Science & Technology

These Strawberries Are Not Red | WIRED

What is color constancy and how does it trick our brain into seeing colors that aren’t really there? WIRED’s Robbie Gonzalez and neuroscientist David Eagleman use ambiguous photographs and giant props to explain light, color and the science of illusions. Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►► Listen to the Get WIRED podcast ►►…

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What is color constancy and how does it trick our brain into seeing colors that aren’t really there? WIRED’s Robbie Gonzalez and neuroscientist David Eagleman use ambiguous photographs and giant props to explain light, color and the science of illusions.

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These Strawberries Are Not Red | WIRED

104 Comments

  1. hermatred

    October 17, 2021 at 4:47 pm

    Woah. Editing the colors changes the colors. Wild

    • Lung Boy

      October 17, 2021 at 4:55 pm

      It’s not edited lol..

    • SirYodaJedi

      October 17, 2021 at 9:25 pm

      @Lung Boy It is edited, lol; the whole thing is tinted light blue. The original image (which isn’t shown in this video) has actually red strawberries.

    • Lung Boy

      October 17, 2021 at 9:39 pm

      @SirYodaJedi I still don’t think that’s true but either way, the illusion/phenomenon taking place is real and the guy in the original comment is making it sound like it’s not

  2. slorr55

    October 17, 2021 at 4:57 pm

    And if youve never seen strawberries before?

    • Andrew Griggs

      October 17, 2021 at 10:16 pm

      Curious how that would play out.

  3. Jun

    October 17, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    It’s obviously straw-colored

  4. Tatters Mazenski

    October 17, 2021 at 5:18 pm

    The physical color gray requires red. 120,120,120 is still 120 red. If it is 180,178,178 that is still a gray that is more red.

  5. Beta Ray

    October 17, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    Generally speaking all fruit you buy in almost all stores start as unripe – they start with unripe (such as green apples) then use rapid ripening processes such as radiation to fast ripen the fruit (and vegetables), it would generally be impossible to get the massive amount of fruits and vegetables t o market in the ripe status.
    This may vary a bit if for example a farmer picks them and sells them. But yes the photo is an illusion that tricks the eye

    • I'm right you're wrong

      October 17, 2021 at 5:52 pm

      nope, not at all.

  6. Dave Alexander

    October 17, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    Wrong. The CMYK color value for gray is 0% Cyan, 0% Magenta, 0% Yellow, 50% Black.
    If that image has ANY Cyan, Magenta or Yellow in it, it is NOT gray.
    Use a spectrophotometer, measure it and tell us what the values are.
    Guaranteed they are not 0,0,0,50 or that picture would look, um … GRAY.

    • Dave Alexander

      October 17, 2021 at 6:13 pm

      @Joshua Kallenberg Nope. Not buying it. Need the exact CMYK to say what color it is. However, being someone who works with Photoshop and color palletes every day all day, I sampled the video (which is not 100% accurate given the limitations of RGB phosphors, but is close) and that color at the tip of the strawberry is Cyan 58%, Magenta 31%, Yellow 32% and Black 1%, which makes that color Reddish Gray. Which is exactly what he was saying that color ISN’T.

    • Carlos

      October 17, 2021 at 7:21 pm

      @Dave Alexander what’s odd is the fact that before 24 seconds the picture looks like it has much more of a blueish hue, but after 24 seconds the strawberries appear much more red.

    • Dusty B

      October 17, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      @Carlos Right? I was like “kinda blueish gray I guess?”, and at the end when they cut back to the picture close up it looks red.

    • IDNotFound

      October 17, 2021 at 7:31 pm

      cool, have you personally checked if that tile isnt 0,0,0,50? if not then how can you say for sure its not grey and taht he is wrong?

