An image of color or reflections on black and white and color in photography

Here are the figures, here are the colors, here are all the images of the parts of the universe reduced to a point.
Which point is so wonderful. Leonardo da Vinci.
Codex Atlanticus (Atlantic Code)

The photograph was born in black and white.

This is how it happened historically: the development of technology determined the result and set photography, as an art, apart from its inception. This was felt especially strongly because in painting, which can be considered the midwife of photography, color and light have long reigned supreme... Only engravings, graphic works and sketches were dispensed with color. Color largely determined the mood of a work of art, participated in the formation of the composition, and provided semantic explanations for understanding the idea. And, suddenly, a new direction appeared in which there was no color in the image, but at the same time the image itself was a mirror copy of real objects. The photographic craft was cautiously taking its first steps and it seemed that things would not go further than simply recording faces and events, and I think that initially it was precisely in the absence of color that many saw the inferiority of the new technocratic art...

By the time photography was just emerging from the diapers, there had long been no restrictions on the choice of palette for painting. Fine art also once began with almost no color: charcoal and ocher dictated their conditions to the first artists. But drawing is fundamentally different from photography in that what is created is not identical to the surrounding space, and this has become the watershed between pictorial and photographic images. The real object could undergo radical changes in the design in accordance with how it appeared or what the author thought it should be. A person determined by his will what and how to leave, what and how to highlight, what to exclude from the picture. The image was limited only by the artist’s imagination or skill. Photography broke this tradition with precisely the precision and meticulous scrupulousness from which fine art constantly took “steps to the side.” Even Leo Tolstoy in his work “What is Art?” mentions photography precisely in connection with this mechanistic and obsessive detail of the rendering of details. “...The second technique that gives a semblance of art is what I called imitativeness. The essence of this technique is to convey the details accompanying what is being described or depicted. In verbal art, this technique consists of describing to the smallest detail the appearance, faces, clothes, gestures, sounds, premises of the characters with all the accidents that occur in life. In painting, this technique reduces painting to photography and destroys the difference between photography and painting. “Needless to say, with such “genetic material,” photography was initially assigned the unenviable role of a way to copy objects—mirrors. The world should have been reflected absolutely accurately and frozen motionless in this reflection, but the unexpected happened: it was reflected in black and white. And this non-color reflection changed him no less than dozens of talented hands and minds could have changed him. I won’t say that the mirror was crooked, but the world reflected in it changed and with the loss of color it became completely different. With color, a process similar to the decomposition of the light flux by a prism occurred, only in the opposite direction. The entire color scheme of the surrounding life seemed to fold back into a light beam in order to return to its source, snatching from the multicoloredness of life what it is built around - lines and rhythms. And in photography they began to actively use centuries-old experience of working with lines and tones, shapes and textures, honed in graphics and engraving. And when photography came out of the pavilions onto the streets and a report appeared, it seemed to many: this is where the dignity and, at the same time, the problem of photography lies - excessive documentation is appropriate and acceptable.

It seemed that this was the calling of photography: to record an event and do it absolutely reliably. But, if there is an expression “he lies like an eyewitness,” then this is quite applicable to photography. Because the image, in addition to the main plot that needed to be depicted, included details that were not related to the theme of the work, but radically changed it or gave additional meaning. In photography, the most interesting thing, in my opinion, is not what is shot or even how it is shot, but what is born between the photograph and the viewer every time. And this birth depends on the richness and multi-layered meanings contained in the image, determined in turn by what was shot and how it was shot, and even by what it was shot with and how it was processed. The power of photography lies in the fact that it can evoke similar emotions from us in different mental states... I think this is due both to its peculiarity of documenting an event and to the understatement inherent to one degree or another in every photograph . This understatement, oddly enough, does not lie in the absence of anything in the picture, but in the redundancy of information... We simply never know whether the story is finished or whether it will begin again, revealing new details in the picture, leading us deeper into the picture and deeper ourselves. These details, tonal and linear combinations create the structure of the photograph, its invisible threads that permeate the image, connecting it. Black and white photography is removed from the real world by its lack of color.

