Photo Engraving on Slate with a Diode Laser

How hard can it be right? WRONG!! Engraving photos on slate coasters with my Ortur Laser Master 3 diode laser using Imag-R and Lightburn software.
I explain how I went from substandard to sublime results, using material tests and output levels to fine tune my engrave. It's a bit of a long one but worth watching till the end to get a full understanding of how you to can improve you photo engraves on slate.

[@chriscoverdale6692]

Probably the best and definitely the most helpful explanation of the black art of laser engraving on slate. Thank you.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey there Chris, really appreciate the feedback, glad you found it helpful

[@bigsubful]

The best video on lasering slates that I've seen. Many thanks

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for watching and I really appreciate your feedback - glad it was helpful for you

[@DDD422.D]

this is so OP I can't believe it, thank you very much for sharing that info!!

[@mrcraftsmith]

thanks for watching and I'm glad you found it helpful :)

[@chrishumbert1533]

Was struggling with slate until I watched your video. You explained everything very well. Thank you for an awesome instructional!!!

[@mrcraftsmith]

You're welcome Chris - I'm glad you found it helpful 👍

[@brianosullivan4475]

Another great tutorial. Thank you so much for making these.

[@iraqsarmad]

The Best Video Ever to show and explain Engraving on Salte Tile, Thanks a lot

[@mrcraftsmith]

Glad you found it helpful Sarmad - thanks for watching 🙂

[@aaroneoghann4539]

Thank you so much! You are ther first I have found to go into such detail. This is such a help.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Glad you found it helpful Aaron 🙂

[@Mad4saxBrewery]

Super video. Great way to tune setting for all projects on all material. Worth the time to perform. Thank you!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for your comment - glad you found it helpful, I will get around to performing the same tests on wood and white tile for comparison in the coming weeks

[@jonaszanini]

Awesome. That helped me a lot. Thank you for the great video and detailed explanation.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Glad it helped! :)

[@ashracampbell-clarke1887]

I am very pleased with all the videos you have made thus far. Your tutorials are clear and easy to follow. I know my way around photoshop a little (very little) and the way you went into the program and explained what you were doing was very easy for me to follow. I was amazed by the improvement. Having programs and knowing how to use them properly really makes a difference. I look forward to seeing more videos from you, keep up the great work. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thank you Ashra - I'm pleased it made sense. I learn new stuff every day, and I'm just wanting to share what I learn, so I appreciate your support, thank you for tuning in :)

[@beverlybenham3458]

That was awesome, Darren! I haven't tried photos on slate yet, but I've done some on ply that have been only so-so. I'm looking forward to trying these tips and to trying some photos on slate. Excellent explanations of your process; keep up the good work!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi there Beverly - Thank you - I appreciate you watching - I haven't tried photos on ply as yet - but am going to give it a go - best of luck with your slate tiles :)

[@fossfix]

FANTASTIC I may have to watch this a few times over for it to sink in, it will set my photo engraving on a another level THANK YOU.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thank you for tuning in - make sure you also check out my latest video which is an update to photo engraving on slate - it dives a bit deeper to help explain some of the limitations we have using diode lasers 🙂

[@fossfix]

@@mrcraftsmith Thank you I definitely will. and thank you again for helping me understand more about process for photo engraving.

[@1964Moondog]

Fantastic! Thanks so much for this. I was having so many problems engraving photos and I think I can apply these techniques to other materials as well. Thanks again.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for the feedback Todd - glad you found it helpful

[@rich971]

Been struggling with this on the xtool M1 pro and now you sorted it . Great video thankyou

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Richard, glad it was helpful :)

[@RichardHubbuck]

Thank you very much for taking the time to experiment, use your resources, film and edit this production.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey Richard - hanks for watching - I appreciate the feedback - thank you 😊

[@walonguy111]

Good Morning Darren, I just finished watching your video and as always it was excellent. I’ve been struggling engraving some photos on slate coasters. This info will definitely help me, thank you!.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Well it's 10pm here Dave - and I'm about ready to hit the sack :) - glad you found it worth the watch

[@jf5336]

Wow, such excellent descriptions of what you did and why you did it! Thanks from a new laser owner who is in the very early learning process.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey there JF - thanks for watching- glad you found it helpful

[@thorus528]

This info is pure Gold!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for watching and happy you got something out of it 🙂

[@mallard832]

Good job! Thank you! I'm on my way now with the slates I received from an old building.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks Jean-Luc - I want to get hold of some larger tiles to do some bigger work - have fun 🙂

[@4dan2]

Nice work! Thank you!

