Image Modes for CO2 Work
CO2 image rendering uses the same Lightburn modes as fiber, minus 3D Sliced (galvo-only). The difference is which dither works best on which substrate. Wood, leather, slate, and Norton tile each prefer different dithers.
The ten modes available on CO2
| Mode | What it does | Best CO2 use |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold | Pure black/white cutoff. No grays. | Logos, line art, sharp graphics. |
| Ordered | Bayer pattern dither. Repeating grid of dots. | Stylized vintage/retro look. |
| Atkinson | Error-diffusion, classic Mac. Lighter overall. | Stylized prints; light photos on walnut where you want highlights to pop. |
| Dither (Floyd-Steinberg) | Standard error-diffusion dither. | General-purpose. OK on most substrates but rarely the best. |
| Stucki | Error-diffusion, smoother gradients than Floyd-Steinberg. | Wood photos (cherry, maple, walnut). The community CO2-photo standard. |
| Jarvis | Smoothest gradients of error-diffusion family. | Norton white tile, slate, leather portraits. |
| Newsprint | Diagonal-line halftone style. | Vintage / comic / poster aesthetic. |
| Halftone | Dot halftone, adjustable Cells per Inch + Halftone Angle. | Pop-art / Lichtenstein effect. |
| Sketch | Line-art conversion. | Stylized portraits; faster engrave. |
| Grayscale | Per-pixel power modulation between Min Power and Max Power. | Continuous-tone engraving on wood, slate, leather. Also used for depth maps / 3D wood relief. |
Which dither for which substrate
- Maple, basswood (light): Stucki. Smooth gradients work with the wood's even grain.
- Cherry, alder (medium): Stucki or Atkinson. Atkinson preserves more highlight detail.
- Walnut (dark base): Atkinson. Lighter dither preserves the limited light areas.
- Slate: Jarvis. Smoothest gradient on hard substrate.
- Veg-tanned leather: Stucki. Tactile gradient look.
- Norton white tile: Jarvis. Community standard for "magazine print" tile portraits.
- Acrylic (frosted relief): Atkinson or Grayscale. Light touch preserves transparency feel.
- Cardboard / matboard: Stucki. Textured surface absorbs the dither well.
DPI / Line Interval recommendations
| Substrate | DPI | Equivalent interval |
|---|---|---|
| Wood photos (general) | 318 DPI | 0.08 mm |
| Slate, Norton tile | 423 DPI | 0.06 mm |
| Leather | 318 DPI | 0.08 mm |
| Fine detail / small images | 635 DPI | 0.04 mm |
| Coarse / fast engrave | 254 DPI | 0.10 mm |
Higher DPI = finer detail BUT longer engrave time AND more potential for char buildup. Match DPI to your viewing distance.
Grayscale for depth-mapped relief
For 3D wood relief from a depth map, Grayscale is the ONLY mode to use. White → fires at full Min Power threshold (no engrave). Black → fires at Max Power (deepest engrave). Set Min Power well below the surface-marking threshold (often 5-10%); Max Power dialed to your relief depth.
See 3D Engraving, STL & Grayscale (in Fiber section, but applies fully to CO2 wood/acrylic relief).
Pass-Through for pre-rendered images
If you've already dithered an image in Photoshop or specialty software, set image mode to Pass-Through. Lightburn won't re-process it; the image goes to the laser as-is at the original DPI. Useful when you've spent serious time tuning the dither in Photoshop and don't want Lightburn to override.
Adjust Image: fine-tuning without editing the source
Right-click any image → Adjust Image. Non-destructive overlay tuning:
- Brightness / Contrast
- Gamma
- Sharpen / Unsharp Mask
- Material presets
The original file stays untouched; Lightburn applies the adjustments only when rendering. Save the project; reopen and adjustments persist.
Verified against LightBurn 2.x. UI specifics may shift in future versions; verify against your installed version.