Do This Before Laser Engraving an Image To GET THE BEST RESULTS!

In this video I go through the steps needed to optimize an image for Laser Engraving to get the best results!
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[@fifty1fifty]

I was just testing image burning tonight! Learned so much in these few minutes that took me hours of trial and error. The masking is awesome!

[@marshmoreland8365]

Thank you, buddy. I seriously hope you and your loved ones are well and doing good. And this is the principal thing.

[@lpaltageek]

OMG, I am 83 and learning on a CO2 laser at Rochester Makerspace. I have done of bit of engraving on both wood, slate, and rocks with some success. I can't wait to give this a try. Best video ever! I am working on gift boxes at the moment. I have done several on chipboard so they are somewhat stiff, but I love them. Now I have inserted images into all sides of box. Some are stick figures (clip art) and one side is an actual photo. I will try adjusting the photo following your video and do some test burns first. If all goes well, I will post video to KZbin.

[@robbyschunki6566]

Super 👌👌

[@havocproltd]

ok. THANKS! I've been playing around and have stayed away from the whole photo-thing so far which is truly messed up because i'm a photographer first... Anyhow, had a nice B&W jpeg layin' 'round. Just brought it in. Sized it to a small test size I can play with on some scrap... Running third test right now. Yours is probably the easiest, most straight forward video oin this topic I've watched to date. Happy New Year!

[@mchaney2003]

Fantastic content! Its so hard to find laser tutorials where people dont ramble for 40 minutes, or have their exhaust fans screaming over them. Subscribed for sure. 10/10

[@tylerverkade]

100%, I came to the comments to say the same thing

[@haggardfpv9863]

PREACH!

[@PatriotwithoutaParty]

man you are awesome, these videos are helping me start up so easy. Doing my test color tiles today! I was curious what your gandalf tile would look like with say green and blue as the base colors so I'm defiantly trying soon!

[@woodwaker1]

Jim, you have shown how much you can do with one of these. I'm still trying to get my 3D printers figured out, maybe someday. Thanks for sharing this and Tristen is very cute.

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Thanks David!!

[@robertstrickland1979]

Jim, great introduction to lasering images. this will be my first attempt to laser an image, i like how you made like steps to do as you prepare the image. what would a typical power and speed?

[@chevyguy6510]

Great videos Jim! You have become my go to guy for my laser stuff.(newbie)

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Thanks for watching!!

[@patrickjames3954]

Great info, simple enough for a beginner

[@johnnenni7134]

Thanks a lot for your videos... My Ortur LM2 has sat almost a year. I got in some coaster blanks, so thanks for the template video, and now with this one i'm trying a Joker/Batman print on soft wood ..... 1st try ... hoping it turns out well, but now I know a lot more than i did, so I've done well for only your videos and a few days

[@YourBuddyDinec]

Great video. Makes me want an engraver, especially one that can do glasses.

[@illyizm]

Thanks for the details!

[@parker1ray]

Speaking of CO2 lasers, I have been experimenting with diode and acrylic tiles. I decided to use the CO2 after many frustrating attempts on the diode 5.5 watt to get repeatable results. The best I was able to get on the diode was 600mm/min at 27 power. It would take about an hour to burn the image and many times, the results were spotty at best even when using Enduramark at $74.00 a can I switched to the CO2 and was able to burn the image in ten minutes at 4 power. It is much brighter and looks 200 percent better with no prep ahead of time. Just goes to show, use the right tool for the job!

[@debbiebarnett5673]

Hi Jim, Loved your video. I have a question. I was told by another picture engraving gentleman that a good photo feels smooth to the touch. Is this the result I want to accomplish? I can't seem to find anything on this anywhere on KZbin or in Lightburn. Thanks!

[@davey3765]

This video was VERY helpful, just ordered a laser and am getting knowledge down now - this software looks awesome

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Sweet! There are a ton of great videos out there! You will love it!

[@hannahjones3532]

Commenting for the algorithm! Your videos are PHENOMENAL!

[@SpectreTTM]

Hello Thank you for sharing your knowledge on these topics. I currently, have a K40 machine hich I upgraded the main board and have been using LightBurn. I have tried to use it to do the colored tiles with limited success. During this video you mentioned that the diode lasers better resolution than your CO2. Would you be able to suggest a cheap-ish diode laser. I don't need the latest & greatest model because the K40 has the higher power I would need. My guess is that ~5w would suffice for my needs.       Possibilities             Ortur - Laser Master 2             Ortur - Laser Master 2 Pro             Ortur - Aufero Laser 2             Scupfun - S9 Thank you

[@user-yg8lq9qr7s]

Thanks, Please more basic videos I am trying to learn lightburn to use with a Ortur laser master2.