[@mrcraftsmith]

You’re welcome Daniel - thanks for watching 🙂

[@behavis]

Very interesting approach. I have hardly any knowledge of photo adjusting etc. I just adjusted the gamma and contrast. Getting similar results but this is definitely a more scientific approach to the problem 😅 Nice work!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thank you for your comments. I had seen a bunch of comments in groups that where doing just that, adjusting gamma and contrast, I figured there must be a way to measure the limitation of the laser and my logical brain likes to know the why and how 😃

[@MrDoodsie56]

Darren, this is exactly the video I wished I would have watched from Day 1. I recently purchased my very first laser (the Roly Lasermatic 20w) and tried my hand at lasering a photo onto a slate coaster tonight. It did not turn out great, but I'm looking forward to trying your great tricks for my next coaster burn tomorrow night. Thank you so much! ~Dale.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks Dale - the Roly Lasermatic looks like a pretty capable machine - I haven't been able to move up to the 20w lasers yet - but is in the goals list for this year - enjoy :)

[@MrDoodsie56]

I'm not tied to this brand, but the LaserMatic is quickly growing into being one of the most sought after laser for home use. They have a 30 watt and are coming out with a new 40 watt soon. Amazing customer support too. It's very common to get a reply from the CEO when you have a question. Thanks again for your great videos, Darren!

[@robertsmithson1371]

Thanks! this worked a treat and has lifted my expectations. only had the Atomstack A5 for a week and was starting to lose faith.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey there Robert - appreciate the Superthanks - glad it was helpful for you - stick at it - the learning curve can be challenging but the reward of learning a new skill is worth it

[@JuliaRusso-vg7sy]

As a retired pro photog, I picked this up quickly. But I really appreciate the ease of your explanations and instruction. Bravo! And thanks for sharing, ya'll.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for tuning in Julia - having a photography background helps for sure, happy to be sharing as I learn myself 🙂

[@sreed7922]

Same. Retired Combat Photog. Great explanation!

[@spudnickuk]

so glad to see a Laser diode vid Well you hit the nail on the head. by saying do a material test. every time i get lazy i get poor results, so i cant stress enough, DO the tests.

[@mrcraftsmith]

100% 😀 - thanks for tuning in

[@user-ig8xy4do8l]

Hi. Best instructional video ever. But please can you explain how you setup to print the dynamic range. Thank you

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi there - thanks for the feedback...appreciated - try this file for the dither test - I have a feeling I have gone through setting up the file in another video - tinyurl.com/mrcraftsmithslatedither254

[@Photobyjstenberg]

Thanks thanks thanks!! This video was worth its weight in gold

[@mrcraftsmith]

Glad you found it helpful

[@lukesmith90]

That’s a great tutorial, thank you

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey Luke - appreciate you tuning in - glad it was helpful to you.

[@moodymysta]

this is such a helpful video !

[@mrcraftsmith]

thanks - glad you found it helpful

[@timothycottrell2635]

Spot on Daz just what the Dr ordered thank you

[@mrcraftsmith]

You’re welcome Tim

[@sputnik4216]

No Darren. The "proof of the pudding is in the eating" , is the correct quote! Good info otherwise thank you! Very Good.

[@mrcraftsmith]

You're welcome Sputnik, and yes you picked me up on a misquote, however I didn't say who says "the proof is in the pudding" maybe they are not as intelligent as you ;) :D

[@Marvel3DUK]

This was really helpful thanks

[@mrcraftsmith]

You’re welcome - thanks for watching

[@shoot2killfilms]

Thank you , this is amazing

[@mrcraftsmith]

You're welcome Jacque 🙂

[@linassapnagis2174]

wow'ish how amazaing You explain everything

[@mrcraftsmith]

thank you for tuning in :)

[@merrillalbury8214]

lots to learn.