This, of course, limits the author, but at the same time, it separates the viewer from reality, dividing the sensations. At the same time, the viewer is simultaneously in the real world reflected in the photograph, and in the world where color no longer affects perception. We paint colorless images within ourselves into our own fantasies or move through the iconic space of lights and shadows... Our color vision is the result of evolution, but our subconscious is probably closest to non-colored images: this way they are more easily perceived, without redundant information. Among such objects, devoid of specific characteristics, it is already difficult to compare what is seen with real objects, and the flow of imagination in search of associations takes us deep into the work and deep into ourselves. I think that because of this, for black and white photography, the exit to the “other world” is closer... A decolorized image takes us into the twilight region, when color vision is practically not significant. The memory of this time of shadows and dreams, when there is no unambiguous reading of any of the interpretations of dreams, is superimposed on a specific photograph, prompting us to look for additional meanings and allusions.

At the beginning of the last century (well, maybe a little earlier, if you consider hand-painted works as colored), color entered photography. The photographs of Prokudin-Gorsky, who captured pre-revolutionary Russia in color, still make an indelible impression today. But for a very long time, almost a hundred years, black and white photography could not be afraid of competition...

Technology improved very slowly. Not so long ago, getting a high-quality color print was a labor-intensive and difficult task (and also too expensive for an amateur shooting for a family album). Photos of my childhood were almost entirely black and white. Color made its way on the sly, through tinting, colored photographs of Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vladi in the hands of underground traders in railway cars, postcards with views of cities, calendars with landscapes. One can say, to paraphrase, that “we didn’t have color”... But still, color came into photography and did it a disservice: not only did the image become suspiciously real, practically a copy of its surroundings, but also when the photo albums of amateurs were filled with reports about holidays and everyday life, color photography has become a phenomenon of mass culture. And this cast a shadow over the entire direction. But the color possibilities are unusually wide. In any work, even the most staged, there is always an element of chance, and color, although it multiplies shortcomings, making it extremely difficult to obtain a predicted result, it also fills the frame, moves it in the direction desired by the author, awakens emotions, sometimes contrary to the plot of the frame, and gives entering the next round of the spiral of meaning development.

Color is a sign in itself. The meaning contained in color symbolism appeals to both our cultural layer (we perceive colors as is customary in the society where we were raised) and our deep psychological self (many colors give rise to common emotions in us, regardless of our cultural layers). Color creates a mood, but not in the same way as when contemplating lines and shapes, and this is directly related to our psyche. And therefore, the effect of color on each person is an individual process. The ambiguity of color makes it a powerful but dangerous tool. Perhaps the secret of this lies in the fact that color photography reflects the world in even more detail than black and white, but it cannot correspond to it completely. These discrepancies are small, but sufficient for us to be mistaken and we are mistaken... And the artist’s happiness is to take advantage of our involuntary self-deception, to use it at his own discretion to solve artistic problems. Shades of color, combinations of color spots - still do not have one hundred percent correspondence with reality, because a three-dimensional object is depicted on a plane, albeit with the help of a mechanical (or already electronic-mechanical) device, but still not mechanically: a person catches moments when for a split second what he sees inside himself appears. His main task is to capture this moment...

Photography continues to move from an applied craft to attempts to use the camera as a tool in creating images. This is the path of art, probably... Just as it is impossible to solve the old joke riddle: “which is stronger - an elephant or a whale,” it is also impossible to imagine now which direction, color or black and white photography, will win in the end. Or they will each go their own way, where color photography leads us through unreal worlds that seem real, and black and white photography opens the way to a world in which color has fused into light. Both are at the very beginning of a long journey, in search of what is not in reality, but is in photographs that express and reflect us.

Let's discuss: which is better, black and white or color photos?

