Photo Engraving Generator

What it does

Photo Engrave prepares a picture for a laser in the order an experienced engraver would: adjust the tones for the material, resize to the real engraving size and resolution, then convert to dots (dithering) so a laser that is either on or off can show shades of grey. You see the engrave preview next to the original and can zoom in to check fine detail before you export.

Step 1: pick the material first

Materials burn differently, so the same photo needs different adjustments on wood and on slate. Each preset sets brightness, contrast, gamma and invert as a starting point:

Preset	What it does
Wood / plywood	Lifts the midtones a little, because wood darkens quickly
Slate / black tile	Inverts the image; the laser makes slate lighter, not darker
Anodized aluminium	Inverts; the laser removes the dark coating and reveals bright metal
Acrylic (mirrored, back side)	For engraving the back of clear acrylic so the photo reads from the front
Leather	Brighter and more contrast; leather darkens strongly
Paper / card	Gentle settings; paper marks easily

After that you can fine-tune brightness, contrast, gamma and sharpening yourself.

Step 2: size and resolution

Set the width the engraving will be on the material. The DPI decides how many lines per inch the laser will engrave. 254 dpi gives 0.1 mm between lines, which is a good default for diode lasers; go higher on a CO2 or fiber laser for fine detail. Higher is not always better: if the lines overlap too much, the wood chars and detail is lost.

Step 3: choose a dithering style

• Jarvis and Stucki spread the error over a wide area and give the smoothest detail, good for portraits and pets.
• Floyd–Steinberg is the familiar all-rounder.
• Atkinson keeps strong contrast and clean highlights, good for bold images.
• Ordered (Bayer) gives a regular pattern that some makers like on metal.
• Halftone dots gives a printed, retro look.
• Threshold is plain black and white, for graphics rather than photos.
• Grayscale keeps the tones for lasers that vary power during engraving.

Step 4: export

The PNG keeps the DPI you chose, so it imports at the correct size in LightBurn or xTool Creative Space. The SVG can add a cut outline around the photo in a rectangle, rounded rectangle, circle or hexagon, which is handy for coasters and ornaments: engrave and cut in one job. For GRBL machines there is raster G-code that runs as it is.

Getting a good result

Start with a well-lit photo with a plain background. Faces and pets close to the camera work best; busy group photos rarely do at small sizes. On wood, choose light, even-grained species such as maple, birch or basswood plywood, since dark streaks in the grain show through the picture. Clean the surface after engraving (a soft brush or a damp cloth, depending on the material) to lift the soot and show the full tonal range.

Photos also work on curved items: the tumbler wrap generator can place your own logo or image (SVG or PNG) on cups and mugs. If the image is a logo or line drawing rather than a photo, you will get sharper results by converting it to vectors with image to SVG.