[@mrcraftsmith]

As have we all Merrill 😀

[@chiefus3536]

Great explanation Darren, love these tutorials. Thanks for putting them together. I am new to the laser hobby world. Having a diode laser myself I am watching loads of videos at present. Question. Where are you finding the slate coasters in Australia? I am in FNQ. Cheers. Robert.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey there Robert - thanks for tuning in - I ended up getting the coasters at Rinkit - just google them and should come up - I got square and round ones - works out about $1 each

[@ukdnbmarsh]

this App is a dream, thanks for sharing :)

[@mrcraftsmith]

You're welcome 😊

[@thecarweewoodworker8629]

Thank you Darren, to me this makes perfect sense so I can use this procedure to define my images before I engrave. TBH this feels natural simpler than a lot of other threads I have followed over the last couple of years. I consider myself a novice as I don't get enough time with my laser. I have subscribed.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for watching - glad it made sense for you. Like yourself, I am very much a novice, I'm in the position currently that I can give it more of my time, so happy to share my findings as I learn myself :)

[@krazekilla224]

Gave a like a sub after this. Super helpful!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey there Chris - appreciate the support 👍 Glad you found it helpful

[@DeanWhiteUrbanPrintzSunderland]

I've had loads of problems engraving slate unless it's straight black/white vector images. I've tried and failed many times with image engraving. Being a photographer like yourself, my slates looked washed out and basically only good for the bin. I'm going to try this out and (fingers crossed) it helps. Subbed and liked

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Dean - yep vectors are pretty straight forward but mastering photo engraving is an ongoing process for sure 🙂Thanks for the like and sub 👍

[@chammockutube]

Awesome!!! Engineering thanks!!!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey there Chuck - thanks for watching

[@sunflowerforever69]

Aside from the fact that I am aching to see the pic of the "Tazzy Devil" and that you admit to "just being lazy" ' which cracked me up hahah, great video Darren. I haven´t tried your techniques yet but will give it a bash at some point. You got a sub and like from me. Cheers dude! (I want to see your Tazzy Devil pic please :) )

[@mrcraftsmith]

Gday Carole - thanks for tuning in - I’ll have to go through the archives and find the Tassie Devil pics - I remember them being a bit of a noisy bunch but pretty cute all the same - thanks for the sub and like 👍

[@the_edge_of_time]

Chalk and cheese? Love it.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thank you

[@cheekysaul11]

Thankyou so helpful

[@mrcraftsmith]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Darren There are two groups of engraving materials that you can work with. One is organic materials such as leather wood and card and these do have a colour range from very dark bown to very light brown (degrees of scorching). The second group is mineral materials that are what I call binary materials. They only produce one colour if you mechanically scratch them or hit them with a laser beam. Slate is one such material. When you fire the laser at it, because it is a silica material , it becomes a little volcano of pale grey glass. When you understand a bit more about how your diode laser works you will discover that the PWM burn dots get bigger as you increase the %power. and also the glass turns a bit yellower. The test pattern you are using from Lightburn is confusing you because there is no grayscale available on slate This pattern is really for organic materials. The the imagR result you get is a dithered image. Image R provides you with a DPI test that much better allows you to choose the best resolution for your images. The lack of dynamic range you see in the imagR slate you created is becuse your grey dots are too big for the resolution you chose.. To get the best image you need to make one grey dot the same size as one white pixel. Its really as simple as that and there is tool in imagerR helps you with that task. The size of your dot detrmines the resolution you can work at so the less power the better because the dots are smaller. see kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYbPe2d5rp58qac Best wishes

