If you have a small, super bright red apple and a big, dark grey rock, which one feels heavier to your eye in a picture, and why?

The big, dark grey rock will feel heavier to your eye in a picture. This perception is governed by a principle called visual weight, which refers to the apparent heaviness or lightness of an element within a visual composition, independent of its actual physical mass. Several factors contribute to an object's visual weight. Firstly, size plays a crucial role; larger objects generally possess more visual weight because they occupy more space and convey a sense of greater volume or mass. Secondly, value, which is the lightness or darkness of a color, significantly impacts perceived weight. Darker colors or values tend to have more visual weight than lighter ones because dark tones absorb more light and appear denser, creating a feeling of groundedness and substance. Conversely, bright colors, even highly saturated ones like super bright red, reflect more light and often feel lighter and more energetic, despite their attention-grabbing quality. In this scenario, the rock is described as "big" and "dark grey." Its large size inherently contributes significant visual weight, and its dark value further enhances this by making it appear dense and substantial. The apple, while "super bright red" and thus highly salient, is described as "small" and bright in color. Its small size reduces its visual weight, and its brightness makes it feel less dense compared to the dark rock. Therefore, the combined effect of larger size and darker value causes the big, dark grey rock to feel heavier to the eye in a picture.