How often do you want to convert a photo to black and white when editing? At the same time, you should understand that if the photo is bad, then converting it to b/w will not make it better. Well, if everything is fine with the technical and compositional components, then the following tips will help you decide whether to convert the photo to black and white or not.

Save color

The first thing to consider when choosing between color or black and white is actually the color itself! Ask yourself: what attracts you to the image? If you see that the relationship between the different shades in the image is important, then leaving it in color will be better. An image with a lot of color does not always make a good black and white image. Images with contrasting hues such as red and green often appear monochromatic in black and white conversion, making the image less bright or cloudy.

Mood

Just as artists have used color in painting to convey mood for centuries, colors in photography can also create an emotional atmosphere in an image. Color is a powerful messenger. It can be used to influence the viewer's emotions, draw associations between ideas, and guide the eye through the composition of an image.

Therefore, black and white images often convey the author’s emotions, they are deeper in meaning and should be more thought out in composition, since the eye will perceive only the rhythm and the light and shadow pattern.

The tone or color balance of a photograph can indicate the time of day or season, which conveys a certain emotion or experience within the image. Black and white photographs appear more timeless than color images because they are free of color schemes associated with specific film types, processes, or digital processing trends. Black and white photojournalism often has a hard time showing that events took place in modern times because we perceive black and white photographs as documentary.

Attention

The greatest visual impact is often created by either isolating a specific color or two colors from separated areas of the color wheel included in a single image. Colors such as red and green, or orange and violet (complementary colors) are very visible to the human eye.

If the image contains these combinations, it would be better to leave the color and spend time emphasizing the colorful components of the image. The lack of color puts the emphasis on light and shadow rather than attractive color combinations. An emphasis on specific colors can also be helpful in shaping the body of a work, using color to contrast the different images in a series.

Content

Simply put, black and white images create emphasis on light, shape or texture. If the content of the photo is more important than the color of the subject, or you feel that the color in the photo is just a distraction from the message you want to convey, then black and white is probably a good choice.

Attention moves from color to tones in black and white. So objects such as smoke and shadows become more obvious in black and white. Because of our associations with these objects and their appearance, the conveyance of a sense of drama may be more apparent in a black and white image than in a color image.

There's no perfect step-by-step guide to taking a great black and white photo. You have to feel this for yourself and understand that such images are concise, and the message can be more powerful than that of color photography. At the same time, you don’t need to run now and convert each of your photos into black and white. Therefore, always shoot in color and in post-processing you yourself decide the fate of the image

B&W or Color: how to choose?

Introduction

Sometimes it’s so difficult to decide what is better for a particular frame: black and white or color? For those who photograph on film, this question is even more relevant, since they must choose the type of film before shooting begins. But even if you shoot with a digital camera, this decision will still have to be made in post-production. In this short article, I propose to try to determine in which case one should choose one or another option, to understand what determines the effectiveness of frame perception, and how color relates to the ideological component.

Make way retro

Black and white photography is where it all began. Many fall under her spell, which is not surprising: she creates a very special mood in itself. Some photographers even position themselves as working exclusively with B&W. I would not call this approach correct, like any extreme in general, however, there are cases when a black and white version of a photograph will actually look more impressive than a color one, and will help to more accurately convey the concept of shooting to the viewer.

1. Focus on line

Black and white works much better than color when you consciously want to emphasize lines and shapes. Of course, any shot, even if it is in color, must have strong leading lines, otherwise the photo will look weak and dull, but if you are trying to reduce the influence of colors that somehow attract the viewer's attention, choose B&W.

This shot was done in black and white to emphasize the lines in the frame.

2. Colors that don't match well

Do colorful street signs make you sick? The model’s shoes don’t match the color of her handbag, and her manicure is not at all clear what color it is? A dress from a crazy evil genius from the fashion industry who is thinking of blowing the minds of everyone who sees it? Be that as it may, if you see that the colors in the frame do not go well with each other, black and white photography is what will help solve this problem.