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for your comment on this - I understand what you are saying, and perhaps my explanation is a little off (relying on my photography background too much) - while technically not a grayscale, there is the appearance of light to dark (grayscale of sorts) within the dither pattern based on the distribution of the dots. With more testing based on a dot grid pattern created in Adobe Illustrator (0.1 x 0.1 mm dot size) I have found some interesting results. I have adjusted power to the minimum to get a consistent pattern from the test and have found that I get seperation on the y-axis but very limited on the x-axis with a 0 degree scan, however when I flip this to a 90 degree scan I'm getting a better "resolution" with more even seperation on both axis'. More testing to do I guess. Again thank you for your feedback it has encouraged me to dig a little deeper.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@mrcraftsmith Hi Darren You may wish to check out your dots with a magnifier for the solution. Most diode lasers start life as a rectangular semiconductor chip and the beam has to be shaped by optical elements within the head. This results in an elliptical beam shape meaning its kerf in X is different to the kerf in Y when you try to cut with it. The most difficult pattern to recreate is dithered mid grey which I created in Photoshop . Its basically a 254ppi chequer board pattern.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Yes I did examine the dots under a loupe that clearly showed the elliptical shape of the dot when using the 0 degree scan, however with the 90 degree scan the dots took on more of a rectangular shape - I’ll have to see if I can take a photo - as would be interested to get your thoughts

[@the_edge_of_time]

Thanks!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thank you Ed - very appreciative of your support :D

[@360_Wanderings]

Just noticed that you can change the levels in ImagR as well

[@mrcraftsmith]

Yes that feature was added after I did this video 😀

[@markpile3814]

Great video I am using a AlgoLaser Delta 22w laser and understood I should be using mm/ second however yo are using mm/minute I am very new to this I am a photographer so I understand the dynamic rage so any advice would be grate thank you Mark

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Mark - I guess the common thread I have seen is mm/min for diode generally as they are slower than CO2 - but use what you are comfortable with and just remember to convert if required

[@rustyp21]

Great video! Will this dithering test patern work for the Norton White Tile Method?

[@mrcraftsmith]

it should do yes - however because with NWT the laser produces black rather than white the blackpoint would be the adjustment required not the white point :)

[@kamz007]

Nice work mate. Quick question. Did you paint the slate. Or was it just a normal black slate. And also what do I use to seal it. Thanks keep up the good work

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for watching - the tile was not painted but did have a light coat of satin varnish - I spray the tile before I engrave - just personal preference

[@Zoupyx]

Hi Daren, thank you very much for your video, it was a great help!!! However, I have a problem with the engraving time: for a 60x40mm photo I have a huge engraving time with the "pass-through" option -> 40 minutes estimated at a speed of 5000mm/min but in reality for the engraving to finish it takes 5 times longer i.e. 2h30... Whereas if I burn the same photo from ImagR but without pass-through it only takes 8 minutes...(but not the same result ofc) Is it normal to have such a long burning time for such a small image size? I can't even imagine if I burned a 300x200mm photo, it would take me a whole day... Cheers!

[@mrcraftsmith]

that does sound odd - can you screenshot your settings?

[@the_edge_of_time]

Great Videos! Yes videos I spent most of yesterday afternoon watching your others. I hoped I help covering part of the cost of the imar software. If you are so inclined can you please provide a link to it? I would rather own it then lease it. Thanks again.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Again thank you Ed - I hope you got something out of my other videos as well - as for pricing on Imagr - it is a subscription model as with most software these days - so if you feel you will get the benefit from it then for sure it is a good program - I didn't renew my subscription as my work tends to be more design based than image engraving - here is the link to the website showing pricing www.imag-r.com/pricing

[@mazzugara]

Excellent and subed. One question, where did you get that grey scale scale from? I need to do this on my lasers......

[@mrcraftsmith]

I made the file myself in Photoshop - this one might work for you - tinyurl.com/mrcraftsmithdither

[@brandonott3346]

Very cool and useful tips. I appreciate you explaining it like your talking to a toddler because I have dabbled with polarr but I'm not too great at editing photos. Would you mind uploading your dynamic range test file somewhere for us?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Brandon thanks for the feedback - I'm away from my computer for the next week - but when I'm back I'll get something to you

[@mrcraftsmith]

this file should work tinyurl.com/mrcraftsmithslatedither254

[@edingcnc7685]

Hi Darren, this is great thanks. Could you explain how to do it with a freeware tool like Gimp?

