Grayscale not previewing or burning compared to dithering

[rww71q (Ray Walls)]

Greetings,
I am a bit confused about Lightburn’s preview and burn using Grayscale image mode. The results are below. Excuse the hand tremors in the writing please,

My settings are the same with the exception of the image mode. Grayscale vs. Jarvis. Notice pixelation on the Grayscale result.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I am using a 30watt Raycus galvo. I would love to start using Grayscale. Thanks.

[jkwilborn (Jack Wilborn)]

I use a dither, not grayscale… Grayscale seems to be more difficult as most materials really don’t allow much of a grayscale range.

I’d suggest taking some time and watching this video from Laser Everything on photo engraving, I’m sure that will help you reach your target…

The COMPLETE Photo Engraving Guide Part 1 | Fiber CO2 UV and Diode

Good luck

[rww71q (Ray Walls)]

In my post I have shown my results with Jarvis dithering and grayscale using the same settings. I use dithering quite a bit across my C02, diode and fiber. The 1st photo in the post shows the results on black anodized business cards. I will check out your suggestion and I appreciate the reply, thanks.

[jkwilborn (Jack Wilborn)]

We want to help you get what you want out of the machine… There are some pretty good people here that can help…

Coated aluminum cards

Norton White Tile (NWT) method

Deep engraving porcelain tile

Good luck

[LightBurn (Oz)]

Those metal cards don’t really “shade” - They’re paint, and either you remove the paint and expose the bright metal underneath or you don’t. Grayscale really only works with material like wood, where the amount it burns will vary, and even then it’s a big pain in the butt to dial in compared to using dithering.

[rww71q (Ray Walls)]

Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMNGUlLF4ss @8:00 shows Grayscale setting. @9:18 It shows the Grayscale preview window. My preview window above looks totally off no matter how I adjust the image. Thanks.

I was specifically asking about the Grayscale preview image. I used the cards as a simple example that was readily handy. If you look at the images I provided the preview image of the dithered and Grayscale look completely different. The Grayscale preview is a mess as the dithered is to be expected. I had this working for years and lost my computer and data and am trying to rebuild.

Anywho, I appreciate the response. Any info on the Grayscale preview would be cool. Love the software and this support forum.

[LightBurn (Oz)]

You don’t have “Shade According to Power” enabled for the Grayscale preview, and you need to in order to preview Grayscale. The preview normally only shows On/Off, not power gradient, because it’s slower to do that.

[rww71q (Ray Walls)]

Now I feel inadequate, I should have known that about the ‘shade according to power’. That solved the preview issue, thanks a lot. As for the burn. I have found some issues in my setup files on my machine. I will update later if needed. I appreciate your time. Again, I love the software. Keep it up.

[LightBurn (Oz)]

It’s an honest mistake - I didn’t notice right away either.