Optically variable security element for safeguarding valuable objects, having a carrier with a reflective surface region, the extent of which defines a xy-plane and a z-axis perpendicular thereto, characterized in that - the reflective surface region is partially transmissive and has a diffraction structure formed by an additive superimposition of a macroscopically or microscopically fine relief structure and a microscopically fine perforation pattern, the diffraction structure being described by a structure function S(x,y), the relief structure being described by a relief function R(x,y), the perforation pattern being described by a pattern function P(x,y) and the additive superimposition being described by S x y = R x y + P x y, - the perforation pattern is formed by a reflective layer which has a multiplicity of microscopically fine perforations and which on account of the additive superimposition follows the profile of the relief structure and represents a light-diffractive or light-scattering, optically effective and partially transmissive coating of the relief structure, the perforation pattern being a one-dimensional or two-dimensional grating, and - the relief function R(x,y) which describes the relief structure is at least piecewise continuous, does not represent a periodic triangular or rectangular function and only changes slowly in comparison with the pattern function P(x,y), and in that - the relief structure contains a multiplicity of reflective pixels which each have one or more reflective facets with the same orientation, with a tilt of each facet with respect to the xy-plane being determined by the specification of its normalized normal vector, - the relief structure has a preferred direction specified by the x-axis such that more than 80% of the facets of the relief structure have a normal vector lying in the yz-plane, and - the perforation pattern has a preferred direction parallel to the x-axis, the preferred direction being specified by the grating vector or a grating vector of the grating. - the reflective surface region is partially transmissive and has a diffraction structure formed by an additive superimposition of a macroscopically or microscopically fine relief structure and a microscopically fine perforation pattern, the diffraction structure being described by a structure function S(x,y), the relief structure being described by a relief function R(x,y), the perforation pattern being described by a pattern function P(x,y) and the additive superimposition being described by S x y = R x y + P x y, - the perforation pattern is formed by a reflective layer which has a multiplicity of microscopically fine perforations and which on account of the additive superimposition follows the profile of the relief structure and represents a light-diffractive or light-scattering, optically effective and partially transmissive coating of the relief structure, the perforation pattern being a one-dimensional or two-dimensional grating, and - the relief function R(x,y) which describes the relief structure is at least piecewise continuous, does not represent a periodic triangular or rectangular function and only changes slowly in comparison with the pattern function P(x,y), and in that - the relief structure contains a multiplicity of reflective pixels which each have one or more reflective facets with the same orientation, with a tilt of each facet with respect to the xy-plane being determined by the specification of its normalized normal vector, - the relief structure has a preferred direction specified by the x-axis such that more than 80% of the facets of the relief structure have a normal vector lying in the yz-plane, and - the perforation pattern has a preferred direction parallel to the x-axis, the preferred direction being specified by the grating vector or a grating vector of the grating.