The alternative is that during post-processing you will have to edit the same manicure in Photoshop to the desired shade, and this can only be called an alternative when the ill-fated manicure alone causes visual dissonance. Otherwise, you can “draw” the colors again, which, however, is not so bad if you know how to do it. However, sometimes just taking a photo in black and white is much better and easier.

The color version of this photo contains many different shades that do not combine very well with each other.

3. Excess details

It is better to convert the frame to black and white if there are a lot of details in it, especially in the background or foreground - in this case, color can shift the visual accents. However, a large number of unnecessary details is always undesirable, since because of them the picture is perceived much more difficult: the viewer’s attention is scattered, moving away from the main object in the picture. If the details in the background or foreground do not form a certain pattern or texture and do not carry any semantic meaning, you should try to make them less noticeable or remove them completely.

In this shoot there were also color shots, but I decided to make this one in black and white in order to focus attention on the girl, only with the help of light.

4. Black and white mood

As mentioned above, black and white frames create a certain mood. We initially see the world in color, and therefore its absence is perceived as something unusual, extraordinary. Psychologically, the effect of muting the shades of the world corresponds to states of sadness, depression, and indifference. We can observe a deficiency of color in nature in late autumn or winter, and this again evokes certain associations.

So, if you want to convey a feeling of wistfulness and melancholy, B&W can also help you do that. However, I have more than once had quite fun shootings, documenting their results in black and white due to the excess of details in the frame and the desire to emphasize the lines. They did not become less cheerful due to the lack of color. It's just that BW can help enhance certain effects, and it's worth taking note.

Black and white allows us to emphasize the thoughtful and slightly sad mood that I wanted to convey in the photo.

In my opinion, there are a number of areas of photography in which black and white frames are especially appropriate:

Shooting city landscapes, architecture - in a city there are usually many distracting details, including bright advertising signs and posters, which sometimes greatly influence the final perception. BW smooths out this effect.
Shooting nudes , since in this direction the photographer often tries to focus on the lines of the body.
Taking portraits from the series “Go away, old woman, I’m sad” due to the ability of black and white photographs to emphasize certain mental states.
Sometimes snowy, foggy and rainy landscapes look better in black and white, for the same reason as “melancholic” portraits.

Let there be color!

Previously, I also preferred to photograph exclusively with black and white film. In a sense, it’s easier to work with because you don’t have to think about one of the components of the image, that is, the color and its distribution in the frame. However, some photographs look much better in color, especially if you know how to work correctly with shades and their combination. So, when should you choose a color?

1. Harmonious combination

Obviously, it's worth working with color when you see that the shades in the frame go well together, or if you deliberately selected them based on the success of their proximity. Yellow dandelions on a green field are unlikely to look better in black and white. A girl in a black dress with red accessories and matching lipstick and nail polish is spectacular with this particular combination. The harmony of the set of colors is mesmerizing in itself, and makes the frame more attractive, so if you have the opportunity to play it off, do not miss it.

At some point, I wanted to convey exactly this combination of colors in the frame: white-red-black, because I really like it, and my wonderful model agreed to help me with this.

2. Emphasis on color

A lot depends on the initial idea of your shooting. Sometimes you want to work specifically with the colors in the frame, for example, choose bright clothes for the model, bring her into a colorful room, and joyfully capture all this riot of colors. Or capture the beautiful shades of the sunset sky on the sea coast. Create a colorful still life of vegetables and fruits from your beloved granny’s garden. Whatever. Don't limit yourself to just a black and white vision. Sometimes color is what makes a photo interesting.

This frame in black and white looks just dull and boring.

3. When you want brightness

Color execution can help emphasize a particular mood, less melancholy than the restraint of black and white. Colors have a certain effect on a person, and the following characteristics are generally accepted:

Red is the color of aggression, sexuality, energy.
Yellow is the color of joy and sun, very life-affirming.
Green - depending on the shade, can be either an energetic, refreshing, invigorating color or a very gentle, calming and feminine color.
Blue, blue is the color of calm, tranquility, usually associated with the sky and water.

