By Vurdlak on June 24, 2007, with 584 Comments
This animation was on my laptop for quite some time. I had it for almost a year. Today anonymous user submitted me this gif version, and when I opened it, only then I realized how great this illusion actually is. If you look at the spinning girl’s silhouette below, you will think it is spinning clockwise, probably. When you check her shadow below, momentarily the spinning direction changes in your mind, and now the girl is spinning counter-clockwise. It can be quite hard at the beginning to notice switch of the spinning direction, but eventually you’ll manage. I posted more simple illusion of this kind while ago, and you can see it here. Now, be honest – how long did it take you to see it spin in both directions? Not as easy as the hidden tiger, ayeh? I lost the link to the original artist, but best I could come up with is the place I found it on.
(144 votes)
do this: you put your hand on her head, shell turn one way, you put your hand on her feet,shell turn the other way. i kept on doing that and i would not let her turn fully around LOL!!! =)
This is a very interesting Animation.
It is the best which makes us reply :D.
I found a method upon changing the direction
of the spin, by looking at the Leg when it seems like going behind or shorter than the one just having a shadow, try think it spins in opposite direction, and the image you see will actually turn other direction as it spins.
Cool :D
No need to do silly techniques… All you have to do is focus on her hands… Just follow them with your eyes, after few moments… magic will happen.
watch the reflected foot and change the direction from there
I’ve been watching it for 15 mins now, it’s only spinning clockwise…
Holy crap why did the artist feel the need to include a nipple. HAAHHAHAHHAHA!!
(also my brain keeps switching the direction but i seem to have no control over it.)
I cant see it
well i looked at her left leg for 10 seconds and suddenly she started spinning the otherway and she still does -.- when i look at herleft hand she ( in moments ) look like she’s going the other way again
i can just control it and make her sweep the floor . hahaha!!
thats totally freaky! i tried looking at her feet but it didnt work for me so i started reading the text again and it worked, weirdness
well for those who cant see it change directions, my condolences.
for the rest, i found a way to see her not actually revolve but pivot back and forth.
at first glance she appears to be turning clockwise, when her raised leg reaches towards me i look at the shadow of her foot, it then starts back the other direction.
I then read the words above the image and my brain descrambles and shes going clockwise again. rinse and repeat
does this make any sense to anyone?
ya it does
Scroll so you can not see the shadow below , now watch the upper thighs , where the legs cross in front of one another. The image is ACTUALLY switching direction. The extended leg passes in front of the anchored one consistantly , but then the image will “wobble” a bit quickly and the extend leg will pass behind the anchored leg , very briefly , then it will wobble again and revert to the original motion.
I discovered another trick to this, it appears that the woman’s rotation depends on which hemisphere of the brain is being used. Try thinking math equations and she’ll start rotating counter-clockwise, then switch your thoughts to envisioning a stroke of paint or similar and she’ll switch to clockwise.
all you have to do is squint so all you see is her legs, the imagine the foot is going form either left to right or right to left and it will switch directions.
first i saw her only spinning clockwise and
then finally she turned but now i can’t get her back clockwise xd
ITS PISSING ME OFF I CANT SEE IT!
Lol, if you stare at the foot long enough, it just goes back and forth.
I can only see her rotating counter clockwise >:(
Yes! I can now make her change directions! For a while she would be going anti-clockwise for a long time and then suddenly change to clockwise and then after a while anti clockwise again.
This is an amazing illusion. I first thought, that the gif itself periodically changes the direction.
I found a weird method for controlling the way she spins. Nod your head forward and down, but so that you can still see the image. If you want the dancer to spin clockwise, spin your head gently clockwise. And if counter-clockwise, then spin your head gently to that direction.
And I now kind of understand why I definitely can see that dancer tilting her head right when spinning clockwise and left when spinning counter-clockwise. This gif fools you by getting you think that you see this dancer from front, when you would think it is her back if she would spin to other direction.
i’m just starring at her boobs
You could do some brain gym .
Look to the side of your eyes and thats the way she will turn
A test of your brain and it’s perfectness.
If your brain is broken and can’t perceive perspective very well it switches direction.
If you’re perfect like me and it goes clockwise the way it’s animated then you’re all good.
I’m so proud! I actually can make it turn either ways. Takes me a while, but it happens! It always happens at the same point too, which is odd to me. :) Great illusion.
OKAY. SO WE’RE SURE ITS NOT A TRICK AND THE MAKER OF THE GIF RANDOMLY MAKES IT TURN DIRERCTION??
it’s impossible…
If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.
If you can switch between seeing her turn either way at will without shifting your gaze, your IQ is above 160 … which is almost at genius level!
This was devised at Yale University for a 5 year study on the human brain and its functions.
Only 14% of the US population can see her move both ways. I am not in US… :-) And I am also MENSA member…
I saw both direction right away – first counterclockwise.
