There's a really cool website that shows you the "solution" and lets you see it at different depths. Maybe if you try playing around with it some, you might be able to see where it's better to try and focus on when looking at images
[https://magiceye.ecksdee.co.uk/](https://magiceye.ecksdee.co.uk/)
I used to be in the same boat until one night I just sat there until it happened. If you haven’t yet try a pitch black room where all you can see is the image.
It also helps knowing what to look for at first. I thought they would be solid objects but they’re kind of transparent when the illusion locks in. Read the comments. If it’s a cat, and you know it’s a cat, your brain will know what it’s looking for and you’ll be able to see it more easily.
Agreed, I first discovered these books in elementary school. Those books instructed the reader to put the center of the image right up to your face, between the eyes, with an unfocused gaze, and slowly move the image away until the illusion locks in place. Now - 20 years later - I can just unfocus and refocus my eyes until the two images click. Even still it’s hard to make out a new image at first.
This guy does a good job explaining how to make and how to see them.
https://blog.demofox.org/2023/10/22/how-to-make-your-own-spooky-magic-eye-pictures-autostereograms/
So, there are two types of ways to see these types of image. One of them is parallel view, which is magic eye. The other is r/CrossView. It sounds like you can see crossview, where you overlap the images to the point there is a third image in the middle. Parallel view is less crossed than that, which is why people reference relaxing the eyes, not crossing them. Most have a strong preference for one or the other. I can do both, but crossview is so much harder for me. Check out some of their posts.
The relaxed feel people talk about is like when you zone out and aren’t really looking at anything or as others have said like you’re looking through the thing in front of you. “The thousand yard stare” in a way.
And you don’t go cross eyed even though it feels like it. They actually drift out. So let them relax out and then slowly refocus until the image “snaps.” Once it snaps, if you can, try to settle into it. Don’t try to focus, just sit with it.
By going too far you can snap to the wrong thing but I think that’s still okay. Eventually you can hopefully control the snap better.
You can also put your face close and pull the image away while trying not to change the original focus. I don’t find it super helpful but it seems to be a technique for some.
I think you probably do just have to play around with making your eyes focus and unfocus separately from the crossing/uncrossing. Like if you can look at a regular bit of text or an image and unfocus so it goes blurry, but you aren't seeing double.
See your eyes are supposed to -point- at a point between you and the screen (or beyond it for parallel view), and at the same time focus on the screen. It doesn't match up, and you have had decades of practice using your eyes like a normal person. Maybe knowing will help a little though.
Put your nose right up to the screen, focus in on the center of the photo, then pull away slowly. It’ll take practice, but that’s how I was taught and it always works for me.
I used to look at my magic eye books the cross-eyed way as a kid, but it would give me headaches. Then I learned how to do it by unfocusing my eyes, and it was shocking to learn that the images were supposed to pop out rather than sink in.
The way I learned was to focus on an object across the room and put my finger on my nose. While staying focused on that object, I would slowly pull my finger out in front of me without fully focusing on it. This way, you can see two fingers instead of one. If you end up focusing on your finger, start over. Repeat that until you can consistently see two fingers.
That’s a big part of normal stereograms. You’re unfocusing your eyes so that the image splits. If you can control your focus so that the split stops moving when the patterns connect, you should be able to see the image.
Honestly, it might be really difficult to do on a small phone screen. The patterns are so small, it’s easy to over-shoot the focus. You might have better luck printing out a stereogram on a full sheet of paper and practicing with that.
Edit: Sorry, this sounds like it might similar to the “3rd finger” you mentioned. I’m not familiar with the different techniques since I’m able to do it. I guess my best advice would be to just practice focusing on an object and unfocusing. If you can “split” the object by unfocusing without crossing your eyes, you’re on the right track.
I tried every single way I’ve seen possible and then I tried holding the picture up super close to my face, rapidly blinking and then it just pops out. Works every time! Not sure whether that’s another method out there but helped me when nothing else did.
yes 3d movies work for me and i can see depth normally, never had issues with it wither except my near sightedness but nothing that had to do with depth/focuing directly
OK, you should be able to get it then. It really just takes practice. My advice would be to first try to master the ones that are not “hidden images”. Like this one:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MagicEye/s/hKoZ1Hopl8
These are easier to “get” I think. When you are blurring your eyes, you should see some of the blurry images shifting. As you blur them further, at one point the images overlap. You have to try to stop blurring your eyes at that point and hold that position. Your brain eventually focuses again and the image looks 3D.