Each person, of course, may have some personal, negative or positive, associations for each color, and all this is quite conditional, but you can, if you wish, try to use the above properties of colors in your work to create a certain mood. Do you want to take a portrait of a gentle and feminine girl? Choose a combination of white and calm, pastel shades of blue and green. On the contrary, are you trying to create a bright and sexy image? The generally accepted combination of black and red will work well. These are standard combinations, you can always find other options and beat them.

The combination of white, beige and pink looks very gentle, which is appropriate for this photo and allows you to emphasize the femininity of the expectant mother.

Conclusion

So, as always, each tool is suitable for its own purposes. Black and white photographs are good when you want to give the frame a slight touch of melancholy and thoughtfulness, focus on lines and shapes, eliminate distracting bright details, or intend to shoot nudes, cityscapes and architecture.

But sunny landscapes will usually look much better in color, as will some portraits, if you are trying to emphasize details with shades or create a certain mood. Of course, in some ways it is harder to work with color than with black and white, but this is not a reason to avoid it by limiting your capabilities, because sometimes color can help you greatly enhance the effect of a photograph.

If possible, think through the shooting in advance, trying to draw in your head (or on paper, if you know how) a certain picture-image of what you want to get in the end. And, of course, experiment and give yourself freedom to be creative.

Share with us in the comments examples of your most successful photographs, no matter whether they are color or black and white!

Color, or Reflections on a black and white theme

Reflections on a black and white theme, especially for the theme week.

Remember the children's game: “Don’t say yes and no, don’t buy black and white.”.

Dominoes are often black with white dots.

And the piano keys are white

Why do they say: “Rewrite it in white”, “Black and white”

“In the movie “Big Change” there is a song with the following words: “Often the simple seems absurd, black seems white, white seems black.”

What does black and white give us?

In mythology, the color white is often used in Africa - it was worn by priests, as it protected and gave the ability to enchant. White was the color of social harmony and peace. If you sacrifice a white animal, it is a truce pact with the gods (it is best to sacrifice an albino human). If you paint the inside of a house white, there will be peace in it; if you paint the doorposts white, a person entering will leave his evil outside. White is very widely used in Christianity as a symbol of faith, purity, truth and lordship.

White color in clothes means the beginning. The white wig of a judge is a symbol of justice. “White Knight” is a symbol of salvation.

A white coat (in a hospital) is also considered a symbol of salvation and sterile cleanliness. White color controls the functions of the endocrine and visual systems. White clothes make the skin much softer and more delicate.

White color brightens, renews all colors in the body, and helps remove stiffness. If a person chooses white, then he strives to free himself from troubles.

Black color exists in contrast to white, absorbs all the colors around and never releases them.

Black always hides everything he carries, that is, he is “mysterious” (often used in horror films).

Black color is associated with curiosity, it attracts. Scares (fear due to mystery).

The color black always challenges a person to try to free his essence, that is, a person must go through black in order to know how much white there is in him.

Black gives a chance to rest, contains a promise - “everything will be fine”, hope, but at the same time you must remember that it will not let you go as you were before - it delays, but does not force you to do anything. When depression sets in, only the negative characteristics of the color black remain. He always, like death, speaks of silence and tranquility, it means the end.

In mythology, also widely used in Africa - associated with the rainy season (the color of trees and water) - denotes a feeling of the unknown, mystery, hard work. Offering a black animal is a call for rain. Black marks on the body are a disease.

Preference for black in clothes - lack or absence of something very important in life - a person covers himself with black. It is necessary to move out of black gradually, diluting it with other colors.

Black and white colors together cancel each other out, no longer carry their original information, and do not put pressure on the psyche. You should pay attention to the age at which black is rejected. As a rule, black color is chosen when depression sets in and others are rejected. "

The difference between color and black and white portraits, which style is more interesting?

