Photo Laser

Use the Photo Laser to prepare an image for laser engraving.

To use Photo Laser, go to Transform > Photo Laser > Interactive.

The Photo Laser dialog has two display panels with the image. The original image is on the left and the preview of the filters is on the right. The filters are listed in the center between the two images. To turn filters on or off, right-click them with your mouse. To edit a filter, click one and use the panel in the bottom-left corner to configure the filter. Use the table below for instructions.

To exclude white or to keep the original image, select the check boxes.

 

Photo Laser Filters

Use the table to configure
Base spot color Select a base spot color for an image mask on a bitmap.
White transparent

Select to make white (255, 255, 255) transparent.

To edit, see Scan Tools (Transparent Color).

Add to new layer Select to keep original layer and add changes to new layer.
Histogram

Use this filter to configure pixel brightness across the bitmap.

  • Increase black to make the darkest portions black.
  • Adjust the gamma to modify the intensity of the bitmap.
  • Increase white to make the lightest portions white.
  • Use the end limits to adjust the white and black values (effective for removing speckles).
Edge

Use this filter to enhance the edges (transitions between light and dark pixels).

  • Emboss: Select the direction and the depth of the effect.
  • Gaussian Blur: Select the amount of blur.
  • Sharpen: Enter a value or use the slider to control the effect.
  • Unsharp Mask: Enter a value or use the slider to adjust the amount, radius, and threshold of the effect.
Edge This is a duplicate of the one above so multiple filters can be applied simultaneously.
Threshold Use this filter to mimic the effect of accidental exposure to light. Enter a value or use the slider to control the effect.
Dither

Use this filter to create more subtle shades by mixing in pixels of different colors.

  • Error Diffusion: Select an error diffusion method. All methods use error-diffusion algorithms (with the error being the difference between the original pixel color and the nearest match), with the exception of Ordered Dithering, which is a method used when painting to a display device (that is 256 colors or less).
  • Halftone: Select the angle, pattern size, and pattern.
  • Halftone LPI: Select the angle, frequency (in lines per inch), and pattern.
  • Intensity: Enter a value or use the slider to control the effect. Between low and high, the intensity increases to 255. Less than low and above high settings both change the clear intensity to zero.
Mixing

Use this filter to apply the resulting image (from dither) as an additive mask to the original image.

Enter a value or use the slider to control the effect (with 0% being the original image and 100% being the filter at full intensity).

Note: Dither must be on to use this filter.
Invert Use this filter to invert the colors in the bitmap (or on a grayscale image, to invert white and black).
Flip Use this filter to flip the image horizontally. Useful for reverse application to transparent media.
Simulation

Use this filter to simulate the image as it would appear laser engraved into the given material.

Select the burnt color and the material. Burnt color represents the absolute darkest portion of the expected output.