ELi5 – How do magic eye pictures work?
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The way we see in 3D in the real world is by combining the two slightly different images produced by each of our eyes. A type of picture called a stereogram uses this principle to create 3D pictures by presenting slightly different pictures to each eye. Sometimes this involves special glasses to make it easier for the viewer to see the image.
Magic Eye pictures are a specific type of stereogram called an autostereogram. Instead of using two images, it uses one. The way this works is that our brains have a hard time combining images with repeating patterns. If you let your eyes converge on a point beyond the image, it can create the illusion of a flat surface “behind” the real image. What Magic Eye pictures do is slightly change the spacing between elements of the repeating pattern, which changes the perceived distance of the illusory flat surface. This creates an image of a flat surface with a closer silhouette on top of it.
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