    • Dave Alexander

      October 17, 2021 at 7:44 pm

      ​@Carlos I just sampled two areas pre- and post-24 seconds.
      Pre-24 Red Part of a Strawberry is 57,32,31,1
      Post-24 Red Part of a Strawberry is 51,36,38,2
      Pre-24 deepest shadow in image is 82,28,41,3
      Post-24 deepest shadon in image is 84,25,45,3
      That means in the two images, the delta for the berry is -6C, +4M, +7Y, +1K – a lot less Cyan and a lot more Magenta and Yellow
      the delta for the shadow is +2C, -3M, +4Y, 0K – more Yellow but pretty close otherwise
      These fall into the parameters of JNDs (Just Noticable Differences, it’s an actual color science term you can look up), which each human distinguishes differently. That means you can see that the berries are noticebly redder after 24 seconds and many people cannot.

  7. Kurt D

    October 17, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    There are FOUR LIGHTS!

  8. kulik03

    October 17, 2021 at 6:14 pm

    Wait what?

  9. Tom

    October 17, 2021 at 7:11 pm

    Pfft. They’re obviously white and gold.

  10. IDNotFound

    October 17, 2021 at 7:33 pm

    All these people saying its not grey unless it has a certain value but never actually show proof of them selves checking the tile physically or digitally. Like what is the point of your comment, its irrelevant unless you actually make a statement about the video with it.

  11. Frank Bob

    October 17, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    These scientists, have nothing better to do.

    • Isac Cabrera

      October 17, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      And your watching and commenting on it, soo.

    • Frank Bob

      October 17, 2021 at 11:35 pm

      @Isac Cabrera Is that not the point of You Tube?

    • Isac Cabrera

      October 18, 2021 at 12:15 am

      @Frank Bob well my point is you don’t gave anything better to do also apparently

    • Frank Bob

      October 18, 2021 at 12:36 am

      @Isac Cabrera And what exactly did you contribute? Argumentative?

  12. The Chronicles of the Super Hobo Bros.

    October 17, 2021 at 7:40 pm

    drake will do anything for screen time these days…

  13. trapez77

    October 17, 2021 at 8:37 pm

    Its red and grey mixed. obviously more grey than red but here’s still a hint of red in it

  14. Kenn Reed

    October 17, 2021 at 8:45 pm

    ow.

  15. Kimberly G.

    October 17, 2021 at 9:24 pm

    Hey! Vsauce. Kimberly here. The strawberries on your screen aren’t _grey_ either! /watch?v=R3unPcJDbCc

  16. Jayson Carey

    October 17, 2021 at 9:34 pm

    Nope, pulled a screenshot and took a color sample. They’re still red, just very unsaturated.

    • Mixter Muxter

      October 18, 2021 at 2:03 am

      Can confirm, did the same.
      This video is fake news.

    • D T

      October 18, 2021 at 3:45 am

      Fake news

    • Veronika Vartanova

      October 18, 2021 at 10:44 am

      I did that, and they all were greenish or blueish gray =/

  17. Sketchy Tiger

    October 17, 2021 at 9:39 pm

    Keeping in mind colour constancy as an artist is very important, otherwise you’d never be able to get good colours and lighting. All perceived colours are relative to other colours.

  18. Andrew Griggs

    October 17, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    Hold on, they have to be red. Elsewise how do you get the image? Typically can’t shoot a grey image onto a grey screen and see it. The color of the strawberries has to be there.

    • Sherri T[A]P Me!! To Have [S]EX With Me

      October 19, 2021 at 5:51 am

      This is exactly why you can’t take a photo into a paint store for a colour match.

  19. Alec K

    October 17, 2021 at 10:27 pm

    GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!

  20. squeezeslemons

    October 17, 2021 at 11:19 pm

    I’m even more confused

  21. Susan S

    October 17, 2021 at 11:35 pm

    Whoa. Weird.

  22. Veronika Vartanova

    October 17, 2021 at 11:40 pm

    The strawberries are red, this picture of those red strawberries is just somewhat desaturated. Anyone not color-blind can see that, you’re using the language wrong here.

    • Catherine W.

      October 18, 2021 at 1:16 am

      No really there is no red in the image. You can take a simple screenshot of the image and put it into any art software, no red to be found, the shades of gray are actually more blue or green leaning. Even if you apply a filter to remove all the red in the image nothing changes.

