FAQ
THE FIRST BLACK & WHITE RANDOM dot stereogram was invented by Dr. Bela Julesz in 1959 as an experiment to test stereopsis, the ability to see in 3D. By using uniform, randomly distributed dots (fig. 1.), Dr. Julesz eliminated the depth cues that are inherent in recognizable images.
Consider this example. First create a rectangle of randomly arranged dots. (fig 1). Within the rectangle select a group of dots that make up a small shape. In this example the small shape is a circle and the selected dots are the dots that fall within the area shown by the blue circle. (fig. 2).
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| Fig. 1 | Fig. 2 |
NEXT, CREATE a new rectangle identical to the original rectangle, except that the dots within the small shape have been shifted to the left. (fig. 3). When the two rectangles are viewed together as a stereo pair, the image of the circle appears to float above the background. (fig. 4)
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| Fig. 3 | Fig. 4 | |||
In 1979, Christopher Tyler, a student of Dr. Julesz, assisted by computer programmer Maureen Clarke, discovered that the offset scheme could be applied to a single image. This was the birth of the black and white, single-image, random dot stereogram, or autostereogram.
Fig. 5
IN 1991, engineer Tom Baccei and 3D artist Cheri Smith collaborated to improve on the research of Dr. Bela Julesz, who had created the world’s first black and white random dot stereogram pair. Later, Christopher Tyler and programmer Maureen Clarke devised a method to encode information inside a single image, or autostereogram.
Baccei and Smith at Magic Eye took the evolution one step further. With the assistance of programmer Bob Salitsky, the group developed the first sophisticated, full-color autostereogram program. No more black & white dots! Using this new program in combination with state of the art 3D modeling software and colorful art techniques, a totally new patented art form was developed… Magic Eye®.
Magic Eye® 3D Illusions were first released by N.E. Thing Enterprises, which reorganized in 1996 as Magic Eye Inc when Tom left the company. Cheri Smith is the owner of Magic Eye Inc.
Depth perception depends on having two eyes. Most people who have depth perception can see a Magic Eye 3D illusion. People with impaired depth perception or people who have one eye which is extremely dominant (as in amblyopia) will have more difficulty seeing the hidden illusion. If you are having trouble, feel free to e-mail us. We can suggest several different methods to give you the best chance to see 3D.
Magic Eye 3D illusions may be easier to see if viewed on paper rather than on a computer screen.
Go to the printer-friendly How to See page to print the image.
Magic Eye 3D Viewing Instructions
Hold the center of the printed image right up to your nose. It should be blurry. Focus as though you are looking through the image into the distance. Very slowly move the image away from your face until the two squares above the image turn into three squares. If you see four squares, move the image farther away from your face until you see three squares. If you see one or two squares, start over!
When you clearly see three squares, hold the page still and the hidden image will magically appear. Once you perceive the hidden image and depth, you can look around the entire 3D image. The longer you look, the clearer the illusion becomes. The farther away you hold the page, the deeper it becomes. Good Luck!
© Magic Eye Inc. www.magiceye.com
MOST MAGIC EYE 3D ILLUSIONS are built to be viewed by allowing your eyes to diverge, as if you’re focused on an object more distant than the printed page. If you cross your eyes you’ll also see in 3D, but you will invert the image (see the image inside out). To learn how to diverge your eyes visit our How to See 3D page.
A MAGIC EYE IMAGE is normally viewed at a divergence distance equal to the width of one repeat of the 2D “visible pattern”. If you’re good at diverging, you can diverge your eyes twice that distance. This will cause you to see multiple, distorted hidden objects in 3D.
GIVEN THE MULTIPLE factors in every project, it’s impossible for us to publish a price list in advance. But, our unique ability to produce custom images, as well as to select from our archive of hundreds of stock images enables us to work within most company budgets. The best way to determine the cost of a project is to review the information on our Advertising and Promotions page and then contact us.
MUCH LIKE MAGICIANS, we do not reveal our Magic Eye secrets or sell our software. We try to keep Magic Eye 3D artwork as magical as possible.
YOU WOULD NEED TO PURCHASE a license in order to use our illusions. This means that we do not allow our content to be stored on another website, do not allow our website’s HTML pages to appear as frames inside a frameset located on another website, and do not allow our illusions to appear in-line as part of a web page located on another website.
However, you are always free to add a link that transfers the browser’s location to www.magiceye.com, magiceyebooks.com, or any page on our sites, without asking permission. If you have any questions about linking or commercial use of Magic Eye images, please contact us.
YES, WE DO. Existing images are available for qualified educational groups. Contact us for more information.
WE POST a new image every week in the 3D Fun section of our site. You can also view several other 3D illusions of the week on that page.
If you enter our contest and choose to sign up to be on our mailing list, we will send you a link to a special Magic Eye 3D illusion, usually around holidays.
FOR INFORMATION on random dot stereograms and Magic Eye 3D Illusions, please reference information on this website; especially the faq page you’re reading.
A variety of interesting information on the use of Magic Eye 3D illusions by vision care specialists and other specialists can be found in the book, Magic Eye Beyond 3D: Improve Your Vision, containing years of research by Magic Eye, Magic Eye clients and Doctor Marc Grossman.
THE MAGIC EYE COMIC STRIP is featured every week in many newspapers around the world. (See a sample strip on this site). To get your own newspaper to carry the strip we suggest that you contact Andrews McMeel Syndication. The Syndicate will e-mail you back the information you need to contact your paper.
CONSULT THE Magic Eye On-line Store for a complete list of everything we have in stock. Your local book store can order an in-print book for you if they don’t have it in stock.
If you’re looking for a specific Magic Eye product that’s not listed on the store site, we suggest searching on Amazon, E-Bay and used book search sites like addall.com or bookfinder.com.