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Colour illusions

   

After-images: Reversing complementaries

Click on the adjacent interactive button. Concentrate on the black spot in the upper picture for 30 seconds. Then immediately look at the black spot below.

You should now see an image in which the colours are reversed. The two colours, orange and turquoise, are perfect complementaries and together produce 'white'.

The after-image results from areas of your retinas becoming desensitised to orange and turquoise because you have stared at the picture for so long.

   
image: Reverse complimentary illusions
           
             
   

Also See:

Investigating colour vision
Prisms
Colour TV