A black and white photograph is a type of photography that was originally formed at the time of the emergence of photography as such. As the art of photography improved, the technology for obtaining a photographic portrait naturally improved. As a result, other types appeared, in particular, color and digital photography, through which it was possible to obtain a color portrait. Meanwhile, despite such a significant breakthrough in the field of photographic production, black and white photography has not lost its significance at all. Moreover, there are many examples when color portraits are converted into black and white portraits in order to obtain the most pronounced artistic effect. The question is, is a color photo really inferior in its characteristics to black and white photography? And in general, what is the difference between a color portrait and a black and white portrait?

Black and white portrait

It is quite difficult to answer these questions unambiguously. However, we can state with complete confidence that black and white photography provides the potential viewer with more opportunities to focus on the shapes and relationships of individual image elements. This is achieved precisely by eliminating the moment when the viewer is forced to sacrifice part of his attention when recognizing color in a color photograph. According to many professional photographers, for example, such as Ezra Stoller , a black and white photograph is more expressive and has clearer lines. This automatically forces a potential viewer to look at a black and white photo for a longer time, compared to a photo taken in color. In turn, viewing and analyzing a color photo by a viewer entails absent-mindedness, due to the allocation of part of the attention to the processing of color information. The result is a loss of viewer interest in the essence contained in the portrait.

Perception of color and black and white photography

The presence of color somewhat inhibits the perception of the meaning inherent in the gaze, movement, pose, as well as in the dynamics of individual elements of the photograph. It is in the monochrome version that facial features, geometric lines, and constitution are drawn more clearly, which makes it possible to read the image presented in the photo much better. The presence of color in the portrait is accompanied by almost complete openness of the subject. Here the emphasis is increasingly on emotional perception. In fact, there is a completely ready-made perception of the world, when there is no need to think about the details once again, when a photographic portrait is perceived as it is. For cases with the black and white version, everything is somewhat different. The picture forces the viewer to think, to form their own emotional component in relation to the proposed black and white atmosphere. We can say that in this case, photograph analysis helps develop human imagination.

Human vision

The operating principle of human vision involves the action of two types of light-sensitive receptors. The first, with high sensitivity, ensures high-quality functioning of black-and-white vision. The second, with slightly reduced sensitivity, ensures the functioning of color vision. Interestingly, only the first receptors can function in the dark. In this case, radiation of different wavelengths is perceived in different gradations of brightness. It is this property that allows, at low levels of illumination, when the human eye does not distinguish color, to determine, for example, that a green object is lighter in brightness than a red object. It should also be borne in mind: each person’s body has different individual properties. Among people it is hardly possible to find, say, two individuals who perceive the same color in exact correspondence. Plus, a person’s color perception system changes depending on many factors: age, physiological and others. It is incomprehensible, but it is a fact - even after eating certain foods, the sensitivity of vision in the short-wave radiation spectrum increases. The conclusion is simple - a black and white photo gives people a lot more accurate information to understand than the same photo in color. About the site fotomtv.

Optical illusion: Is this photo in color or black and white?

An unusual and very effective optical illusion has once again captivated Internet users.

The photo shows a group of girls wearing different colored T-shirts, posing and smiling at the camera with a turtle.

Look closely at this photo. At first glance, it may appear that you are seeing a color image, even if you squint or look at the photo from a distance.

However, upon closer inspection, you will notice that the image of the girls is covered with lines of red, blue, yellow, orange and green. In fact, the photo is black and white.

In reality, only the lines are colored, and what you see is your brain's idea of reality, given the incomplete information it receives. The resulting illusion tricks your brain into thinking it's looking at a color photograph.

The author of this viral photo is artist and developer Øyvind Kolås. He decided to conduct a visual experiment by superimposing a grid of colored lines onto a black and white image, causing us to see it in color.

Some users have noted that the green and blue lines have the greatest effect, almost blending into the background, while the red grid stands out more clearly.

This may be because there is more contrast between red and dark colors than other color combinations.

Others suggested squinting to fully see the color image.

Nevertheless, there were those who did not see the illusion and claim that they see only a black and white image with a color grid.