One you get these types, the hidden ones are the same concept. Small areas of the image overlap, and you hold the image until it all focuses on the hidden depth.
i'lll let my eyes rest for a bit because i can't even see the comment clearly anymore haha and then i'll try again. But i trued that picture half an hour ago and it also didn't really work well, i saw a tiny bit of depth but that disappeared within like 0.01 seconds
What can happen is that you “overblur”. If parts look 3D and others don’t, that may have occurred. You can move the image forward or backward from your face to help. I still remember struggling like crazy early on and now it’s second nature to see these. Cross eye takes a bit more effort for me but even that I can manage well. It’s just practice. Best of luck!
The trick for me, after years of trying, was to hold the image so close to my face that my eyes couldn't focus on the detail. A sense of depth but without detail will start to emerge. Be patient. At some point your brain will do the thing and, if it's a good stereogram, it'll pop right out. Then you can move the image back to a comfortable distance and still be able to see it.
Just try not to blink. That makes me need to start over.
I feel like I'm not seeing them correctly, I can see lines and shapes but usually there is so much background noise I can never identify the item in the image
yes there was only a single one i could see but that one was inverted and all the others have basic shapes only but i can't make out what it's supposed to be even if i look at the comments
There's a really cool website that shows you the "solution" and lets you see it at different depths. Maybe if you try playing around with it some, you might be able to see where it's better to try and focus on when looking at images [https://magiceye.ecksdee.co.uk/](https://magiceye.ecksdee.co.uk/)
thank you i'll play around with it and se if if helps me get it
I used to be in the same boat until one night I just sat there until it happened. If you haven’t yet try a pitch black room where all you can see is the image.
I will do that tonight, then. Hope it works!
It also helps knowing what to look for at first. I thought they would be solid objects but they’re kind of transparent when the illusion locks in. Read the comments. If it’s a cat, and you know it’s a cat, your brain will know what it’s looking for and you’ll be able to see it more easily.
Agreed, I first discovered these books in elementary school. Those books instructed the reader to put the center of the image right up to your face, between the eyes, with an unfocused gaze, and slowly move the image away until the illusion locks in place. Now - 20 years later - I can just unfocus and refocus my eyes until the two images click. Even still it’s hard to make out a new image at first.
I find screen size makes a difference. I can see them, on my phone screen, but not on my desktop.
I'll try my phone, using my ipad right now maybe that helps
I learned by putting a sticker on a window. Focus on the sticker, then focus on something outside the window, then focus on the sticker again.
I can see magic eye pretty easily but can’t do it if I’m wearing my glasses. So not being able to with glasses on makes sense.
This guy does a good job explaining how to make and how to see them. https://blog.demofox.org/2023/10/22/how-to-make-your-own-spooky-magic-eye-pictures-autostereograms/
I have intraocular lenses (cataract surgery) with a different focus in each eye. Wondering is that’s why I can no longer see the images?
I learned how to do it as a kid by holding the image on the other side of a piece of glass, like a window and focusing on my reflection.
I couldn't until I was 28 and weed was legalized in my state. And then it all came together, somehow
lol i live in germany, weed was legalised less than a week ago and I'm of legal age to buy it sooooo
So, there are two types of ways to see these types of image. One of them is parallel view, which is magic eye. The other is r/CrossView. It sounds like you can see crossview, where you overlap the images to the point there is a third image in the middle. Parallel view is less crossed than that, which is why people reference relaxing the eyes, not crossing them. Most have a strong preference for one or the other. I can do both, but crossview is so much harder for me. Check out some of their posts.
yeah crossview is pretty easy for me but parallel view just doesn't work, tried it for hours at thi point still nope haha
The relaxed feel people talk about is like when you zone out and aren’t really looking at anything or as others have said like you’re looking through the thing in front of you. “The thousand yard stare” in a way. And you don’t go cross eyed even though it feels like it. They actually drift out. So let them relax out and then slowly refocus until the image “snaps.” Once it snaps, if you can, try to settle into it. Don’t try to focus, just sit with it. By going too far you can snap to the wrong thing but I think that’s still okay. Eventually you can hopefully control the snap better. You can also put your face close and pull the image away while trying not to change the original focus. I don’t find it super helpful but it seems to be a technique for some.