Tobs has the right idea (no control over it). I decided tio test this to see if it only spun one way. If you open it in photoshop (any version) and go from slide to slide, you’ll notice that it does switch at about the 15/20th slide. This has been proven to not be an optical illusion, just your brain thinking it is an illusion is enough to make it seem like one. It is just a cleverly-organized set of pictures.
Soooooo, how long did it take all of you to see it both ways. I counted the seconds, and it only took me five! Go meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
couple of seconds. i’ve seen this before, never worked like that before… ?__?
Oh hey, it works. If you picture doing some artwork it’ll go counter-clockwise, if you do some math equations it’ll go clockwise.
the both ways at d same time.
Ah, i can make it switch. its not that hard after you see it on facebook a million times and you eventually get it :)
she has been spinning counter clockwise for me from when I first looked at it and I can’t see it the opposite direction. I have stared at it for 10 minutes and took all of the advice here, but nothing, still appears to be spinning counter clockwise.
oh god..this girl n the cat illusion gave me the creeps!!it keeps on changing..creeeepyyy
This was NOT proven to be fake. It took me a few minutes, but it finally did work and my eyes can switch her back and forth now.
No the gif is not switching in a specific time, it’s a clean loop. open it in photoshop and try stopping in a frame where there’s no space between the legs. since it’s a silhouette you can perceive it as facing you or against you. if you see it as frontal then the next frames will make it appear to rotate clockwise, and vice versa.
You seem right. The instant I try to recall the quadratic equation, she spines clockwise. When I think of the beautiful imagery provoked by Gibran’s words in The Prophet, she spins counter-clockwise. Fascinating. Beyond that, simply by setting my expectations, I can interpret as spinning in either direction, or facing anteriorly and pivoting left and right. Having difficulty envisioning facing posteriorly and pivoting left and right but seems like it should be possible.
wow thats awesome!!!!! i love that!! now i need to figure out the cat 1…
The trick is that EACH FRAME is an optical illusion — because there is no depth(it’s a silhouette a duh) each and every single frame can be seen as going in either direction. it’s crazy.
in other words, it’s not fake! amazing isn’t it? the guy who created it is a genius. look up “spinning dancer” on wikipedia. :D
WHEN I GOT IT..IT MADE ME SMILE..ITS SO AMAZING! she really change directions!
This is incredible when it’s spinning clockwise you see her left foot down and when it’s spinning counter-clockwise her right foot it’s down.
She just spins clockwise for me. Always.
I can make it switch between clockwise and anti-clockwise by staring and shortly focussing on the shadow of her foot directly between her.
Really cool once you get the hang of it :)
When she’s spinning clockwise, she is standing on her left leg. But when she’s spinning counter-clockwise, she is standing on her right leg. Weird!
This is so hard she just spins counter clockwise for me i can do the cat one but not this one
The funniest thing, but I just looked at her out of the corner of my eye and now she won’t STOP spinning the other dang way. Interesting topic though, thanks for posting!
I made her sway xD
because I get to see rotating back and forth but if the image down to only see half of the hip bailariana below may realize that actually does not turn completely if going from left to right only 180 degrees, well that was what I saw
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im an expert now, can switch her at will, but I would lie if I said I didn’t come to practice.
I can make her spin any direction I like but it took a little bit of practise. At first I could mainly see her spinning clockwise but now I can make her spin any direction or just move side to side without spinning at all.
Dude! if you look at the reflection of her feet, she’s not actually spinning. She just moving back & forth. Gosh, Americans are so stupid.
She’s not spinning. Just look at her reflection of her feet.
Gotta love the idiot who calls Americans dumb claiming she isn’t spinning when the reflection shows that she cleary is spinning.
MAKE IT STOP!!! I think when she switch my head broke, and now I cont make it unbroke
She is only going clockwise. I cannot do anything to make her go counter clockwise.
She is NOT switching. She is going in both directions from the beginning till you last look at it. I found her spinning clockwise at first, and I stared for a few minutes, and I saw that she also spins counterclockwise AT THE SAME TIME SHE IS SPINNING CLOCKWISE. So no she doesn’t switch, it’s all in your brain. She is spinning in both directions all the time.
No. The gif switches. There’s nothing in your head that does it. When she’s spinning clockwise, she’s spinning on her left leg, but when she’s spinning counter-clockwise, she spinning on her right leg. Take another look. Because you can tell when she’s facing frontwards, or backwards.
@Melanie: It’s only because your it changes the direction in your mind that the girl is spinning first on the right and then on the left direction (or vice versa), in an animated GIF the duration of the animation change remains the same which is not the case with this one as it’s really an illusion, try to understand it :)
LOL IT SWITCH sides :P
i thought the same thing until my love and i were both watching it and seeing her spin different ways. i totally thought it was just the computer until i watched it alongside someone else
One of my favorites, I always enjoy it when i come across it again.