  23. Kia- T{αα}P Me!! To F.C.K W!th Me

    October 18, 2021 at 12:11 am

    Hold on, they have to be red. Elsewise how do you get the image? Typically can’t shoot a grey image onto a grey screen and see it. The color of the strawberries has to be there.

    • The Music Book

      October 18, 2021 at 10:54 am

      It’s an idiot test. Congratulations, you are not an idiot. 👍🏼

  24. Chris U.

    October 18, 2021 at 1:22 am

    Haha! Thanks, internet, for showing me this for the 343,323,756th time.

  25. D B

    October 18, 2021 at 1:41 am

    It’s red because our brain perceives it as red.

    • krishna murli

      October 18, 2021 at 2:58 am

      cute beagle

      ./.,

    • The Music Book

      October 18, 2021 at 10:57 am

      It’s red because it’s red lol

  26. Heartwing Arts

    October 18, 2021 at 2:01 am

    WITCH!!!!

  27. Mixter Muxter

    October 18, 2021 at 2:03 am

    Took screenshot, colour sample had 55 on red value.
    FAKE NEWS.

    • Alan Davis

      October 19, 2021 at 1:52 am

      Did it have 55 on G and B too? Because the R value by itself means nothing.

  28. Tradepaints

    October 18, 2021 at 2:22 am

    This is exactly why you can’t take a photo into a paint store for a colour match.

  29. The Danzo

    October 18, 2021 at 3:33 am

    no, and unsubscribed

  30. Alex Brown

    October 18, 2021 at 3:56 am

    Does it necessarily have to be a typically red object for it to appear red?

    • Alex Brown

      October 18, 2021 at 3:58 am

      Also they look like a greenish red, and not very vibrant at all compared with how they would appear normally.

  31. Daniel Zuluaga

    October 18, 2021 at 4:14 am

    Man I miss almost impossible

  32. Vuong

    October 18, 2021 at 4:31 am

    DEJA VU

  33. Arsen Kot

    October 18, 2021 at 4:58 am

    No. They’re red

  34. The Swinging Door

    October 18, 2021 at 6:47 am

    Haven’t I already seen this?

    • whatsapp+¹ ⁵⁶² ²²⁸ ¹²⁴⁰

      October 18, 2021 at 9:48 am

      Hit me up for more information

  35. Shy Shalom

    October 18, 2021 at 11:55 am

    This video quality is actually Potato.

  36. Dave Manning

    October 18, 2021 at 12:41 pm

    I was way off about the color. I said Matrix.

    • ♜ Pìnned by Wird

      October 18, 2021 at 1:41 pm

      Thanks for watching..,…
      Send a direct msg right away…
      WhatsApp±¹⁴⁰⁶⁶¹²⁵³⁹³📧

  37. Zone07

    October 18, 2021 at 2:43 pm

    This whole world is a lie!

  38. jjajmb

    October 18, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    He didn’t take it off and he didn’t put it back. Plus why does he think shouting makes him more believable?

  39. uuhb

    October 18, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    need back robbies main series bro. it was so good

    • Jane 24 y.o - check my vidéó

      October 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      A minute of silence for Colour blind people watching this

  40. jay clarke

    October 19, 2021 at 12:21 am

    Iam colour blind so this is odd for me

    • Helen🥂T[A]P Me!! to Have [𝐒]𝐄𝐗 With

      October 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      Man I miss almost impossible

  41. Steve Le

    October 19, 2021 at 4:44 am

    fake and gray

    • T[A]P Me!! To Have [S]EX With Me

      October 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      This video quality is actually Potato.

    • Charlotte Aurora

      October 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      This video quality is actually Potato.

  42. Amahd Breazell

    October 19, 2021 at 10:43 am

    It’s a projector don’t try to play me

  43. bllourias

    October 20, 2021 at 4:08 am

    Well, it looked BLUE on my screen… LOL, how we can argue colors!

