Mastering the Magic of Lightburn Image Modes

[@holliday9416]

wow the metal business card results just perfect!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yes, the Omni1 is a sweet laser. It's now my go-to for these sort of thing. The dog at the beginning was also done with this laser on mirror acrylic.

[@BeamMeUpLaserEngraving]

0:07 Wow, Top quality right there. ✅️

[@holliday9416]

im not an expert but i thought the same!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

This image is actually done with Stucki on the ComMarker Omni1. If I was willing to take a lot more time, this laser can even do a lot higher resolution than this.

[@multicraftneo5789]

Thanks for the great video, always learning

[@SteveMakesEverything]

That's the beauty of this hobby. There's always something new to learn.

[@bryanbaldwin]

Thank you, Steve. This was very helpful.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad to hear it!

[@Fancylooks]

You always do very helpful videos, very informative and well researched, thank you so much. I always use Jarvis but I like the pop style of halftone as well. Never tried others you show, now I feel tempted to make the same tests you made and get to know them by my own experience.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

If you normally use Jarvis, give Stucki a try to see if you like it better

[@asherdiy]

Nice video, Steve! Stucki is probably my favorite too. When I am testing a new material for photo engraving on a diode laser, I usually only test Stucki, Jarvis, and Dither, because those always seem to give me the best results. At least on what I’ve tried so far. Anyway, I really liked your overview of the modes here, it’s interesting to see all the options side by side.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Agreed, though I would add Grayscale to this list as well. There are some materials where grayscale makes an image pop if your laser supports it (e.g. Diode lasers)

[@asherdiy]

@@SteveMakesEverything - Thanks for the reply, and interesting point. You mentioned UV lasers won't support greyscale, but I'm guessing that co2 lasers DO support greyscale? Unless I'm missing something there.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@asherdiy No If you use the grayscale image mode with a CO2 laser you will get 3D depth engraving instead. Only diode lasers can do grayscale reliably.

[@asherdiy]

@@SteveMakesEverything - I see. Interesting stuff! Sounds like I need to play around with Greyscale some more. Cheers!

[@RoseKindred]

A few days late, but I wanted to thank you for this easy and informative breakdown. I knew the value of testing, but, I forgot about different modes for different materials. Power/Speed, sure, but using Sketch versus Halftone could really change things (and save time versus having to outline/trace).

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I'm glad you found it helpful! It's one of those things that's often overlooked.

[@claytonkumuhone612]

Awesome video. Thank you for all this good information

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad it was helpful!

[@runtime1976]

Very interested in the topic

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hopefully it was useful

[@phaleen]

Thank you! Do you have a video like this for a CO2 laser?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Not specifically. These modes will work on CO2 lasers, though CO2 lasers don’t really do grayscale, so stick with one of the dithered image modes for that.

[@kevinbankos3119]

What is the best way to put an image on a tumbler. Like a Collie dog? Grayscale?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

No, use a dithered image mode for this. Stucki or Jarvis would be best.

[@holliday9416]

Hi Dave awesome video as allways, i have a couple of subjects in wich i need your advice, im just about to receive my first diode 22w laser, i wish to ask wich drawing soft you preffer, inskape or adobe ilustrator, i cant get corel, and if i cant buy lightburn for the moment there are some free program to use at the start? thanks a lot as allways for all the knowledge you share whit us, big hug from Argentina!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I have use Inkscape a lot, though for most things that I engrave I use Kittl. I have a playlist for this. The licensing term Abode has adopted make anything they sell prohibitive to me.

[@holliday9416]

@@SteveMakesEverything understand thanks a lot Dave i cant believe u answer so fast! have a great week!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@holliday9416 Yep - even when you call me Dave 😀

[@dl5244]

no mention of CO2 laser engraving?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Since this video is focused on the image modes in Lightburn, I was trying to avoid the specifics of individual lasers. All of these modes work with a CO2 laser as well.