Tip watch her ground foot to spin her right, watch her ground foot’s Shadow to spin her left :) I hope you get it. Have fun.
everyone!! this is not a trick! the girl is actually not spinning, she is moving her legs in the shape of an 8. your brain PERCEIVES it as spinning because that’s what you expect to see, when really she is not spinning. the direction of her spinning depends on your strongest hemisphere. if she’s spinning clockwise, your right brain is your stronger hemisphere. if you see the girl switch directions, one of your hemispheres is temporarily overpowering the other. THIS IS ALL TRUE!!!
Wow Becca is right, the figure is spinning her leg round and turning her head. I love how the person who made this went to great expense to make sure the the leg change went undetected
i was trying to tell my sister that. god people!
O_O Oh dear god. I’ve somehow managed to force my brain to see her both ways at once and now she’s just this spinning column of craziness..
While everyone else seems to only see her turn clockwise, I can only see her turn counter-clockwise. :/
look at the feet for a while and then look up it will change
Anyone else notice the silhouette has tits?
wow!! i maid it XD
iv got a tip. look at her leg that is sticking out and try to picture that when it moves across, it does not go behind her other leg, just focus on the top of her legs and you can just see her moving from side to side rather than spinning round
I like to share the method I use to see her spinning either way:
1. Look at the spinning lady,
2. Tilt your head to one side (eyes almost touching shoulder) when her leg is in her leftmost or rightmost position
3. Magically the spinning reverses.
Try it, it works everytime for me.
Raymond from Spore
If you don’t believe it, sit with two people together, and tell what way she’s spinning…
ps little trick, if you have a laptop, tilt the screen a few times, the spinning changes even faster!
She spins left and right..
clockwise then counter clockwise and vice versa…
iv spent nearly 30minutes on this, and shes only ever spun counterclockwise : / your all crazy
For a moment I saw her moving clockwise, but her shadow moving counter-clockwise :P
seen this before in an advertisement for something (forget what). i have been able to switch back in forth several times.
Nothing is spinning here. It’s a two-dimensional image that changes its shape. Your brain interprets those signals as being, essentially, a shadow of a spinning 3-dimensional object. But there isn’t any actual 3-D object involved, so there is nothing spinning. The whole point is that there is more than one way for your brain to interpret the available information. There isn’t any fact about which way she is really spinning, and it doesn’t make any sense to say the image changes direction.
its in here hips not in a perveted way when her legs thats up is facing you it confuses the brain
she isn’t spinning at all. her front leg is just moving from side to side, giving the illusion that she is spinning one direction or another. depending on whether you are more right or left brain oriented, you may see it either clockwise or counter clock wise. study it long enough and you will be able to switch direction at will, and see that she isn’t actually spinning.
if you think that she’s not spinning at all but moving back and forth, you’re wrong. if you think that she’s spinning in an 8-motion, you’re almost there. but if you think that she’s spinning BOTH clockwise and counterclockwise, you are most definitely right. I had a temporary left-right brain switch, and in the middle of the switch, I saw her LEFT moving one direction and her RIGHT moving the other. obviously, you cannot tell which is which but you can safely say that one leg is always moving the opposite direction of the other, which leads to your brain to decide which one the left should be or the right. depends on your left or right strength. but the reason you get confused is because of that same reason, because one leg is ALWAYS moving opposite the other. that’s why you get switches in between as well when you look at the shadows. it’s a very well crafted illusion, I’d say. well done on that.
Its is a two dementional object that is shifted and your mind percieves it as two different Rotations the image doesn’t change your perception does.
Watch the heel. After a random number of rotations to the right, the silhouette rotates to the left for a different random number of rotations. Yes, she spins both left and right. No, this is not brain work, but eye work. The hand, er body, is quicker than most eyes. Sorry, we learn nothing about left and right brains from this silhouette.
This is a great illusion. I got sent it in a chain email and wrote a blog post about it, which led me to THIS blog post. In fact the original creator is the Japanese web designer Nobuyuki Kayahara, who created the image in 2003, and you can see the original image at
http://www.procreo.jp/labo/labo13.html
(this is the website the original image was posted on, not my own blog — my blog’s hyperlinked in my name :) )
I see the original image is copyrighted, but fortunately Kayahara seems not to be litigious in nature!! Still, let’s give credit where credit’s due — this is really quite a masterpiece!!
concentrate on the shadow of her feet it makes it easier
This is an illusion, it has to do with how u view her heel. U can see it as not spinning at all or as spinning counterclockwise to clockwise
if you look at the heel, the shadow and the silhouette only meet when the feet is facing left, when the feet is facing right, the silhouette and shadow do not touch (or come close to it). This always stays the same, so that means the image is not changing. I can change her spin at will now and can at times make her not spin but about to spin and then swing her leg the other way. So just concentrate on the heel.
o crap i looked down and it changed direction and it wont turn bak
it works wen u look up 2
I see her turning both ways at the same time.
i can change it at will