Is the dress blue/black or gold/white? - Implications for buying coins online?

ModCrewman · February 26, 2015 10:07PM

We have battled each other over the necessity to evaluate an image, and to have correct white balance in our images of coins. Does this example make you more cautious when evaluating coin images online?

It's been blowing up social media for the last 24 hours. What color is the dress?

coppercoins · February 26, 2015 10:26PM

No idea how anyone sees white and gold here. It's blue and dark brown/black.

hiijacker · February 26, 2015 10:30PM

<< No idea how anyone sees white and gold here. It's blue and dark brown/black. >>

This must be a prank. It's black blue. I don't get the question.

chumley · February 26, 2015 10:31PM

anyone not color blind will see gold/white

ModCrewman · February 26, 2015 10:35PM

I'm not sure if it has to do with colorblindness or not, but I read a very good explanation indicating that it depends on which line your brain uses for the reference point in trying to "white correct" the image; if your brain uses the white/blue line you will see the dress as gold and white, if your brain uses the black/gold stripe you will see the dress as blue and black.

Amazing trick our brains play on us.

I personally can't un-see the dress as gold and white.

StrikeOutXXX · February 26, 2015 10:40PM

What's funny is on 2 computers side-by side, I see it differently on each. Just goes to show how screen resolution, white balance, etc can change ones perception. The dress in real-life is blue and black.

Here is the answer as to why:

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/science-one-agrees-color-dress/

The animated GIF at the bottom shows how some of us are white balancing, and some are black balancing and what a huge difference it makes.

WingedLiberty1957 · February 26, 2015 10:47PM

In real life (live) it's gold and white

If you use an eyedropper tool in Adobe Photoshop to pick out the colors, it will say brown and blue.
However most camera skew white to blue.

Anyone that does a lot of photography does this "conversion" automatically when they look at a photo

ricko · February 26, 2015 10:51PM

Yep... brain tricks...but can also apply to coin photography.... for those that do not see gold and white, rest easy - not a big deal... it does, however, make for an interesting study... Cheers, RickO

zas107 · February 26, 2015 10:53PM

<< What's funny is on 2 computers side-by side, I see it differently on each. Just goes to show how screen resolution, white balance, etc can change ones perception. The dress in real-life is blue and black.

Here is the answer as to why:

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/science-one-agrees-color-dress/

The animated GIF at the bottom shows how some of us are white balancing, and some are black balancing and what a huge difference it makes.

>>

The far right photo still looks white/gold to me.

TheRaven · February 26, 2015 10:54PM

The dress is actually blue & black. It is not white & gold.

All the pictures look blue and black to me.

oih82w8 · February 26, 2015 11:12PM

Why are dresses doing on a coin forum?

StrikeOutXXX · February 26, 2015 11:18PM

<< Why are dresses doing on a coin forum? >>

I think it's relevant when looking at toned coins for sure.

Think of all the time we ask is this juiced, how does it look in-hand, you think it's a true representation of the coin, etc etc.

Now... imagine if a picture is not mis-represented in any way whatsoever, but... our individual brain is now displaying something differently to us than the next guy, that has implications in the coin world.

My only toned coin I have a pic of online, but do you see blue or gold?

WingedLiberty1957 · February 26, 2015 11:28PM

A good example of a clear slab skewing to blue in a photo. This is a raw iPhone photo in natural indirect sunlight. I see this blue skew all the time. You can correct for it through post-processing. Though sometimes you can avoid it by using a different coin/slab, lighting, and camera angle.

1Mike1 · February 26, 2015 11:32PM

When I open the photo it looks gold and white, when I scroll down and back it becomes blue and black.

WingedLiberty1957 · February 26, 2015 11:49PM

This is a good optical illusion showing how our brains can trick us. You can't always trust what you think you see!

Question: Which square is darker A or B ?

The answer will shock you!

Is it any wonder if you submit a coin 5 times, you might get 5 different grades?

Answer:
Grayscale (RGB Triplet) Shade of A is RGB=120:120:120
Grayscale (RGB Triplet) Shade of B is RGB=120:120:120
They are the same color (same shade of gray)!

Even if you prove it to yourself in Adobe Photoshop, your brain still doesn't want to believe it.

AUandAG · February 26, 2015 11:56PM

Image was shot with a blue tinged light....

bob

habaraca · February 27, 2015 12:50AM

either way I get a headache looking at it.............

ctf_error_coins · February 27, 2015 12:56AM

blue/black with bad exposure

Buying a coin with color off the internet........ I never believe the color unless the seller is a good photographer.

