When to Invert your Image for Engraving

Image Inversion in LightBurn – When and Why It Matters for Laser Engraving

Are your laser engravings turning out weird, washed out, or just off? You might be skipping one of the most important steps: image inversion. In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you exactly when and how to invert images in LightBurn to get clean, detailed, and accurate results.

Image inversion is essential when engraving on dark substrates that turn lighter when burned, like slate, coated metals, or black acrylic. It’s also a must when engraving away coatings, such as removing the silver backing from a mirror. Get this wrong, and your design could come out completely backwards in tone!

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