Amazing illusion

[LoveToStack]

k you might have seen this cause it's quite famous, basically you can see the silhouette of the woman spinng in one direction initially - for me it was clockwise, for you it could be counter. This is object of the illusion, whichever way you see her spin initially can be CHANGED by your mind. So you can see her spinning in the other direction. The way I noticed the change was to watch her foot come close to her shadow. It can be irritating not getting it to change direction, but keep trying, its amazing when it does switch;

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb234/vurdlak8/2007b.gif

http://www.moillusions.com/2007/06/spinning-sihouette-optical-illusion.html

[mangle]

Well, it switched when I wasn't looking so I have a feeling it's been programmed to do it!

But if not, it's awesome.

[Kardan]

It's not an illusion, it switches.

[Stefy]

lol anyone who believes it are gullable like hell, you cant just completely make that change direction lol

[LoveToStack]

it doesnt switch, it's the same all the way through. I recorded it on my phone when I saw it spinning clockwise then watched it in this thread switch, went back to my phone and it had changed direction on there too. It's to do with how you look at it.

edit; its one of the most famous illusions...don't be so quick to dismiss it just because you can't see it happen, if you keep looking and concentrate hard around the area where shadow meets foot it DOES switch. I found it hard to get it to go back to clockwise though.

[Kardan]

It's not, watch the waist and you'll see how the legs and that kind of 'twist' to swap.

[buttons]

Well, it switched when I wasn't looking so I have a feeling it's been programmed to do it!

But if not, it's awesome.
yeh same i was looking at the shadow and looked like to the right of the picture and noticed in corner of my eye it'd changed :S

[Plank]

it doesnt switch, it's the same all the way through. I recorded it on my phone when I saw it spinning clockwise then watched it in this thread switch, went back to my phone and it had changed direction on there too. It's to do with how you look at it.

edit; its one of the most famous illusions...don't be so quick to dismiss it just because you can't see it happen, if you keep looking and concentrate hard around the area where shadow meets foot it DOES switch. I found it hard to get it to go back to clockwise though.
that's weird.. I tried recording it on my phone and it didn't switch, but it did switch when I was watching it on my laptop.

unless im just goin mad

[cocaine]

lol when shes spinning counter clockwise her left arm is bent, yet when shes spinning clockwise its her right arm.

[PaulMacC]

Awesome I got it to work twice.

[Plank]

it's something to do with your eyes percieving the image differently..

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/the-truth-about-the-spinning-dancer/?apage=3

i found a page on it

and heres a thing explaining how it works

http://www.randominc.net/spinninglady/

[Nick.]

lol anyone who believes it are gullable like hell, you cant just completely make that change direction lol

yes you can :S don't speak unless you know what you're on about.

Just watch the leg which is stuck out and keep imagining it's going the other way and it does it. It doesn't automatically switch, trust me.

[Mounta1nGoat]

I've managed to make it stop before. Oh and proof that it is an illusion, show somebody else and ask then which way it's spinning. Recording on your phone does nothing as it's the way your mind percieves it.

[LoveToStack]

I've managed to make it stop before. Oh and proof that it is an illusion, show somebody else and ask then which way it's spinning. Recording on your phone does nothing as it's the way your mind percieves it.

Recording it on your phone proves that it does not switch as part of the animation, as it switches in yor head it does so in the phone too. :P

[Hitman]

It looks like switches, I watched it for about 2 minutes and it kept switching../. meh

[LoveToStack]

its meant to switch, the point is its your mind can see it going either way.

[jackass]

People saying things like 'it switches', no it doesn't.

Your mind can make it switch, but the animation only goes one way, hence why it's an illusion.

[Shinigami]

its not fake lol

[Hitman]

Yeah it doesn't switch (well, in your mind it does), watch the feet and the shadow.

[Indie-Dan]

http://images.starcraftmazter.net/4chan/for_forums/its_a_trap.jpg

No really, it's programmed to change direction, watch closely.

[Nick.]

http://images.starcraftmazter.net/4chan/for_forums/its_a_trap.jpg

No really, it's programmed to change direction, watch closely.
No it isn't! Don't you understand? I can make it change if I look at it a certain way. I move my eyes the direction I want to see it and it changes. It's an animated GIF and would take too long too load if it automatically switches at random times, because of all the frames. It doesn't change. I can look at her and control my mind so it looks like she is only spinning half way round then back again. It's not a physic image.

[LoveToStack]

It's quite relaxing just making it change. :)

[Stitch]

Am I the only one who can't make it go the other way? :P

[Stephen!]

Jesus. It gives me motion sickness.

[Srieny]

It doesn't switch, I got my mate to look at it at the same time as me, it switched at different times for us both.

[RandomManJay]

A psychology lecturer at my univerisity is using this in an experiment on visual perception and Dyslexia, its quite a strange illusion, but relies on the same principle as the Necker Cube.

[LoveToStack]

Am I the only one who can't make it go the other way? :P

keep at it, you need the shadow to make it change too. I look at the revolving motion of the foot in the shadow, normally makes i change for me.

[Soka]

I can only seeing it go clockwise and even when stirring and trying to picture it going anti clockwise i can't :eusa_wall

[LoveToStack]

I found it extremely difficult to picture it going the other way because when it goes one way it is profoundly clear that it is only going that way. I just look at the revolving motion of the foot and eventually it changes.

[lPinoy]

I sat there for ages, staring at the screen and I didn't quite see any change...

[Jordy]

Wow I got it going very well today, I managed to get her to just keep changing direction every few split seconds. The most affective way I found to make her change direction is to 'light-up' your eyes, like try 'pushing' with them if that makes any sense.

[Hitman]

Heh, look at the shadow of her feet. I made it move clockwise to anticlockwise simutanously.

[RedStratocas]

everyone who's doubting it is wrong. it doesnt switch itself, its a real illusion.

the thing i find that works best is to watch her outward pointing leg. if you are imagining it going in front of her at a certain point, try to imagine that it is facing the other way. eventually you'll see her going the opposite direction.

[Shinigami]

also once your mind makes it 'switch' the shadow is moving in the wrong direction XD

[Mitch4?]

i already had a headache!
it took like one minute to move, and lasted for like five seconds,
then couldnt move it for another minute, then it changed for 5 seconds again.
made it seem fake, but i think it was just coincidence,
really good how it does it

[Herman]

Ahh, headache. I just kept looking at point where the foot touches the shadow, and it kept changing many many times.