I find that if I put my face right up close to the picture, and look at two repeated pieces/parts of the pattern so that they resolve to one piece then slowly move the picture back away from my eyes while keeping my eyes focused at the same level, then I can see the 3-D pictures. If I manage to start on a part of the picture which ends up being a flat plane, like looking at a wall straight in front of you, then I can see the 3-D fairly quickly. If it turns out to be sloping back or a more complicated depth then I lose it, but I just try different parts of the picture until I get it.

If someone video-ed me doing it with computer pictures it'd look pretty funny. If I am up late and looking at them, while hubby is sleeping in the next room, my chair creaks as I get up, focus, move back and sit down to look at the 3-D so I have to do it ultra-carefully and quietly and often lose the picture before I sit down.

My very favourite stereogram at the moment is Orchid Forest - Stereograms by Gene Levine

I copied it and put it into a jigsaw program I have on the computer. It makes an amazing jigsaw to do, because of the repetitive elements, and then it is fun to look at when it is finished.

If you have lots of time to kill, investigate his whole website. There are some beauties there, and all different types of 3-D pictures. Way past the simple patterns.

Helen