[@mrcraftsmith]

I'm sorry but I haven't used gimp, however I would assume it has a levels adjustment similar to Photoshop

[@jimhribnak2671]

Do you have the gradient file avail for download? I have been trying to do images on slate for ever and this video is the best showing how to do it

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Jim - thanks for reaching out - I think this is the file you are after - let me know - tinyurl.com/digitalbaristagradients

[@williamgaffney4412]

That was excellent, just wondering where you got your greyscale image for photoshop. Looking forward to more of your videos

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi William - thanks for watching :) - I created the greyscale myself in photoshop - I just adujsted the colour in HSB settings "B" for black and change the percentage - hope that helps - I can do a really quick video if that helps?

[@williamgaffney4412]

@@mrcraftsmith That would be very helpful

[@ashracampbell-clarke1887]

@@mrcraftsmith Yes the vid will help, because I to was wondering where to locate it. TIA

[@mrcraftsmith]

@@ashracampbell-clarke1887 I will post up something in the next couple of days - keep an eye out for it :)

[@user-xg1dw3es1k]

Hi, great video. Do you know if the “levels” adjustment can be done in lightroom classic (or even apple photos)?

[@mrcraftsmith]

in Lightroom you could experiment with Black Levels - but it's just a slider

[@eimead]

@@mrcraftsmith Just to piggyback on to this reply, I noticed after watching this video (Thanks a million by the way, hugely helpful) that even the free online version of ImagR has levels adjustment too. Worth noting. Also just curious if your laser is the 10w or 20w version? Thanks so much for this video. Incredibly helpful

[@RJ_Effect1078]

Awesome stuff thanks so much , this method should work on wood and maybe other material if yiu do the tests as shown ?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thank you for watching - you’re absolutely welcome and I’m glad you got something out of it - I’m in a time poor situation at present but I will be doing similar testing on wood and white tile - hoping to record the Norton White Tile video today fingers crossed

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thank you for watching - you’re absolutely welcome and I’m glad you got something out of it - I’m in a time poor situation at present but I will be doing similar testing on wood and white tile - hoping to record the Norton White Tile video today fingers crossed

[@mickhawkins182]

great videos chap just wondering what settings to use with my foxalien laser with 5.5w output using lightburn to get the best results and also what scale would you recommend ie. greyscale etc. sorry also the slate will be coated with a matt varnish first

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey there Mick - thanks for watching - I can’t really answer your question regarding settings for your particular laser - you will need to do some material tests as shown in the video - in your case if you use the 7x7 grid that I have shown you might need to run 2 coasters - at least then you will have a better understanding of your laser - and once you have the ideal engrave setting do the greyscale and I’m sure you will see similar results - when photo engraving it uses a dither pattern which is a bunch of dots and the density of the dots determines the perceived greyscale - you will just have to runs the tests to find out the best results for your laser - and yes I clear coat the coaster before engraving - hope that helps

[@WaterN2WineCreations]

Darren, I just found you on KZbin tonight. I have watched a lot of people doing laser burning on KZbin, but some just seem to relate to me better than others. You, Sir, are one of those that “click” maybe it is the photography background. Can you tell me where you got the grayscale file you had in photoshop? I don’t see why your method ( which is the best I have seen) can not be applied to most other mediums I can laser!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey Phillip - thanks for taking the time to give me your feedback, very much appreciated - the grayscale range was created by myself in Photoshop. Yep I have used this method for NWT (Norton White Tile) as well

[@user-xg1dw3es1k]

Hi, great video. I don’t subscribe to photoshop and I’m a Mac user - what alternatives are there for adjusting the “output levels”? Thanks.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Imag-r now offers levels adjustment - they offer a free trial

[@anitajulie]

Just installed gimp and that also supports output levels - yet to try it though....@@mrcraftsmith

[@nitrom68]

How do you do the greyscale in photoshop? Or is there a file you can share? I can't remember if I've seen this concept here or somewhere else,, but with the laser it makes perfect scents. What I mean all grayscale for laser are 100 to 15 percent thanks. For video

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for watching - I’ll put together a quick tutorial in the next couple of days explaining how to do it 🙂

[@nitrom68]

Is the slate pretreated? I did a power scale on sanded then clear coated tile, using lightburn power scale generator for the first time, and had some strange outcomes. I like the old way of making my own power scale with shape properties.