Here are some more examples of using this technique using dots and lines in other images.

Why do we see an optical illusion?

So what's going on and why does our brain think we're looking at a color photograph?

This is primarily because the brain and eyes work in tandem to ensure color perception remains relatively constant regardless of the light surrounding the subject.

Without this, the item would look completely different in different conditions, and you would simply be confused. For example, a berry would appear red in the light, blue in the evening gloom, and gray in the shade when it rains. Our visual system takes this into account, allowing us to clearly recognize an object even if conditions have changed.

When we look at something, the brain compresses the visual information, creating an impression of what should be there (unless we look closely at the object).

The most interesting thing is that in order to see this effect, you don’t have to look only at a static image.

Øyvind Kolas demonstrated this by creating a short video using a colored grid over a moving image.

Optical illusions and optical illusions

If you love optical illusions, then you might be surprised by the following selection.

1. At first glance, you will think that you are simply looking at a series of black and white lines. However, if you look at the image while shaking your head from side to side, a hidden animal .

Do you see him? If that doesn't work, try squinting or moving the image back and forth (if you're watching on your phone).

So, were you able to see the cat?

2. Watch this video and you will see a square moving from left to right, changing color . In fact, this square remains one color, and your eyes are deceiving you.

3. It's hard to believe, but there is no blue in this image, only pink, orange and green.

4. This photo also recently puzzled netizens. What do you see in this photo : beach, sky, stones and stars? In fact, this is a broken car door. To see it, you better rotate the image.

5. This photo also divided the Internet into two camps: those who saw the beach and those who looked at the car door. This time it was the beach.

Colored? Black and white? The photo damaged the viewers' eyes and brains, and optical illusion is to blame for everything

Colored? Or maybe it’s still black and white? The work of a network user under the nickname Øyvind Kolås made the brains of Reddit and Twitter users sweat, and all thanks to a clever effect. Several bright lines easily deceived the eyes of the spectators - and this is not at all a matter of powerful witchcraft or sudden general blindness, but of a very popular illusion.

A “color” picture that is actually black and white has puzzled Reddit users

From a distance it seems that the photograph is quite normal, but if you take a closer look and zoom in a little closer to the image, it becomes clear that there is no smell of normality here. In fact, the photo is black and white, and the color here is only a grid of thin lines.

Naturally, such a shameless optical illusion did not go unnoticed.

Mind blowing, I had to zoom in (photo).

Leave my brain alone, demon!

This photo is not the only sorcery of the author under the nickname Øyvind Kolås

The image for this post is a visual and artistic experiment. A bright colored grid superimposed on a black and white image causes the gray areas of the picture to be perceived as colored.

It’s not just SIM cards that deceive your eyesight, but also videos—see for yourself!

The author has posted several examples, which show that the lines, the grid, and the circles give the same effect

How do colored elements turn a gray picture into color? Commentators offered their options

This happens because our eyes perceive colors much worse than we think, and the brain tries to make sure that we do not understand this.

Our eyes are not perfect and rely on the brain to process information. The brain knows what color skin is, what trees look like, what T-shirts look like. He realizes that something is missing and uses the colored lines as clues to color the black and white image.

Users also explained why bright red color is perceived as leather

When colors are nearby, the brain processes the middle shade. Skin appears red when the saturation is turned up to maximum, and gray appears when the saturation is turned down to the maximum, so the eye perceives the average value, which turns out to be the color in the original.

Similar effects were previously used in the creation of comics

Less ink was wasted when printing, but the image turned out to be colored.

Someone even tried to repeat the success of Øyvind Kolås, and they succeeded!

Øyvind Kolås' works are based on the Manker-White illusion, which tricks the brain

Here is one of the similar pictures created by David Novick, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. The circles seem to be of different colors, but in fact they are all the same - the effect is given by multi-colored lines, which turn all the expectations of the brain upside down.

So if you see a black and white image pretending to be in color, it's most likely a Manker-White illusion!