: What color is moving?
    Answer: both

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    0 points Muroid

    If we’re being that pedantic, neither color is moving. A bunch of pixels are just switching between black and white, creating the illusion of movement. 

    Guess it is an optical illusion, but then so is literally any animation by that token.

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    0 points nakedascus

    I'm not pedantic, im literally answering the post title. Framing in the way that it is titled makes this a kind of illusion. I already started that I'm not interested in conversations about how animation works, that actually is pedantic and rather uninteresting, but thanks

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