Tips and tricks for laser engraving photos

JobControl® laser software makes it easy to create photo engravings with its integrated photo mode feature. The image is automatically sent to the laser for processing in an optimized manner according to a complex logic. Using this feature, you can create high-quality laser engraved photos. No photo processing expertise is needed. 

A decisive factor for a good photo is the resolution. Images for laser engraving should generally have a resolution of at least 300dpi as the output size. If necessary, you can increase the resolution in your graphics software by re-establishing the bitmap (example in CorelDraw under “Bitmaps” - “Resample”). For example, Internet photos often have a resolution of 72 dpi. Even these can be processed well with the laser, if the original images are large and are scaled down to workpiece size. You should avoid enlarging small images as this decreases the resolution (image raster becomes too large) and is therefore not a basis for a beautiful photo engraving.

Here's an example of a well suited vs an ill-suited image for photo engraving

The left image is well-suited for processing through the laser. It shows a good contrast, it is well exposed and the elements in the image stand out.
The right image is less suited for processing with the laser. Although the people stand out from the background, the exposure is too weak which makes the people look like they are in the shadows. This makes it difficult for details to be perceived and will result in the people being engraved as a unitary surface.

The laser performance and the resolution used are often too high. This causes the image to become too flat and show little detail as the raster points overlap. If possible, the material should only be engraved slightly at the surface. A guideline is about 10% less laser performance compared to a standard engraving job on this material.

TIP: In order to find the perfect parameters for your material, you can engrave a grayscale matrix first.

More about Grayscale matrix

The process resolution is an essential influence factor for the engraving quality of different materials.
For example, anodized aluminum can be engraved with 600 - 1000 dpi, as the raster point does not increase on this material during engraving. With wood or glass however, 333 dpi are completely sufficient, as every raster point becomes larger than in the graphics on these materials due to their surface quality. With acrylics or laminates, a resolution of about 500 - 600 dpi is suitable.
In general, lower resolutions (333 -500 dpi) result in more plastic photo engravings, because the raster points do not overlap.

A 1.5“ lens is often the best choice. The exceptions are workpieces with a large engraving area, or those that are viewed from a greater distance. In this case, use a 2“ or 2.5” lens and select a lower process resolution. This also saves time.

You will get the best results with a photo engraving using images that have high contrasts. It is important to remember that not all photos are the same and not all materials are the same. Sometimes you may have to process the images to make them more suitable for laser engraving. For example, you can increase the details of your photos with contrast improvements or the unsharp mask. Most graphics programs have these functions. We have summarized a few tips here: