# Burning Photos of a person **URL:** \ **Category:** Getting Started With LightBurn\ **Created:** [July 13, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815 "2020-07-13T20:05:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/1 "2020-07-13T20:05:22Z")
Hey all. So I have a 15w universal engraver and trying to do photos. I’ve had minimal success but all one shade. I’ve seen some spectacular results on this forum and there must be waaaaayyyyy more to it than I imagined. Obviously you are using multiple layers for different shades and lines but that would take hours and hours. Any tips would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/lightburn/32/75577_2.png) [@LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/LightBurn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/2 "2020-07-13T20:53:20Z")
> [@Pineguy](#): > > Obviously you are using multiple layers for different shades and lines Not sure where you’ve gotten this idea, but it’s not correct. If you import a picture and don’t change _anything_ but power and speed, you should get a usable image, if your laser is properly configured. You’ve provided no examples of what image you’re trying to burn, what settings you’ve used, what the outcome looked like, or how your laser is set up, so I can’t make any specific recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/rick/32/69_2.png) [@Rick](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/3 "2020-07-13T20:55:08Z")
> [@How To Ask For Help](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/how-to-ask-for-help/1262): > > Folks, When asking for support for LightBurn via this forum, email or anywhere else, please keep the following tips in mind for the fastest and most helpful answers. [[How to Ask for Help and Troubleshoot Fast] ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpm9hSia6Gk)Please provide these details: What machine do you have? What [controller does it have](https://lightburnsoftware.com/pages/which-version-do-i-need) , and what firmware it is running? Are you running the latest version of LightBurn? Is the issue new, or has it happened before? What kind of computer is it, and what Operating System is i… ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/4 "2020-07-13T21:08:18Z")
wow. sorry to be a pain ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/rick/32/69_2.png) [@Rick](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/5 "2020-07-13T21:20:48Z")
You are not a pain. We want to offer you help, we need information to do so. Our response is intended to inform folks that one needs to provide a modicum of technical information about the environment and setup they are working with for us to offer any answers of value. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/lightburn/32/75577_2.png) [@LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/LightBurn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/6 "2020-07-13T21:32:07Z")
Apologies if that was too blunt, but I was suggesting that if you gave a bit more info that I could provide more help in return. And the suggestion to import a picture and just change power and speed was a real one - If you do that, the system defaults should give you something usable if everything is configured well. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be a starting point. If you show a picture of what you got, and the settings you used, we can likely point you at suggestions for how to improve the result. ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/7 "2020-07-13T21:36:51Z")
ok thanks, well as stated, it’s a 15w universal engraver running GRBL (diode) I’m totally new (although very familiar with cnc router). Here is the pic i’m starting with. All I get in lightburn is a series of dashes. Hopefully the picture uploads. I’m 150 mm/sec, 12.5% power ![Justin](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/7/74f98148f8cd38ed53a489e7cf17bfbb9c98d6ba.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/lightburn/32/75577_2.png) [@LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/LightBurn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/8 "2020-07-13T21:48:36Z")
> [@LightBurn](#): > > If you show a picture of what you got, and the settings you used … Ok, so we have a picture of the source now. If I paste that into LightBurn and change nothing from the default settings, the preview looks like this: ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f001b212cd14056430e5ef55bc201672e13aaf7f.png) 150 mm/sec, 12.5% power is a start - what was the ‘Interval’ value set to? If you double-click the image entry in the Cuts/Layers window, you can see other settings, like the dithering mode, DPI, etc. You’ll need to use way more than 12% power. If it’s GRBL running on an 8-bit controller, you’ll likely need to go quite a bit slower too - 8-bit GRBL will not run dithered images at that speed because it simply can’t process gcode fast enough. If you have a 32 bit board like a Mini Gerbil, Cohesion 3D, or Ortur, that speed would be ok. Here are the settings I see when I double-click the layer entry, with everything but the speed & power set to defaults: ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6839db5b1b7624d5211edde0dff3a6948e80392f.png) You should turn on Overscanning as well (it will prevent burnt edges at the sides). ---
**Author:** ![LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/lightburn/32/75577_2.png) [@LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/LightBurn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/9 "2020-07-13T21:49:55Z")
It’s worth noting that the preview is showing what path the laser is going to take as the job progresses, but it’s not a true representation of what the final result will be - it’s to spot check that the path looks right, but to see the final product you have to actually run it. ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/10 "2020-07-13T21:58:38Z")
