Moiré
Large ripples and bands created when two fine repeating patterns overlap slightly out of angle or scale.
See it
What it is
Moire appears when two repeating line, dot, or grid patterns overlap with a small difference in angle or spacing. Their mismatch forms much larger bands and ripples that are not drawn in either source pattern.
For deliberate use, try optical art, kinetic backgrounds, title sequences, and interactive surfaces. Rotate or scale one fine pattern against another and the broad interference bands seem to move much faster than the underlying grids.
Gotcha: screens can add a second, unwanted version through aliasing. Hairline patterns may flicker, change at different zoom levels, or collapse on a lower-resolution display, so test real output sizes and limit animation speed and contrast.
Ask AI for it
Create an intentional moire effect from two full-frame fields of one-pixel black parallel lines on white. Rotate the top field by 4 degrees and scale it to 102 percent so broad curved interference bands emerge, while both original line grids remain visible up close. Animate the rotation slowly and avoid rapid flicker.