[@eduanpretorius9303]

Jim do you still use third party programs to process your images, and if so any recommendations on which one is the best to use.

[@mamadoubapassioninformatique]

Very cool. Can it be used for the Laser module of the Ender-3 S1 ?

[@rus3013]

Just the type of vid I needed!

[@christinebagatin5945]

Hello. What is the watt # of the laser you are using? Great video, as others have said…sticking to the point helps a lot! Tnx

[@Dancopymus]

Hi Jim, sorry if I'm asking incoherent questions as I'm totally unaware of the features of laser printing photos in LightBurn. 1) Does the photo have to be in Black & White to open in LightBurn? If yes, how do I leave it in Black & White? 2) When you chose "Image Mode: Halftone" is the best mode to print the image? 3) There is no way to leave the Image as the original? Thank you very much

[@roseroth9510]

When you put an image in lightburn it automatically makes it black and white

[@Dancopymus]

Thanks

[@kenthomas4479]

aw man this is a great video. yesterday I kept running into stupid problems an this cleared some of it up or most.. so more power means more darkness is that what u mean in one video

[@midhtkrimli7491]

What should be done to draw a picture on glass. What should be the lightburn settings?

[@teridoty4285]

Currently trying to do a cactus photo on a canvas that was sprayed with layers of green, cream, and black - it's coming out in black and white - nothing at all like the glorious color result you showed in your other video (canvas wall art) - suggestions? running it at 3600 speed and 22.5% power - Lightburn would not let me set a minimum power - this is hard!

[@philipershler420]

Do you think the diode laser would reduce the banding in the finished burn. If not is there anything that would help? Thanks.

[@joejohnsen6073]

Hey man! What watt c02 do you have? Trying to gauge my power settings

[@goodwoodman1]

Thanks Jim

[@TheEdgeofTech]

No prob! Thanks for watching!

[@PatriotCoinRings]

Good informaiton... I'm definitly loving my Light Burn software (sooooo much better than CAD) and constantly learning new stuff about it like what you are sharing here. Much appreciated.

[@kendispoto6871]

Helpful - Thanks

[@jwwilson1961]

Lasergrbl doesn't do portraits on my cnc-3018pro as you stated. Everything I tried failed to produce a decent portait. I haven't tried Lightbburn.

[@katsuragisan1]

hello.I am interesting if Lightburn autonatically recognize image resolution once you import image before starting processing.

[@ropeany1]

If you turn the wook 90 degrees so the grain is running up and down instead of side to side you will get a nicer image without a lot of the banding you see in it now. Nice work though and Lightburn is really great for doing edits and adjustments

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Thanks! I appreciate the advice, and I'll give that a try!

[@colintate]

@@TheEdgeofTech Also, take a small amount of borax mixed with water, and lightly brush it on the wood - and let it dry (naturally or assisted). Magic solution to darken the burn.

[@infographie]

Excellent.

[@DreamWalker38]

Great video! Thanks

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Thank you!

[@robertwlafferty153]

I just got a m50 and have a x7 and would like to set the x7 just for glasses and tumbrels can i do this in lightburn or should I use lightburn for one a and Lasergrbl for the other?

[@oscrfsh]

I'm trying to burn photos onto slate. What setting do u recommend. I am using a ortur laser master pro 2

[@karvtek]

How much is a decent diode laser? I have a 150w c02 but if a diode is better for images, I may purchase one. I can’t go above 11 percent on max power or it burns too much. How many watts is your c02?

[@dessieb123]

in lightburn version 12.0.0 half of the tabs are missing any way to get them back ive checked under windows tab, and reset to default great video btw

[@manuelcenteno100]

Jim, when I try to engrave a picture and start the job, the laser runs extremely slow even with a speed of 265 or more, do you know what is causing that in lightburn? I have the xtoll D1

[@brentf9616]

Great video! Do you prefer this built in tool to Gimp or image-r?

[@TheEdgeofTech]

They are both great tools and I would say to use whatever you like the most! I just want to show this tool as well! :)

[@brentf9616]

Very cool, thanks!