[@spikester1968]

I know this is an old video, but I have a question, the gradient scale you burned onto the tile, is that a file you created or one you downloaded? If it is downloadable, where can I find it. I'm not very well versed in photoshop so I have no clue where to start to create it.

[@mrcraftsmith]

you could try this one - tinyurl.com/mrcraftsmithslatedither254

[@chriscowan8470]

Cheers Boss :)

[@mrcraftsmith]

No problem 👍

[@papadopoulosantonis55]

Well, its an eye opening video!! Nice approach. But can i ask something? For ppl like me, that are not photographers, is there a away to do what you do on a free platform or program like Gimp?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for the feedback - my understanding is that Gimp has similar layer functionality as Photoshop so you should be able to do so, however I have never used Gimp, so I am not 100% sure. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Imagr now has similar functionality and you can get a free trial to see if it of value to you.

[@papadopoulosantonis55]

​ @@mrcraftsmith we thank you m8,cause you give us an other point of view. You see ,there are ppl out there,like me ,that have no clue about photography in general. My background is from a designer's point of view ,since is am a civil engineer. So its nice to see your approach. Thanks for your time :)

[@mrcraftsmith]

@@papadopoulosantonis55 you are most welcome 😃

[@BelandVic]

Great videos, how long did this take at these settings.

[@mrcraftsmith]

thanks for watching - from memory about 30 minutes I think

[@stevenjohnson7125]

Sorry to sound thick Is it the 10w laser Do I need to alter every photo in gimp before adding to image r or once done can yiu just use the settings automatically or do yiu need to do this process every time

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey Steven - yes it's a 10w laser - as far as processing - that will be independent based on the photo you are wanting to engrave, however the "dynamic range" that your laser will be able to distinguish should not change, the only variables will be the image and the material you are engraving

[@stevenjohnson7125]

@@mrcraftsmith thanks I will watch the video again tonight and see what happens Just spent 6 hrs trying yesterday with lightburn but a better burn with image r

[@richardgurney8098]

Hi. Is it possible to upload the test file for the range of white that the laser is capable of printing? I loved the video but didn’t spot how you created it.

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Richard - if you check out my other videos I explain how to create one - I am away on holidays without a computer so I can look when I get back the end of January

[@user-kg6ps5fl7n]

Hello. Please could I ask if there is another photo editing program I could do this on other than photoshop?

[@mrcraftsmith]

I'm sure there are, however I have not had to do any research around that topic as I have had Photoshop for years. Imag-R now has a levels adjustment function, GIMP is an open source program that has similar functionality to Photoshop, you will just need to do further research yourself on those options, good luck :)

[@tonyrfp]

Hi thanks for such a great tip, do you think this will help on wood?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hey Antony - great question and thanks for watching - I have done a video addressing engraving on wood - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYiql3-jqZudps0 - definitely worth watching - in my opinion at this point I have more work to do to get better results on wood - so keep an eye out in the coming weeks for an update on this 🙂

[@tonyrfp]

@@mrcraftsmith Hi darren will definateley be watching, what version of Photoshop where you using? and do the newer versions have the same tool?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Antony - I’m on the latest version of PS - what tool do you mean?

[@tonyrfp]

@@mrcraftsmith In the video, you where on photoshop and you said add a layer, and then adjust the output level to accommodate the lasers capabilities, down from 255 to about 128 i think it was, when i added a layer there was nothing in it, no image at all, but i think i have managed to do it on the original image layer no need to add a layer, going to try the engrave later

[@MrBoyrandom]

Struggling with the white test. I made the same test pattern in Photoshop from black to white/0 to 100 and for some reason my laser is engraving it all white. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? This is a great video and everything has been a game changer but I can't find my white balance. Any help would be great!

[@mrcraftsmith]

Did you do a material test first in Lightburn to find the optimum engrave settings

[@DavesCave]

Is there a way to change the dynamic range without photoshop? Enjoyed your presentation Just got the end of your video and you suggest gimp as a free option Yeah gave you a thumbs up

[@mrcraftsmith]

Gday Dave - thanks for watching - I haven't personally used Gimp - but functionality wise I believe it is similar - the other option would be Imag-r - now has introduced levels adjustment as per this video :)

[@DavesCave]

@@mrcraftsmith I redid a photo on slate adjusting white balance using Imagr Chalk and cheese. Thank you

[@mrcraftsmith]

Excellent Dave

[@adamlord4143]

Hi Darren. Great video. Is there anyway to do this without photoshop?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi Adam - I believe you can do a similar effect directly in imagr software - the other alternative would be Gimp which is open source - but I have never used that program so I couldn't direct you with that one

[@adamlord4143]

Thanks again Darren.

