Add Images to Project Notes
Dear LightBurn Team,
I’m James (LaserJim) from Laser612 in Minneapolis, using your software with UV, MOPA, and CO2 lasers. I’d love to see the ability to upload images directly into the Show Notes section of projects. This would let me:
- Attach photos of project results (e.g., engraved golf holes, stainless steel business cards) for visual reference.
- Share detailed project files with clients, including images of their items.
- Centralize documentation within LightBurn, improving workflow efficiency.
I suggest adding an “Attach Image” button to the Show Notes window, supporting 5–10 images (1–2 MB each) with thumbnails and captions. This would complement my recent request for image uploads and timers in the Material Library. Thank you for considering this—I’m happy to provide more details!
Best,
Core Idea
LightBurn’s “Show Notes” feature, accessible via File > Show Notes or Ctrl+Alt+N (as noted in LightBurn’s documentation), currently allows users to add, edit, and view text notes for a project. These notes are useful for storing setup details or sharing instructions, as we discussed for your UV, MOPA, and CO2 laser projects. However, the feature lacks the ability to embed images directly within the notes. Your suggestion to add this capability would allow users to attach project-specific images (e.g., photos of engraved items like the PGA TOUR golf holes, stainless steel business cards for All Star Construction, or glass trophies for the VW Club) alongside text notes, creating a more comprehensive record within LightBurn.
Benefits for Laser612 and LightBurn Users
- Visual Documentation: Embedding images in notes would let you visually document the results of specific projects—e.g., a photo of the “Better Than Most” engraving on the Par Aid golf hole for THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 (March 11–16, TPC Sawgrass). This helps recall what settings (e.g., MOPA120 at 100–200ns pulse, 20–50% power) produced the best results, reducing experimentation time for future jobs.
- Client Sharing: You could share project files with clients (e.g., Josh from ESPi Corp, All Star Construction) that include both notes and images, showing the exact finish achieved on their samples (e.g., white plastic for ESPi, stainless steel for All Star). This enhances transparency and builds trust, as we discussed in your email replies on March 15 and March 22, 2025.
- Educational Value: For events like the Minnesota Bride Unveiled Wedding Show (March 23, 2025), you could include images of wedding projects (e.g., engraved glass favors, laser-cut acrylic signs) in notes, making it easier to demonstrate past work to potential clients directly from LightBurn.
- Workflow Efficiency: Combining images with notes centralizes your project records within LightBurn, eliminating the need for external files (e.g., Google Drive folders), as we’ve been doing with your chat logs. This streamlines your workflow, especially for recurring projects like sports gear or fabric cutting.
- Community Sharing: LightBurn allows saving project files (.lbrn) with notes, which can be shared with others. Adding images would make these files more informative—e.g., sharing a file with the LightBurn community on their forum (forum.lightburnsoftware.com) with a photo of your UV-engraved aluminum foil cuts could inspire others and showcase Laser612’s capabilities.
Implementation Details for LightBurn
- Feature Addition: Add an “Attach Image” button to the Show Notes window (Ctrl+Alt+N), allowing users to upload images (e.g., JPG, PNG) from their computer. Support a maximum of 5–10 images per project to keep file sizes manageable, with a size limit of 1–2 MB per image to prevent performance issues.
- Image Display: Display thumbnails of attached images within the notes window, clickable to view full-size. Allow users to add captions or descriptions below each image (e.g., “UV on 1/16-inch brass, 10% power, 300 mm/s”).
- Storage: Embed images directly in the .lbrn project file, similar to how LightBurn stores vector data, ensuring they’re saved with the project. Alternatively, allow linking to external files (e.g., on a local drive or cloud) to reduce file size, though embedding is preferable for portability.
- Integration with Material Library: Extend this feature to the Material Library (as we requested on March 15 and 22, 2025), allowing images to be attached to material presets alongside timer data. For example, a preset for “Stainless Steel – Annealing” could include a photo of the All Star Construction business cards.
- User Interface: Add a toggle in the Show Notes window, “Show Images on File Open,” similar to the existing “Show on File Open” for text notes, ensuring users can choose whether images display automatically when opening a project.
Potential Challenges
- File Size Impact: Embedding images in .lbrn files could increase their size significantly (e.g., a 1 MB image adds up quickly with multiple projects). LightBurn might need to compress images or limit the number/size, as suggested above.
- Performance: Displaying images in the notes window might slow down LightBurn on older systems, similar to concerns with high-DPI images in the Art Library (LightBurn docs). Thumbnails and lazy loading (loading images only when clicked) could mitigate this.
- Compatibility: Older LightBurn versions might not support image-embedded notes, requiring a fallback (e.g., text-only notes for compatibility). LightBurn’s team would need to ensure backward compatibility, as they’ve done with features like the Art Library in version 0.9.10 (March 14, 2020).
