Abstract Displacements in the region very near to a fatigue crack tip have been observed using a stereoimaging technique. The results of changing the minimum/maximum stress ratio, for a single overload and a single underload are given for a powder metallurgy aluminum alloy. Material motions near the crack tip are complex and depend on the loading characteristic. Compressive strain fields near the crack tip in the unloaded state were found to be highly dependent on load characteristic due to variation in reversed plasticity.