    • MiscStuff

      October 20, 2021 at 12:32 pm

      That is because they are (more like turquiose, but close to blue), Photoshop color picker showed a color 84a3ab for example. These strawberries are not gray by any means. I see them reddish though.

    • bllourias

      October 20, 2021 at 6:00 pm

      @MiscStuff yep, there was a little bit of red in the color, for sure!

  44. Ganesh Karhale

    October 20, 2021 at 4:42 am

    You are liar.

    • H0T-Vlog Go to My Channel

      October 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      Keeping in mind colour constancy as an artist is very important, otherwise you’d never be able to get good colours and lighting. All perceived colours are relative to other colours.

    • Amelia Willow

      October 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      Keeping in mind colour constancy as an artist is very important, otherwise you’d never be able to get good colours and lighting. All perceived colours are relative to other colours.

  45. KVGamingYT

    October 20, 2021 at 7:24 am

    it’s red

  46. felleR

    October 20, 2021 at 7:43 am

    Had to test it in MS Paint just to be sure

  47. marchofnature

    October 20, 2021 at 9:13 pm

    You’re wrong. In photoshop this specific photo is cyan (clearly). The unedited version is gray

  48. David Rosa

    October 21, 2021 at 3:35 am

    Even when you took out the little piece I still see it as a green grey red mixture it’s not a bright red it’s not a regular gray and it’s not a vibrant blue and there’s also a very odd tint of green

  49. Sapphire

    October 21, 2021 at 9:31 pm

    What color are the strawberries? Red. The actual strawberries are red. You wanna talk about what color they APPEAR in that image? Okay fine. But the fruits themselves were red. Unless the artist grew gray strawberries, which I doubt very much. Applying a color filter over the photograph doesn’t change the original color of the fruit. 😛

    • The Nameless

      October 25, 2021 at 4:06 pm

      Exactly

  50. Ok Gst XD

    October 21, 2021 at 10:52 pm

    Goes to show that colors aren’t real and it’s just something that the human mind makes it up

  51. ttization

    October 22, 2021 at 3:17 am

    I printed the screen and it is red. The image my screen produces is red. So I’m not sold on the illusion here

    • TheWildThorn

      October 22, 2021 at 11:25 am

      i was thinking of doing this but thank you for doing it for me lmao

  52. Omaer 1

    October 22, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    Very Nice bro!

  53. TreboreTrebor

    October 22, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    Sorry but they’re red !

  54. RobertOrgRobert

    October 22, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    Sorry but they’re red !

  55. Brooklyn Pastor

    October 22, 2021 at 10:58 pm

    I said gray. I’m a genius.

  56. noodles6669

    October 24, 2021 at 1:10 am

    Yeah remember the black and blue dress? Same concept. But different people have different correction in their vision so we saw it differently to one another.

  57. TheFalseKingslayer

    October 24, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    Gonna cite vsauce for inspiration? No? Okay.

  58. DAZelioni

    October 24, 2021 at 8:35 pm

    The picture is already gray

  59. Eugene Burns

    October 24, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    I’m colourblind and these are striaght up blueish purple

  60. Max Poirot

    October 24, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    Is the dress white and gold or blue and black?

  61. P

    October 25, 2021 at 5:56 pm

    This must have great applications

  62. Kim Husbands

    October 27, 2021 at 1:10 am

    This is so weird how grey turns to red. I would have thought the grey had at least drop of red pigmentation.

    • MINI LAMMA

      October 30, 2021 at 7:44 pm

      That’s because your brain subconsciously think that strawberries are red, because grey contains more red in the RGB scale than blue. It is a very common way to make something look red without making it actually red in art.

  63. Duván Andrés Solis Arrieta

    October 30, 2021 at 4:59 pm

    They are red right? No, those strawberries are great!

  64. wnynj

    October 30, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    this is a vsauce video

  65. Flugschüler Fluglehrer

    November 1, 2021 at 9:55 pm

    Amazing 🤩

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