Hmm. Doesn’t seem I explained that well enough.
If I take this image and click negative on it, nothing happens. I’ll post this after this burn I’m running currently.
But that’s not the really weird thing that is going on. If I make this image a negative as seen here:
For some reason, it inverts.
The only way I found to get around this is to invert the image using another app and then flooding the black square. But this is cumbersome.
If you take an image and negate it, LightBurn will automatically negate the preview for you if that’s the only thing in your project. Is the preview showing the Invert button enabled?
You said “this image” but didn’t let the upload finish, so we can’t look at the file yet.
There are 2 separate things going on that are being conflated.
Invert image only applies to actual image types. For example a JPG or PNG file that you have imported into LightBurn.
Once an image is traced, the traced portion is no longer an image. It’s a vector drawing. Invert image no longer applies. Vector shapes have their own rules for behavior which is what you’ve encountered. The basic rule is that 2 closed shapes that are overlapping and filled will show as an “open” area. This is expected, normal, and critical for the functioning of vector drawings.
Once it’s a vector, yes, of course removing the outline inverts it. That’s how vector fills work in LightBurn - Each edge encountered toggles the fill. Read here: How do I invert (negate) a vector engraving?
For the image, I can’t see enough of your screen to tell what’s going on.
An image WILL invert when previewed, but if you invert it, the preview might also invert automatically, which you can easily turn back off again.
Yes. They’re not the same. I’ve attempted to explain this issue multiple ways. First is when the negative image is traced and the black square is removed the image either turns black or inverts.
The other is where I attempted to make the image a negative in lightburn and it won’t.
I think you have two different issues, and you’re confusing yourself, maybe. If you negate the image, you’re going to get a black rectangle around it, because the white background inverts too. If you want to leave the outline of it alone, but invert the inside, you have to either add a line around it, or remove one, to flip the fill. In this picture I’ve traced the one you posted, and added a narrow offset around the outermost line - it’s the one on the right:
Same thing. It shows it inverted in the preview, then burns it normally, not inverted.
However if I import an inverted image, trace it and ungroup the trace, remove the surrounding square, it also reverts back to the original image. Something is screwy. I’m going to uninstall and reinstall the software.
If I tick the negative toggle and go into preview, it shows it as a negative. I would expect it to burn a big black square. But it doesn’t. Burns it normally.
I keep using the word “both” and you keep not using that word. I want you to run two images, one negated, and one not, to verify for me that they both come out the same.
If you tick the ‘Negative Image’ option, the preview will automatically invert, trying to show you what it would look like if you were burning the image on white material painted black, like painted tile. If you’re just engraving on wood, or something where the laser is actually burning black, you need to UN-invert the preview.