Here it what I see in the preview ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/e/ea92387a73d25ae109d7e2e37144d148f32c0482.png) ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/5/527965b8f6e2b53427edde2a1647855a7ae46ae1.png) ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 10:09pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/11 "2020-07-13T22:09:39Z")
ooohhhhhh k. These settings are yielding good results so far…The Line interval was the problem ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f19442065c6e25a8c1fb5227b61df3d3086f3a57.png) ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/rick/32/69_2.png) [@Rick](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/12 "2020-07-13T22:10:06Z")
If you look at the ‘Interval’ section of your posted image, you will see that it is set very low producing large gaps between each line generated. Bump that number up to match that of Oz’s suggestion. ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/1/1e597b27501ed81f48c7a2ad65c1b33f2938c103.png) ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f5728692ec589715b289bb5963cbb422dc620bb7.png) ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/13 "2020-07-13T22:30:48Z")
k thanks guys. I can work from this now. Now my original question was in reference t a photo like this. Wow. This looks like a whole other ball game. Googled cnc laser photo woman ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/62151b3aab2297a606e71d7f3d4bd669c3f0f159.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/lightburn/32/75577_2.png) [@LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/LightBurn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/14 "2020-07-14T01:26:44Z")
LightBurn will produce photos of that level of quality, but it doesn’t do it automatically. There’s a bit of info here to get you started: [Image engraving guidelines](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/image-engraving-guidelines/12913) That thread links to a discussion where some other examples are given. Your DPI setting above (85) is still very low for a diode laser, but experiment - you’ll find settings that work. ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/15 "2020-07-14T15:44:50Z")
OMG…great video ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/16 "2020-07-15T19:00:57Z")
Ok, so after a couple days of playing around, this is the best I could come up with on Pine. Still not quite there. ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/d/dc97e585aa5e8270eebdeb880599d05e2b449477.jpeg) ![image](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6204afdab6a1bd11a6ecea29200ff95b91e9be3d.png) ---
**Author:** ![LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/user_avatar/forum.lightburnsoftware.com/lightburn/32/75577_2.png) [@LightBurn](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/LightBurn)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/17 "2020-07-15T19:05:23Z")
There is something brutally mis-configured with your machine if you’re getting that result at 3% power on a diode laser going 180mm/sec. In the console window, type $$ and press enter, then copy & paste the text it emits back here so we can have a look. You _should_ be running about 50mm/sec, 80% power, 250 to 300 DPI, with about 2.5% overscan. ---
**Author:** ![beamer3.6](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@beamer3.6](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/beamer3.6)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/18 "2020-07-15T19:19:54Z")
You need to go faster with higher power. 3% on my diode (3.5w) would only be enough to focus the laser, not burn anything. 180mm speed would be used to cut, not engrave. I also use 2.5% overscan and I try and use a DPI of 254 or so… I can get away with about 121 depending on the wood type… … From your image it looks like you have another image higher up which seems to have come out better but we cannot see it. ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/19 "2020-07-15T20:08:14Z")
$0=10 (step pulse, usec) $1=25 (step idle delay, msec) $2=0 (step port invert mask:00000000) $3=0 (dir port invert mask:00000000) $4=0 (step enable invert, bool) $5=0 (limit pins invert, bool) $6=0 (probe pin invert, bool) $10=3 (status report mask:00000011) $11=0.010 (junction deviation, mm) $12=0.002 (arc tolerance, mm) $13=0 (report inches, bool) $20=0 (soft limits, bool) $21=0 (hard limits, bool) $22=0 (homing cycle, bool) $23=0 (homing dir invert mask:00000000) $24=25.000 (homing feed, mm/min) $25=500.000 (homing seek, mm/min) $26=250 (homing debounce, msec) $27=1.000 (homing pull-off, mm) $30=1000. (rpm max) $31=0. (rpm min) $32=0 (motor lock bool) $33=7 (motor mode mask:00000111) $100=80.000 (x, step/mm) $101=80.000 (y, step/mm) $102=80.000 (z, step/mm) $110=5000.000 (x max rate, mm/min) $111=5000.000 (y max rate, mm/min) $112=10000.000 (z max rate, mm/min) $120=250.000 (x accel, mm/sec^2) $121=250.000 (y accel, mm/sec^2) $122=250.000 (z accel, mm/sec^2) $130=500.000 (x max travel, mm) $131=500.000 (y max travel, mm) $132=500.000 (z max travel, mm) ok The image above that one was no good. His face was burnt ---
**Author:** ![Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pineguy](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/u/Pineguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815/20 "2020-07-15T20:17:52Z")
> [@LightBurn](#): > > 50mm/sec, 80% power, 250 to 300 DPI, with about 2.5% overscan. I tried 50mm/sec, 80% power, 250 to 300 DPI, with about 2.5% overscan…it was just a black smudge [Next page](https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/burning-photos-of-a-person/18815.md?page=2)