1. A security element for security papers, value documents and the like, having a micro-optical moiré magnification arrangement having a motif image that consists of a planar periodic or at least locally periodic arrangement of a plurality of micromotif elements, and a planar periodic or at least locally periodic arrangement of a plurality of microfocusing elements for the moiré-magnified viewing of the micromotif elements of the motif image, the motif image including two or more sub-regions having micromotif elements that differ from each other in their contrast, and the shape of the sub-regions forming a macroscopic piece of image information, in the form of characters, patterns or codes, that is perceptible due to the contrast differences in the micromotif elements.