← EngravingSpecialised Laser Systems
Photo Lab.BY SPECIALISEDEARLY PREVIEW · 0.6◉  Images stay on this device

IMAGE TO ENGRAVING

Make every dot count.

Prepare, refine and export a photo for your laser.

LIVE PREVIEW

Fit preview reduces fine detail. Inspect at 100% to see the output pixels.

AFTER CROP & PLACEMENT
Engraving bitmap1-BIT · BLACK & WHITE
Birch plywoodSIMULATED MATERIAL
Preparing material preview…
Preparing calibration image…—

READY FOR YOUR WORKFLOW

A clean bitmap. At the right size.

Preparing output…

Export at the final size. Use pass-through / no further dithering in your laser software where available.

Local processing · no image upload

FROM PHOTO TO BITMAP

A simple preparation workflow.

  1. Open and size your image. Set the final engraving dimensions and resolution before dithering.
  2. Adjust the tones. Use Local contrast to bring out small differences, Lift shadows and Retain highlight tones for dark/light regions, then gentle sharpening. The Photo detail preset is a starting point. Select Prepared greyscale above the left preview to see the tones just before dithering. Invert for a material that produces light marks; mirror separately for rear engraving.
  3. Choose the pattern. Fine photo is a useful starting point. Dot scale groups pixels; density changes the proportion of marked pixels.
  4. Inspect at 100%. Fit view blends many output pixels into a small preview. Click an area of either image to inspect it, then drag to pan the visible views together. Use dot scale 1 px for maximum detail at the chosen DPI. Extra DPI cannot recover missing source detail.
  5. Preview a material. The third pane applies your actual bitmap to a simulated surface. Set material, colours, texture, mark strength and dot spread to approximate a real sample. Slate, anodised aluminium and acrylic show light marks, so a photo may need inversion. Changing material never silently changes the bitmap; use the inversion prompt if needed. The Wood category includes light, medium and dark tones. Clear acrylic shows the engraved face over a light or dark backing; Backing colour changes the surface behind the sheet. Coloured acrylic offers opaque black, blue, red, green and white sheets; Surface colour changes the sheet itself. Upload material photo uses your own surface photograph instead of the generated texture. Choose the closest material for the mark colour and light/dark behaviour, then adjust photo scale, position and rotation. The photo remains separate from your artwork and is not dithered. Photos are kept in memory for the session and are not saved in presets. Material-only view gives a larger mock-up.
  6. Export and test. BMP and PNG exports contain only black and white pixels, with resolution metadata. Check the imported dimensions in your laser software and avoid resizing or applying a second dither.

Your images are processed in this browser and are not uploaded. Your last-used settings are saved automatically in this browser and restored when you reopen this same page. Uploaded artwork and material photos are kept only for the session and must be reopened; rotation and photo placement start fresh. Use default settings resets your adjustments without deleting named presets. Presets are also saved in this browser's local storage; export them for a backup. Cropping is centred by default and can be repositioned with the crop sliders.

Material previews are illustrative, not calibrated predictions. Wood grain, focus, power, speed and lighting affect real results. Save mock-up produces a colour presentation image; use Download bitmap for laser output. This is an independent experimental processor. Presets are starting points, not validated laser power or speed settings. Physical results depend on your laser, focus and material.