Phonograph Magic Eye Poster Stereogram

[Dischoard]

Has anyone here ever spent WAY too much time in the 90s trying to figure out these 3D Magic Eye posters? I'm not sure if this has been shared here before but I thought some folks might get a kick out of it. A friend of mine sent this to me a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was rather well done though I don't recognize the machine at all, some artist's imagination perhaps?

The trick is, for those of you who haven't tried, the focus your eyes beyond the image, perhaps look at something above your computer screen and then, whilst still keeping that focus, move your screen into your line of sight. If you do it properly a 3D image will appear on the screen. If you only think you're seeing it, you're not seeing it. It really is quite dramatic when your brain learns how to focus on these.

Probably best to click on the image so you can see it full view, good luck, let me know who gets it!

[jamiegramo]

I got it! I think it’s just a generic type horn machine like an artists impression with a reproducer set for vertical cut records. The winding crank, or knob thing, doesn’t look right...

Jamie
St. Albans

[52089]

When I was a kid, I stretched out a coil of postage stamps and stared at it. When I very slightly crossed my eyes, I could make the images line up on top of each other, which somehow made them appear larger and sharper. Once you can do that, seeing these images becomes a piece of cake. There was quite a fad of these a while back, with books filled with images, Sunday newspaper appearances, etc.

[Inigo]

Indeed there are two techniques, parallel or crossing eye sights. The right one is too get the eye sights parallel, looking to a point faraway behind the image. Crossing eyes gives also the 3D illusion, but WITH THE DEEP DIMENSION REVERSED!! I believe that the cross eye technique is used for some optical devices, or it is a mistake... When watched at with nude eyes, the right way is to get the eyesight parallel, right eye on the right image and left at left. As dischoard has explained.

[pumpkin]

Got it !
Once the eyes relax and unfocus the image appears, you will know when it happens.

[Curt A]

Here's another one... with a flower horn.

Screenshot 2025-07-13 at 4.52.14 PM.png (1.05 MiB) Viewed 183 times

[Lucius1958]

I used to look at these pictures decades ago. Unfortunately, since my cataract surgery back in '18, I have fixed-focus vision, and can no longer do that visual trick...

- Bill

[jamiegramo]

I find trying to view a traditional Stereoview, without a viewer, more difficult than these modern Stereograms but with a bit of patience...

[m_nakamura]

Omg my eyes.

Cool trick though!!