Phantograms are 3D images that appear to float in space and can be viewed without special glasses or other aids. The term “Phantogram” is derived from the Greek words “phaneros,” meaning “visible,” and “gramma,” meaning “something written or drawn.”
Phantograms are created by taking two photos of an object from slightly different angles and then printing the images on a flat surface, such as a piece of paper or card. The two images are then viewed together, and the slight differences in perspective create the illusion of depth and the appearance of a floating 3D object.
Phantograms can be created using specialized software or by hand and can be viewed by simply holding the printed image at the correct angle and looking at it with both eyes. They have been used in a variety of applications, including art, advertising, and education.
3D street art is one of the most well known types of Phantogram. Both 3D street art and Phantograms use the principle of perspective to create the illusion of depth and a three-dimensional appearance. 3D street art, also known as anamorphic street art, is created by painting an image on a flat surface in such a way that it appears to be three-dimensional when viewed from a specific angle.
Table of Contents
- How do Phantograms work?
- Versions of Phantograms
- Illusions like Phantograms
- Discovery of Phantograms
- References and Resources
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How do Phantograms work?
Phantograms are 2D images that create the illusion of a 3D object or scene when viewed from a specific angle.
They work by manipulating the spatial relationship between the foreground and background elements in an image.
The foreground elements are arranged to converge towards a vanishing point and are distorted to give the illusion of depth, while the background elements are left undistorted.
When viewed from the intended angle, the image appears to pop out from the flat surface.
The effect is created by the interaction between the visual information in the image and the brain’s perception of depth and perspective.
Versions of the Phantograms
The following are other examples of Phantograms including a few 3D street examples and a classic image of a phantogram with chess pieces.
Illusions like Phantograms
Phantograms are a form of stereograms, which are images that use the difference between the left and right eye views to create the illusion of depth and 3D objects. In other words, phantograms are a type of optical illusion that tricks the brain into perceiving a 2D image as a 3D scene.
Some related illusions include the following:
An autostereogram is a type of image that appears to be a flat 2D image when viewed normally, but when viewed with a special technique, it appears to be a 3D image with depth and perspective.
Autostereograms are created by repeating a pattern of repeating elements, such as random dots, in such a way that the repeating elements at different depths in the image align with each other when viewed with the special technique. This creates the illusion of a 3D image.
The image below appears as a 2 dimensional flat image, but when viewed using one of the techniques mentioned below, a 3 dimensional shape appears.
Persistence of vision is the phenomenon by which the brain continues to perceive an image even after the image is no longer present.
This occurs because the cells in the retina, called rods and cones, take a brief period of time to “reset” after being stimulated.
A color constancy illusion is a type of visual illusion in which a color appears to be different when viewed in different contexts.
For example, the same patch of color may appear lighter or darker when viewed against different backgrounds, or may appear to change color when viewed under different lighting conditions.
The afterimage illusion is a type of visual illusion in which an image continues to appear in the observer’s visual field after the original stimulus has been removed.
This can occur due to the persistence of neural activity in the visual system, and can take the form of a positive afterimage (an image that is the same color as the original stimulus) or a negative afterimage (an image that is the opposite color of the original stimulus).
The Checker Shadow Illusion is created by a checkerboard pattern composed of squares with different luminance values, the squares that are not directly illuminated by the light source appear darker than the illuminated squares, creating the illusion of shadows.
The simultaneous contrast illusion is a visual effect that occurs when the perception of a color is affected by the colors of the surrounding area.
The illusion creates the appearance of a change in the color of an object, even though the actual color of the object remains constant.
The Neon Color Spreading illusion refers to the visual phenomenon where an area of color appears to spread or “bleed” beyond its intended boundaries.
The Bezold Effect: This illusion is created by placing two or more colors next to each other, and the way they appear to change when they are close to one another.
The Cornsweet illusion is a classic example of a brightness illusion, which is an illusion in which two areas that are physically the same brightness appear to be different in brightness.
The Chubb illusion is based on the perception of brightness and can be observed when a small bright patch is surrounded by a larger dark area, the small bright patch will appear brighter than the same patch surrounded by a bright area.
White’s illusion is a visual phenomenon in which two identical gray bars are placed on a background of alternating black and white stripes.
The gray bars appear to be different shades of gray, with the one on the white stripes appearing lighter than the one on the black stripes.
In the image below, both gray bars have the exact same color.
The Watercolor Illusion: This illusion is created by the way the brain perceives edges of an object. When an object is surrounded by a colored halo, the object appears to have a different color than it actually does.
The Café Wall Illusion is a visual illusion that is created by a grid of alternating light and dark horizontal and vertical lines. The lines appear to be bent or tilted, even though they are actually straight.
Discovery of the Phantograms
The origin of phantograms is not attributed to any single person or group.
The technique has been used for many centuries in various forms of art and design, and the basic principles behind phantograms and stereoscopy have been understood and described by artists, scientists, and mathematicians for a long time.
However, the term “phantogram” itself may have been coined more recently and its usage and definition have evolved over time in the field of photography and graphic design.
References and Resources
Check out our complete list of illusions.