Mastering Photographic Engraving on Wood
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.
Related Guides
- Mastering Photographic Engraving on Wood: Dithering and DPI
- How to Prepare Photos for Laser Engraving with GIMP: Dithering, Halftones, and Grayscale
- Engraving Photos on Wood with the Ray5 20W
- Longer Ray5 20W Wood Cutting and Engraving Settings: Plywood, Pine, MDF, Basswood, and Hardwoods
- How to Engrave Glass, Slate, and Stone with a Laser Using Marking Compounds
- How to V-Carve Inlays and Precision Signs on a Desktop CNC Router
- How to Create Laser-Cut Living Hinges in Wood and Acrylic
- How to Finish Wood: Oil, Shellac, Polyurethane, and Spray Techniques
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