[@matthewnedwards2]

Do you happen to have a test file that you could share for the CO2 for testing cells per inch?

[@melvinmartinez5144]

Hi Jim, My name is Melvin, I have just purchased a laser engraver from Two Trees. I've been watching a lot of videos on KZbin about working with lasers and lightburn is what everyone recommends. My question is when I decide to purchase the software I know that I can use it in up to two computers...My question is can I use it on a PC and a Mac? Or is it two of the same? Please let me know, so I can get on with the purchase. Thank you for your time and assistance with this matter and I look forward to working with Lightburn. Sincerely, Melvin

[@TheEdgeofTech]

I am not sure, but I think you can use it on any 2 machines you want. I would reach out to the Lightburn Team and ask them to be safe.

[@FlorAmbario]

I wonder why Halftone, and not grey scale? Is that aesthetics or better image transfer?

[@ryancampbell2192]

Has anyone here tried the "borax hack"? By painting the wood with a light coat of borax/water solution prior to printing that turns your burn patterns from brown to black. Saw it on another channel & can't wait to try it.

[@diannabreland3894]

I use the borax water on almost everything I burn now. It works well for me.

[@eddehvh7665]

Hello, So I’ve been trying to print an image where it’s got seperate lines where its obly fifty precent filled. This is so that i can print anorher image that’s fifty precent filled so that it is moving with the light. What I am encountering is that the image adjustment interferes with this and that I was wondering how to turn off adjust image/image adjustment.

[@MrJimpurvis]

When would you choose grey scale?

[@shadowrage2593]

When engraving on a metal CHROME ring, is it better to have a picture with WHITE BACKGROUND AND BLACK TEXT or the other way around?

[@allenemilystewart6039]

Omg did you cut all your hair off???? That’s one precious baby!

[@AcryliWoodDesigns]

Hi! I have a D1Pro 20W and need to engrave photos on anodized aluminum business cards. What settings do you recommend? Thanks!

[@ainttakenanyshit]

FIRST - Set you beam focus for the smallest beam point, NOT what the "built in" tool may set for you. The built-in focus tools set the focus distance for CUTTING and not for surface engraving. Test to be sure, but, generally doubling the focus height will best approximate a surface focus distance....

[@ainttakenanyshit]

Your *very best* improvement can be obtained by FIRST testing/measuring your machines beam focus. Some lasers use a leg, others use a drop down stick, but, these focus distances are more geared for cutting, not surface engraving. My Alpha drop-down focus stick set a 5 mm distance, (from bottom of laser head to burning surface). When I tested for optimal - smallest beam focus, the distance measured ~ 10 mm. SO, as picture "settings" MAY help, the VERY BEST adjustment is to set your machines focus for the smallest beam point and NOT what the built in focus tool may set.... See other videos on how to test - ramp test, focus test etc.

[@peteh241]

I am using lightburn and have a ortur laser master 3 and my images are not burning square they are drifting to the right, I drew a box arround my image and that will burn square then the image burns crooked then I rebuts the square and it burns square it is only doing this on images if I am doing anything in a line tool path it works perfectly,have you ever seen this?or know y it may be doing this?

[@RajSharma-zj2tt]

Hi sir I have atomstack A5 pro .please tell me what settings I do..I have been trying to engrave images it doesn't work at all ..

[@duaneheda3236]

Is the setup the same using a diode?

[@saltytears4711]

I'm trying to do this but my print image just looks like it's taking all the darkest parts of the image and everything else doesn't exist. I got this xtool d1 and lightburn specifically for this.

[@dopejd]

I think if you used baking soda on the wood first , just mix some baking soda with water and spray the wood down first it will darken it up and helps with the image

[@ryancampbell2192]

I've recently watched a video using borax instead of baking soda same solution & either a light painted coat or a mist from a spay bottle) that purportedly turns the burn much "blacker" for much higher contrast. I just moved & my engraver is still packed in a box, but thought I'd share. Best of luck & if you try it, let me know how it goes (I hate moving! I just want to get engraving, but apparently having a functional kitchen & bedroom are the "priorities" 🤣)

[@jessesquela]

How long did it take to engrave that image on your co2?

[@MrJfrutuoso1972]

HELP - I'm using TwoTrees TS2 10w diode and the preview comes out to dark on Lightburn, how can I tune it?

