What do you see in this optical illusion? The answer says a lot about you

Most people love a good optical illusion, visual puzzle or something that makes you stare intently at a blurry image until a 3D picture emerges. Some people can find it hard to see the correct image, indicating how their brains work.

Do you remember the enormous online debate about whether the dress was black and white or blue and gold? That all had to do with the rods and cones in the viewer’s eyes. No two humans are alike, so some people see it differently from others.

But can an image reveal your personality simply by looking at it? Read on to see how this image is putting that to the test.

Here’s the backstory

Before you look at the picture, there are a few things that you should know. First, the origin of the illustration isn’t given, but sifting through several sources pointed to it being the work of Australian illustrator Karl Kwasny.

Even though the image first appeared on his Tumblr page years ago, that hasn’t stopped many from reading into the (possibly) hidden, more profound meaning. And it’s easy to see why, as a rather eerie poem accompanies the original illustration.

The line “Deep in the forest, where heavy feet sink, you mightn’t be quite as alone as you think” is enough to send shivers down anybody’s spine. Regardless of all that, look at the image below and note the first thing you see.

Karl Kwasny test
Credit: Karl Kwasny

A side-profile of a skull

There is nothing sinister about seeing the skull first, as self-empowerment and relationship website Your Tango explains. Instead, it could mean that “your most significant strength is your intellectual prowess.”

Skulls have also been used as good luck charms to ward off illness and guard against evil spirits in many cultures. For example, in Christianity, skulls often symbolize wisdom and one’s awareness of their mortality.

The little girl in the woods

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Tech how-to: Colorize old black-and-white photos

Does your family have a collection of vintage photos you’d like to modernize with color? Maybe you have some old black-and-white pictures to which you’d like to add color for creative effect.

No matter the why, transforming an image with the addition of color can make all the difference in the world.

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Quick photo tip: Digitally restore old photos

Does your family have old photo albums? Have you ever spent time looking at all the old black and white or wonderful vintage sepia-colored images?

Old pictures capture lovely moments in time, like your serious-faced ancestors. They posed for their first photo with the family’s first Brownie or Polaroid camera. While it’s great to look through all those snapshots, it’s sad to see how faded, scratched or torn some can be.

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