Free tool · no sign-up · your photo stays on your device
Photo to laser engraving
Pick a photo, your material and laser. Get a ready-to-engrave PNG at your laser's exact resolution, and a small test card to find the best settings before the real piece.
Engrave the card on a scrap of your material. Then click the square that looks best: its brightness and dithering become your settings.
- Engraving size
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- Resolution
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- Engraving time, approx.
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- Test card
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Did your photo come out nicely?Buy the cat a coffee, from $2. It keeps these tools free and pays for the next ones; you get a free heart SVG set as a thank-you.
Need it on a gift that sells?Ready-to-cut ornaments, boxes and gifts with real artwork, or a design made just for you.
How to use it
- Choose a photo with a clear subject and good light. Faces and pets work best when they fill the frame.
- Pick the material and your laser, and type the width you want to engrave. The tool sets dithering, invert and resolution for you.
- Download the PNG and import it into LightBurn, xTool Creative Space or the Glowforge app. In LightBurn use Pass-Through mode, in xTool Creative Space choose Grayscale.
Test before the real piece
- Download the test card: nine small squares cut from the middle of your photo, 68 × 80 mm in total.
- Rows A, B and C are lighter, as set and darker. Columns 1, 2 and 3 use three different dithering styles.
- Engrave it with your usual speed and power for this material, pick the best square in the Test card tab, then download the full photo.
FAQ
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The photo is processed in your browser and never leaves your device. Nothing is sent to a server.
How do I import the file into LightBurn or xTool?
Just import the PNG: its size and resolution are saved in the file. The photo is already turned into dots, so your software must not dither it again. In LightBurn set the image mode to Pass-Through. In xTool Creative Space choose Grayscale, not Dot. If you chose Grayscale in Advanced settings, use Grayscale mode in both.
Which resolution should I use?
The tool picks it from your laser: 254 DPI (0.1 mm lines) for diode lasers, 300 DPI for CO₂ and 500 DPI for fiber lasers. If your laser makes finer dots, set a higher DPI in Advanced settings; on a diode laser, more than about 300 DPI makes the dots overlap and the photo burns dark. Use the same line interval in your laser software.
Why does it look grainy up close?
A laser either fires or not, so grey tones are made from dots, like a newspaper photo. From a normal distance the dots blend into smooth shades. Use "Zoom to dots" to see them.
Why is the photo inverted for slate, glass and aluminum?
On these materials the laser leaves a light mark on a dark or clear surface, so the light parts of the photo have to be engraved. The "On material" preview shows how it will look.
Why is acrylic mirrored?
Clear acrylic looks best engraved from the back: you view the photo through the sheet, so the file is mirrored and reads the right way round from the front.
Which dithering should I choose?
Jarvis and Stucki give smooth portraits on wood and leather. Floyd–Steinberg keeps fine detail on metal; Sierra Lite is a lighter, faster cousin of it. Atkinson gives brighter, high-contrast results that suit glass and acrylic. Bayer makes a regular pattern. Grayscale is for lasers that change power per pixel. The test card compares three of them for you.
What is burn spread compensation?
A burned dot is a little bigger than one pixel, so the result looks darker than the screen. This setting lightens the mid-tones to make up for it. Soft woods and leather need more, metal needs very little.
How accurate is the engraving time?
It is a rough estimate. The tool counts the lines your laser has to scan, how long each one is, and adds room to speed up and slow down at both ends, the way LightBurn engraves photos. Real time depends on your machine's acceleration, overscan and scanning settings, so expect it to differ by 10–30 %. Set your usual speed in Advanced settings for a closer number.
Can I sell what I engrave?
Yes. Files from this tool are free for personal and commercial use. Make sure you have the right to use the photo itself.