Customer Reviews

Eye Tricks: Incredible 3D Stereograms

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Gene Levine and Gary Priester have elevated stereograms to the leval of fine art. Priester's images are elegantly simple 3D stereograms that are easy to view with a border of floating objects that often represent the hidden object. Levine is the stereogram grand master. Gene painstakingly constructs images that are often so complex and wonderful you could spend days looking at just one image and stil miss the subtle detail.

This large coffee size book offers 200 of the best full color 3D stereogram images I have seen. In the back is a section of large "reveals", the hidden images.

I got this book for our family for Christmas. The pictures that pop out are usually the same as the picture that made it,if that makes sense. There is a picture made up of shamrocks...the picture inside is a shamrock. There is no surprise in the picture, which to me isn't as fun. I dodn't appreciate the topless mermaid picture on the title page and last page of the book, I don't think that perticular picture is kid friendly. Otherwise the book is what I expected.

I don't know how long these stereograms have been around ,but their complexity and fascination has really taken off with the application of computers to this art form. As a kid,I was fascinated with the device that sat on a small table at my Grandmothers, which was used to view double picture photograph cards,which appeared in 3-D when looked at through the viewer.It was probably manufactured sometime around 1900 and maybe even earlier. There were photos of WWI and lots of other things that you saw from that time sold as postcards.Later, after WWII, we saw much the same thing sold in huge numbers and found in virtually very home,namely "ViewMaster". Then, in the 50's stereograph technology was employed in motion pictures ,where the audience watched a blurry screen which came to 3D reality by wearing "special" red&Green cardboard glasses. I remember some wild action films where the whole audience was petrified by spears coming straight at them.Then there were birds and other objects that seemed to come right out of the screen and fly over your head.
For the last 20 years we have seen stereographs in books like this;and getting better all the time.
I have written reviews on several others;but this is the largest one so far,with 200 state- of the-art sterograms.The big advance in recent years is that we can view them without the aid of special devices or viewers...just your own eyes.
I suppose there are a number of categories these images can fall into;but mainly they are the type where the object is quite obvious in 2-dimension and then turns into a 3-Dimensional image. Then there is the other thing where the whole picture is just undiscernable colors and/or patterns,but no obvious imgge. Then ,while staring at the picture an object comes into view almost as a ghost. Some stereographs do both of these things at the same time.
As I went through this collection ,I attempted to pick a favorite;but in the end I wasn't really able to.
The one on pg. 24 ,a simple 2-D transformation is simply in clarity in both dimensions;as the Chicago skyline on pg.167. As for hidden or ghost images;I really liked the Shamrocks on pg 11 and 79.
Then for one which gives no hint whatsoever of any hidden object,I like the Star of David on pg.81 and the Point Burst in pg.26,which is utterly and completely hidden.Then how about the pyramids on pg.103,a little difficult to "get" ,but when you do,well worth the effort.
Then there was the Glad Plaid on pg.25 which I couldn't "get" at all.Then I turned it 180 Degrees,still no luck.Then I turned it 90 Degrees--Bingo!!!
Then I found that many could be seen turning the pages 180 Degrees.Another thing to do is;once you see the 3-D image,and while keeping it in focus,slowly rotate the page and see it disappear.
Overall,the book is loaded with some great images;but I can't but suspect we are still in for some exciting treats in this "electronic"art form in the future.

I completely agree with G. Wayne that this book offers "200 of the best full color 3D stereogram images"! Completely amazing! I bought all three "Magic Eye books" plus this one and I'm glad I got it. It beats Magic Eye by FAR and they're not too shabby either! The stereograms are simply fantastic! Very detailed and highly imaginative!

Once you know how "to see" 3D most of them are quite easy. They come quickly but they last long! The only critique I can give is that since the book is fairly large and without a hard cover it's a bit tricky to lay the pages out flat which you want to do. Still it gets full points!!!

I recommend it to both adults and children.

Images in this book are comparable to (if not better than) Magic Eye images. I really enjoyed the book.

I've been into the stereogram thing practically ever since they've started it... and I am most appreciative Gene Levine's and Gary Priester's work! They do an excellent job with this... and it is true art; a lot of it is truly phenomenal! There are object array and hidden image stereograms throughout... and some of them even seem to float up above the page! I like holograms... and a lot of these images are just as incredible as expensive 3D holograms! The book is full of page after page of really great images! This book is well worth the money!

3D movies are finally getting to be popular. My wife and I have been going to see 3D movies for many years at the IMAX at Navy Pier in Chicago. As 3D cinema and 3D television get to be more mainstream... there is a likelihood that books such as Eye Tricks will become even more popular. (Let the old-fashioned 2D people continue to non-exist in their pseudo-world of flat, superficiality!)

"Hidden Treasures 3-D Stereograms" is another excellent book by these two artists! It too is full of top-notch stereograms!

If you like Magic Eye images, this book will blow you away. When I look at some of my other 3-D book images, I'll think, "I get it - it's a shark." When I look at these images, I'll say out loud, "Woah." My wife will think I spilt hot coffee on my foot. But I didn't. I don't even drink coffee. And it's not a small book - there are 200 full-page images in it.

Though it needs some times to learn to view 3D, once you can achieve it it is very interesting. Most of the pictures in this book are beautiful. I have to confess that I cannot see them all, but it should come with time. Warning! Don't be serious if you cannot see the 3D pics, just relax and try later or you will be getting stress and eye fatigue.

I really love these books. I am fascinated by the technique used to get the 3-d affect. I have everyone out.