So, i used the Lightburn software to image trace and create a vector image of a logo I’m working with. Came out great and have used it for my laser projects. Now I would like to use the same vector image for other things and i have tried the export file menu option and have saved it as an AI file but when i open the file it is a blank white page.
What software are you opening the AI file in? LightBurn exports a very old AI format (3.0) and most software that imports AI files is actually expecting a PDF, because that’s what modern AI files are usually saved as - it’s a PDF file with an AI file embedded in it, but they don’t mention that. InkScape, for example, will not load a “real” AI file, just PDF files with a .AI file extension.
If the software you’re using supports SVG, that’s probably the better way to export from LightBurn.
adobe illustrator 2019
Hi. Export your files SVG every software opens it. Even web browsers.
Speaking from a lithographic printing background:
If you open the SVG file with inkscape you can re-save it as an EPS file, which should be able to be opened by AI. An annoying extra step, I know, but it’s the only solution to your issue that I know of.
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Illustrator will open SVG files without issue.
I don’t know how my brain got that the SVG file wasn’t opening in AI out of this conversation. 
It’s clearly stated it’s the LightBurn AI export file. Good grief. Must be too many 12hr work days in a row.
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I have just started using Lightburn and had same problem. I used Trace to outline an image from the camera and wanted to save those to an AI format or print to PDF. When I save to an AI file and open that in Adobe Illustrator the file is blank. If I attempt to print to PDF and open from Illustrator the file is also blank. Only SVG and DXF Export seems to work but when these files open they do not put the cut lines in the same X and Y coordinates which is painful because then I have to manually put them into the right position based on the X,Y coordinates from Lightburn.
Also is there a way to export the camera image that displays in the background as well as a cut lines in one file. So i can open this as one file in Adobe Illustrator rather than having to export the background image first then export the cut lines ina seperate SVG then import that so i can put those cut lines on top of the photographs from the camera then put them into the correct X,Y location. This is very time consuming.
There has to be an easier way if somebody could tell me what that is that would be great
You can go to File > Save Background Capture, but you’d then have to load it back in and size it to match the actual background. Saving as an SVG should save both the image and the vectors in your project.
SVG files do not use the same coordinate system as your machine, most likely - in SVGs, the origin (zero point) is in the front-left.
thanks for the reply. I worked out the AI export does work but only for the vector art and not for the background image from the camera. Same for the SVG. It only exports the vector art and not the background photo. I seem to have to do that separately. Am I missing something or do I have to enable something so that when I export to SVG it will export the background image from the camera and the vector art in teh one file?
Which version of LightBurn are you using? SVG should support bitmap exports too, but you are correct that the AI format does not.
The latest version only downloaded a week ago. Once we take a photograph with a camera and it appears on the art board in Lightburn is there some way to convert that to a bitmap first before it is exported in a CSV?
Click File > Save Background Capture to save the background image as a bitmap.
Yes I know about that one but is these a way to save the background and the vector artwork in one file? If not maybe this is a feature that can be considered in a future release
There is not a way to do this at this time.
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