Photo laser engraving on Android
To laser engrave a photo from an Android phone, load the photo in CNC Laser Pro - Engrave & Cut, crop it, adjust brightness and contrast, pick an image mode (dithering, grayscale or halftone) and set the size and resolution. The app turns it into GRBL G-code and sends it to the laser. Find power and speed with a test grid first.
Image modes
| Mode | Type | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Floyd-Steinberg, Jarvis, Stucki, Atkinson, Sierra, Sierra Lite, Burkes | Error diffusion dithering | Photos on wood, leather and other materials where the laser burns on or off |
| Ordered (Bayer) | Ordered dithering | Regular dot pattern |
| Halftone | Dots of different size | Print-like look |
| Grayscale | Power changes with brightness | Materials that darken evenly with power |
| Threshold | Black and white | Logos and line art |
| Sketch (Edge) | Edges only | Drawing-like result |
Prepare the image
- Crop to the part you want. Faces need good light and contrast in the original photo.
- Adjust brightness, contrast, gamma and sharpening in the app and compare in the preview.
- Set the size in mm or inch and the resolution (DPI). Higher DPI means more lines and a longer job.
- Check the burn preview and the time estimate.
Find power and speed with the material test grid
The material test grid burns a grid of squares, each with a different power and speed. Pick the square that looks right and save those values as a preset for that material. Repeat the test when you change the material batch, the laser module or the air assist, because the result is not linear and fixed numbers from someone else's machine rarely match yours.
- Open Material Test in the app.
- Set the power and speed range and the grid size.
- Burn the grid on a spare piece of the same material.
- Save the best square's values as a preset.
Some materials give off toxic fumes when lasered (for example PVC and other plastics that contain chlorine). Check the material before you burn it, keep ventilation running and wear laser safety glasses.
Related: send G-code from Android, FAQ.