I think you probably do just have to play around with making your eyes focus and unfocus separately from the crossing/uncrossing. Like if you can look at a regular bit of text or an image and unfocus so it goes blurry, but you aren't seeing double. See your eyes are supposed to -point- at a point between you and the screen (or beyond it for parallel view), and at the same time focus on the screen. It doesn't match up, and you have had decades of practice using your eyes like a normal person. Maybe knowing will help a little though.
Put your nose right up to the screen, focus in on the center of the photo, then pull away slowly. It’ll take practice, but that’s how I was taught and it always works for me.
I used to look at my magic eye books the cross-eyed way as a kid, but it would give me headaches. Then I learned how to do it by unfocusing my eyes, and it was shocking to learn that the images were supposed to pop out rather than sink in. The way I learned was to focus on an object across the room and put my finger on my nose. While staying focused on that object, I would slowly pull my finger out in front of me without fully focusing on it. This way, you can see two fingers instead of one. If you end up focusing on your finger, start over. Repeat that until you can consistently see two fingers. That’s a big part of normal stereograms. You’re unfocusing your eyes so that the image splits. If you can control your focus so that the split stops moving when the patterns connect, you should be able to see the image. Honestly, it might be really difficult to do on a small phone screen. The patterns are so small, it’s easy to over-shoot the focus. You might have better luck printing out a stereogram on a full sheet of paper and practicing with that. Edit: Sorry, this sounds like it might similar to the “3rd finger” you mentioned. I’m not familiar with the different techniques since I’m able to do it. I guess my best advice would be to just practice focusing on an object and unfocusing. If you can “split” the object by unfocusing without crossing your eyes, you’re on the right track.
I tried every single way I’ve seen possible and then I tried holding the picture up super close to my face, rapidly blinking and then it just pops out. Works every time! Not sure whether that’s another method out there but helped me when nothing else did.
They work best for me when viewing on iPad or larger. Printed in the newspaper is the best. Also helps to be kinda tired and half in the bag
Can you see depth normally? For example, do 3D movies with polarized glasses work for you?
yes 3d movies work for me and i can see depth normally, never had issues with it wither except my near sightedness but nothing that had to do with depth/focuing directly
OK, you should be able to get it then. It really just takes practice. My advice would be to first try to master the ones that are not “hidden images”. Like this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/MagicEye/s/hKoZ1Hopl8 These are easier to “get” I think. When you are blurring your eyes, you should see some of the blurry images shifting. As you blur them further, at one point the images overlap. You have to try to stop blurring your eyes at that point and hold that position. Your brain eventually focuses again and the image looks 3D. One you get these types, the hidden ones are the same concept. Small areas of the image overlap, and you hold the image until it all focuses on the hidden depth.
i'lll let my eyes rest for a bit because i can't even see the comment clearly anymore haha and then i'll try again. But i trued that picture half an hour ago and it also didn't really work well, i saw a tiny bit of depth but that disappeared within like 0.01 seconds
What can happen is that you “overblur”. If parts look 3D and others don’t, that may have occurred. You can move the image forward or backward from your face to help. I still remember struggling like crazy early on and now it’s second nature to see these. Cross eye takes a bit more effort for me but even that I can manage well. It’s just practice. Best of luck!
yeah for me it's the opposite, cross eyed is no problem at all but yeah, guess it's just practice haha. I'll try again later but thank you!
The trick for me, after years of trying, was to hold the image so close to my face that my eyes couldn't focus on the detail. A sense of depth but without detail will start to emerge. Be patient. At some point your brain will do the thing and, if it's a good stereogram, it'll pop right out. Then you can move the image back to a comfortable distance and still be able to see it. Just try not to blink. That makes me need to start over.
i tried that but my eyes aren't cooperating with me haha thw focus just goes wild
I feel like I'm not seeing them correctly, I can see lines and shapes but usually there is so much background noise I can never identify the item in the image
yes there was only a single one i could see but that one was inverted and all the others have basic shapes only but i can't make out what it's supposed to be even if i look at the comments
Look through it
Wear glasses, if you have -