Edited after I brought the image into photoshop myself .......

TopographicOceans · February 27, 2015 2:52AM

<< No idea how anyone sees white and gold here. It's blue and dark brown/black. >>

That's scary. No idea how anyone sees blue and dark brown/black here. It's white and gold

coppercoins · February 27, 2015 2:54AM

If you look at the lighting in the background you will see that the image is actually over exposed. When you overexpose black cloth, the color of the light tends to mix in...and the light in the room is a yellowish color, hence the brownish black lace color. When the lighting is corrected as much as possible, the dress turns to blue and black - which is the actual color of the dress as posted by the originator of the image on Twitter.

I have a really hard time even trying to imagine anyone seeing this as white and gold - honestly. I've learned something completely new about humans and eyesight (color vision) today...and I thought I knew a lot about the subject. I am a color blind photographer. I have had color issues all my life, but I know an over exposed image when I see one.

lasvegasteddy · February 27, 2015 3:08AM

<< Image was shot with a blue tinged light....

bob >>

+1

johnny9434 · February 27, 2015 3:09AM

<< 

<< Image was shot with a blue tinged light....

bob >>

+1 >>

+1 new topic

epcjimi1 · February 27, 2015 3:13AM

Yeah it has implications, it shows how mass media can make everyone talk about the color of a dress, what's next, old coins are useless?

asheland · February 27, 2015 3:14AM

ctf_error_coins · February 27, 2015 3:15AM

My wife just sent me a text asking what color the dress is.

This MUST BE on Pinterest!!!!!!!!

Type2 · February 27, 2015 3:21AM

Yup it is, I see gold and white....

LindeDad · February 27, 2015 3:25AM

It's trending on twitter. I think It's a lot like Lances race car a few years ago and depends on what browser your using.
Seeing trends on Facebook as I don't tweet.

planetsteve · February 27, 2015 5:44AM

This is really timely, considering the colorblindness thread I enjoyed reading here last night. Thanks to coppercoins for the background on the dress being blue/black, which I certainly hope is the case, since that's what I see here on my iPhone and cheap Dell monitor. I'm shocked at the poll results here (that look much like Buzzfeed's, with a much higher n). It's not just what I see, but what I believe from a little experience in photography - which has taught me about the color balances of the indoor lighting and how they might affect the appearance of the dress.

Back to coins, StrikeOut's Barber proof looks mostly blue with a rim of yellow, but I am ready to accept that the color over most of the coin is really greenish yellow, with the extreme yellow and red at the rim of the coin throwing off my perception.

planetsteve · February 27, 2015 5:55AM

<< I am a color blind photographer. I have had color issues all my life, but I know an over exposed image when I see one.

>>

Here I beg to differ. It's underexposed for the dress, don't you think? The background in the store is very bright and threw off the camera(phone?)'s meter. Technically,it's a terrible picture.

ms70 · February 27, 2015 11:48AM

I initially thought it was white & gold, then after staring at it and realizing how the daylight was hitting it, I was able to see the blue & black. It took me several
minutes to get the perception.

Unknown · February 27, 2015 11:59AM

This content has been removed.

CuKevin · February 27, 2015 12:35PM

<< In real life (live) it's gold and white

If you use an eyedropper tool in Adobe Photoshop to pick out the colors, it will say brown and blue.
However most camera skew white to blue.

Anyone that does a lot of photography does this "conversion" automatically when they look at a photo >>

The dress is really BLUE AND BLACK. LINK HERE: CLICK BLUE

I can see both white and gold as well as black and blue in the original photo, so I did not answer the poll.

19Lyds · February 27, 2015 1:16PM

<< We have battled each other over the necessity to evaluate an image, and to have correct white balance in our images of coins. Does this example make you more cautious when evaluating coin images online?

It's been blowing up social media for the last 24 hours. What color is the dress?

>>

That particular dress comes in at least 4 different colors.

Roman Originals

Christos · February 27, 2015 1:17PM

They had the actual dress on the morning show and it was absolutely blue and black.

lordmarcovan · February 27, 2015 1:21PM

<< 

<< No idea how anyone sees white and gold here. It's blue and dark brown/black. >>

This must be a prank. It's black blue. I don't get the question. >>

This is very interesting, because I'd have said the exact opposite, sworn it was white and gold, and not known how anybody could see blues or blacks in it.

And yes, though I'd never have thought a discussion of some dress to be topical on a coin forum, I can absolutely see why this is a relevant discussion.