[@mutaharzubair9251]

Hi I am right clicking but that bar of adjust image , trace image is not showing Could you kindly help me regarding this issue

[@chrischristian8153]

Hi, if I send you a picture, can you process it and upload it to RDWorks8?

[@parker1ray]

Use the center tool!

[@robertstrickland1979]

are your setting in mm or inches

[@davidweaver1960]

My Q is why wouldn't you use Greyscale as that seems to be the highest resolution?

[@patdennis4576]

the question is how do you arrive at speed and power for engraving photos??? can't find anything anywhere

[@kukasally]

This software works for Laserpecker 2?

[@freekdebruin2642]

Hi there need help my laser infill is dotty what could fix it

[@ronaldmartin9808]

When do you know when to use T1 or not, why not just a normal layer?

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Great question!! The "T" Layers are "Tool" layers and don't get burned. They would be used for a Template, Masking, or Cropping. Pretty much anything you want to create that is a guide, but will not be burned. If That makes sense!

[@manusiapurba7529]

Jika foto berwarna apakah harus dibuat hitam putih dulh

[@scubaGregory]

hello. I cannot fint the "aply mask to image ". Maybe because it is the trial version I currently use?

[@sherrithompson7574]

you have to use the tool box, have image and tool box selected, rt click inside image and you should see it

[@scubaGregory]

@@sherrithompson7574 i have done that 😥

[@JorgeFernandez-us5fl]

Can you help me my lightburn wont do pictures

[@MrJimpurvis]

Can you gray scale on slate?

[@TheEdgeofTech]

I think you could using different powers/speeds to get different color marks on the slate! Some testing would be needed, but it would be pretty cool!

[@glelp]

Does anyone know why when I try to print a picture, it prints but the picture is printed with a drift

[@KWANTlZE]

do I need to add sealer to slate ?

[@TheEdgeofTech]

If you want to! Some people really like that. Look, some people don't. I would definitely try one and see how you feel about it 🙂

[@stoklasajiri2426]

me..cell 200 - DPI 600 (but maximum is 1000 ) I'll try next time :P

[@misero1]

dont forget about the borax trick for wood to get crystal clean dark burns

[@lkwood1800]

What's the borax trick?

[@misero1]

@@lkwood1800 you dilute a spoon of borax into a bowl of water and then either spray or brush it on the wood allowing it to dry and it makes it so you get really nice clean lines although it is a trade off for durability as you have to sprits the price with water after and let dry to help the suit conjoin and then lacquer it or it rubs off easily

[@ttoddh1]

Kinda funny you using the presets but in real life, back in the day, newspapers only used halftone photos. Not sure why they chose to incorrectly label settings, or put their label on incorrect terms.

[@highperformancebassboats]

Eggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggslemt. thanx for sharing

[@brieedgeworth5331]

Hey what's up my homie it's been 38 years since I saw you. I hope you're doing well. :) -Bries friend

[@olestampevestergaard4746]

I would suggest not shrinking the image to test, take a section of the same size instead. Also the contrast will depend on the image you are doing, so you should probably not just select 11 across all images

[@seanwilson3330]

Mine didn't come.out too well lol

[@Cornelis-ch7lr]

That's the one thing I don't like about a laser engraver at all. Engraving a photo. It just doesn't look pretty. If you use borax it's quite an improvement but even then.

[@FotoliveDK]

try image-r

[@TheEdgeofTech]

I have some videos using that as well!

[@rexx_da_weiler7513]

I need help with doing this for a coin

[@johnnenni7134]

I bet all of the likes are people who actually did a project.

[@CTuna-uo3pq]

Haven't done one from this guy yet. But his videos are educational and his personality is pretty pleasant.

[@ruya_lazer_kesim]

I have endless respect for labor. but the result is not good. If you send it at a slower speed, the wood laser projection will appear blacker

[@IronMan-yg4qw]

meh. its better to just use imag-r :)

[@TheEdgeofTech]

That's a powerful tool too and I've shown how to use it as well! But if you dial in your settings, you wouldn't have to use multiple apps anymore, and that's pretty cool too! Thank you for watching!

[@ptal78]

It looks washed out

[@norbertgergely9941]

lol, this isn't good at all :)))

[@SlingShotNinja]

Wow ! I don't know much, but I was using this when you were using gimp. 3 or 4 🥷 years ago.