Mastering Photographic Engraving on Wood
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Choosing the Right Image
The best candidates have strong contrast, defined edges, and limited fine shadow detail. Portraits with good lighting and high-contrast landscapes work well. Low-contrast images and heavy shadows are difficult — wood's grain limits achievable resolution.
Image Processing
- Convert to grayscale
- Boost contrast — push towards black and white, minimize grey midtones
- Apply smart sharpen — 60–80%, radius 0.8–1.2px
- Resize to target DPI — at 254 DPI, a 4×4" engrave needs 1016×1016px input
LightBurn Settings
Use Fill mode with Power Scaling. For light wood on a 10W diode:
- Speed: 4000–6000mm/s
- Min Power: 5%
- Max Power: 50–65%
- DPI: 254
Material Preparation
Lightly sand the surface to 220 grit. Wipe clean with a tack cloth. Tape the material flat to prevent warping during the long burn.
Post-Processing
Remove char with a stiff-bristle brush moving with the grain. Apply one thin coat of satin clear finish — this deepens the char color and increases contrast.