Laser image on slate (Tonal range values)

Community Laser Talk
1

Happy Monday all.

Concerning image reproduction on slate using Snapmaker 20w diode.

I’m trying to figure out if there is a way to mesure the tonal range of a lightburn image and then match it to actual output on any given slate type.

I’m running tests using various speed/power and also Greyscale and various dither modes.

Something is telling me I’d use les time experimenting if I actually knew the range of tones throughout the screen image so I could correlate them to the laser dot intensity.

The screen image tonal range might, when pre-corrected to the maximum material tonal range achievable + optimal job time, result in a good outcome all round.

I have thought about somehow scanning the entire image for values and assigning a layer for each value but 256 possibilities, and maybe an image doesn’t need that many.

Grouping similar values would cut down on layers but could be of lesser quality.

Or break the image into areas and assign values and/or tweek the image in software. This is laborious but ok for future repetition but not suitable for bespoke jobs.

Before I dig .myself any deeper into a pit of variables , can I ask if anyone has any links to further study. I tried to listen to the French laser artist who apparently is the top of his game (YouTube - Gravure sur ardoise)..but I cannot access english subtitles for this although other french videos on the subject have english subtitles. I may email this guy using translate.

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You lost me at tonal range but this video I found useful for slate.

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Thanks D.K

I’ll watch the vid. I’ve learned I’m/it’s oblating and not burning and I can match the darkest and brightest achievable with the given slate type to the image darkest/brightest (adjusted contrast, brightness, gamma).

The power is the crucial setting and speed is any thats not too fast for mostly mechanical reasons.

The original image is important with good detail and not too much area in black or white (depending on specific mode), and the mode will be a dither..due to slates properties.

The tonal range thing is nothin but an idea that an image can be constructed from a limited number of values (not necessarily as many as 256) and like when you pixelate an image, each pixel could be assigned a value which with slate could be Surface(grey)=”That color number in MS paint”, A dot/pixel or tiny area color at 20% power = “that color number in MS paint.right through the limited range that a given slate type can have at 20% etc etc.

I’ve managed to achieve some fairly good definition but the range of color has not been seen yet.