[@mrcraftsmith]

@@adamlord4143 - no worries :)

[@koalakarvings]

Why do my engravings become blotchy ? I use invert image on img r then lightburn import amd burn

[@mrcraftsmith]

hard to say without seeing an image to what you are referring - are you able to post a pic?

[@lesleyreed4617]

How can i get a copy of the grayscale image you used?

[@mrcraftsmith]

My first suggestion Lesley would be to ask nicely ;) - in any event try this file tinyurl.com/mrcraftsmithslatedither254

[@user-ed4kw8dh3d]

How could i get a copy of that gradient test?

[@mrcraftsmith]

I think this is the file you are after - let me know - tinyurl.com/digitalbaristagradients

[@MileyonDisney]

c o o l

[@mrcraftsmith]

thanks

[@infiniteai9768]

How can I get/create the gradient test?

[@mrcraftsmith]

the gradient was created in Photoshop - if you do not have access to Photoshop to create it - try this file - tinyurl.com/mrcraftsmithslatedither254

[@scotttucker5601]

I see a lot of people spraying urethane on the slates before engraving. You don't do that? Is it not necessary?

[@mrcraftsmith]

I probably didn't for this test, but yes I do spray lightly before, it seems to increase the contrast somewhat - thanks for watching

[@davidlashaway]

Can you do this with Paint Shop Pro 2023 instead of Photoshop?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Hi David - I would imagine Paint Shop Pro would have a similar toolset to photoshop to create what I’ve done here

[@amscrambles]

Where can I get a grayscale chart like that?

[@mrcraftsmith]

Sorry about the delay - my best suggestion is to have a go at making one yourself - otherwise you should be able to use this file - drive.google.com/file/d/1qal-eg1MIKSei1JHdN-U2CqRBTV2Oqem/view?usp=drive_link

[@Optikification]

when i drop an image r image into lightburn it as inverted image ticked to. I see you didnt.

[@mrcraftsmith]

I expect I had previously turned it off in imagr

[@KaeMProd]

Great video Can you send me the gradation file so I can try it out Thanks

[@mrcraftsmith]

Thanks for watching - try this file drive.google.com/file/d/1qal-eg1MIKSei1JHdN-U2CqRBTV2Oqem/view?usp=drive_link

[@danmatthew1720]

is this the offline version thanks

[@mrcraftsmith]

Yes Dan - I have the off-line version of Imag-r

[@ImagR-Laser]

Wow, I assume we need a Levels Function :)

[@mrcraftsmith]

well it works for me, I'm sure you can achieve the same results with the tools within Imag-r - I am just 15 years more familiar with photoshop :)

[@ImagR-Laser]

@@mrcraftsmith we will add the levels within the next update. I tested your way and got awesome results.

[@mrcraftsmith]

@@ImagR-Laser I saw your posts in the Facebook group - they look great

[@danielfisk4665]

Why not just use lightburn?

[@mrcraftsmith]

No reason Daniel - this was just my experience based on my research - at some point I will go through the lightburn options and see how they perform

[@DeclanGreen]

Hi, thanks for the great video. I was wondering how you made the test print file at kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHXNdquVg8hmZ7M Thank you

[@mrcraftsmith]

I just made that in Photoshop

[@sameverett9871]

Thanks!

[@mrcraftsmith]

G’day Sam - thank you 🙏 - hope you found the content helpful

[@sameverett9871]

@@mrcraftsmith I can't tell you how much I was struggling with this issue. After watcvhing your video, I reopened one of the photos I used for a slate coaster in Paint Shop Pro and made the max and min output changes that my earlier tests showed were the limits of my machine. The results between the new and old coasters are like night and day!

[@mrcraftsmith]

That’s an awesome outcome 👍