How to use Prep My Image

A step-by-step guide to preparing your images for laser engraving, print-on-demand, stencils and more. No software to install.

Getting started

Upload your image

Drag and drop onto the upload area or click Browse file. Accepted: JPG, PNG, WEBP, BMP, PDF, .ai — up to 30 MB. PDF and .ai files convert from page 1 automatically.

Choose your output type

Select a mode card — Laser, Print/POD, Stencil, Web or Clean Artwork. Each loads different starter settings automatically.

Choose material or print type

For Laser, pick from Wood, Slate, Leather, Glass, Acrylic, Metal or MDF. For Print/POD, choose t-shirt, sticker, mug, poster or general. Settings update automatically.

Adjust settings (optional)

Use the accordion panels to fine-tune: Tone & Colour for exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows and temperature. Detail for sharpness, noise and threshold. Dithering for dot-pattern algorithms. The preview updates live.

Compare original vs processed

Drag the centre divider in the preview to compare. Use the view buttons above to switch between Before/After, Original, or Processed only.

Choose format and download

Select PNG, JPG, SVG or LightBurn (.lbrn2) in the Output panel. Click Process Image then Download.

Tip: Press Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter on Mac) to trigger Process Image without clicking the button.

Laser studio layout

The top bar sets what you are making: upload, output type (Laser, Line art, Stencil, B&W art, Clean art, Print / POD, Web) and material. The left panel then shows only the controls for that output, in three steps: 1 Look (dither method, line style or black / white cut-off), 2 Adjust (exposure, contrast, sharpness, noise, invert, with more under "More adjustments") and 3 Size & export (width in mm, DPI and file format). Rotate, Crop, Process, Download and Shape & text sit above the preview.

Dithering algorithms

Algorithm	Best for	Character
Floyd-Steinberg	Wood, leather, MDF — portraits and photos	Smooth, natural dot distribution. Best general-purpose choice.
Atkinson	High-contrast artwork, anodized metal	Higher contrast, crisper dots. Good for deeper wood tones.
Bayer	Fast preview, regular patterns	Regular geometric grid. Predictable and fast.
Stucki	Smooth gradients, soft images	Very smooth error diffusion, fewer artefacts on smooth areas.
Sierra	Detail retention, complex images	Balances sharpness and smoothness.
Jarvis	Wood grain, portraits, pets	Spreads error widely for the smoothest tones. Good first choice on wood.
None	Logos, text, simple graphics	Uses the Threshold slider instead — hard black and white.

Tip: When dithering is selected, the Threshold toggle is automatically disabled — they conflict. If you want threshold, set Dithering to None.

Serpentine scan alternates the direction of each row while dithering. It removes the diagonal streaks you can see in flat areas. Leave it on.

Engrave size and DPI

In the Output panel, enter the width you will engrave in millimetres and pick a resolution. The file is sized to match and the DPI is saved inside the PNG, so xTool Creative Space and LightBurn import it at the right physical size. 254 DPI (0.10 mm line interval) suits most diode lasers on wood. Use 318 DPI or higher for fine detail on slate, anodized aluminium or leather. Free export is capped at 1500 px, which is about 150 mm wide at 254 DPI.

Line art and pet portraits

Style	Best for	What it does
Clean line art	Portraits, buildings, simple scenes	Draws the main outlines as thin pen lines on white.
Pet pen-line	Dogs, cats, fur and feathers	Finer strokes that follow the fur, with the darkest areas (eyes, nose) filled solid.
Bold outline	Keyrings, cutting, stencils	Thicker, simpler lines with small specks removed, so a blade or laser can follow them.

Tip: Crop tight to the subject first and use a photo with an even background. Export as SVG to score or cut the lines, or PNG to engrave them.

Shape & text: keychains, ornaments and tags

After you process an image as PNG or JPG in the Laser studio, click Shape & text. Choose an outline: Follow shape hugs the design at the offset you set, or pick a circle / oval, rounded rectangle, heart, badge, dog tag or star. Switch on the hanging hole to place a hole at the top, inside the shape; drag it to move it. Add text in straight mode (drag it anywhere) or Follow the edge along the bottom or top.

Download two files: the Engrave PNG (image and text, clipped to the shape, DPI saved in the file) and the Cut SVG (outline and hole in millimetres, red hairline). They are exactly the same size. In xTool Creative Space or LightBurn, import both, align their centres, engrave first and cut last.

Tip: Transparent PNGs work best. The transparent area becomes the background, so the outline follows your design. If a warning says letters run past the edge, shorten the text, lower its height or slide it along the edge.

Layered 3D studio: cut, stack and glue

Upload a picture (a transparent PNG gives the cleanest outline). The studio splits it into 3–7 layers: layer 1 is the back panel, layer 2 the full outline, and each layer above steps in from the edge and follows the image's tones, so the front layers are smaller. Use Follow tones ↔ step in from edges to choose how much each rule counts, and Depth split to push more of the picture forward or back. Click any area on the stack preview to select it, then press Forward or Back.

Download all layers as one ZIP. Each layer has a cut SVG (red = cut, blue = a score line showing exactly where the next layer goes) and an engrave PNG (the picture detail on the part you will see, plus a small layer number where the next layer hides it). All files are the same size, so they line up. Engrave first, score the blue lines at low power, cut last. Glue from the back panel forward. Optional hidden alignment pins (toothpicks) go through the lower layers and are covered by the layer above. A README in the ZIP lists the pin length and steps.

Tip: 3 mm ply or basswood is the usual choice. Five layers makes a piece about 15 mm deep. Paint or stain each layer a slightly different shade before gluing for a stronger 3D effect.

Relief layers in one click

In the Relief layer studio, click Build layers from image tones to split the image into Surface, Shallow, Medium and Deep by brightness, then touch up with the brush. Pass 1 burns every engraved area, pass 2 the Medium and Deep areas, and pass 3 only the Deep areas, so the darkest parts end up deepest.

Frequently asked questions

Is Prep My Image free to use?

Yes. Basic export up to 1500px — PNG, JPG, SVG and LightBurn download — is completely free with no account required. High-resolution export and batch processing are planned for a future paid tier.

Do you store my uploaded images?

No. Images are processed in memory and never saved to disk. Your original image is discarded immediately after processing.

Which dithering should I use for wood engraving?

Floyd-Steinberg is the best starting point. Atkinson is a good alternative for higher contrast and crisper dots. Try both and compare using the Before/After slider.

Can I use this with any laser engraver?

Yes. PNG output works with LightBurn, LaserGRBL, xTool Creative Space, Glowforge and any software that accepts image files. The .lbrn2 export opens directly in LightBurn.

What file formats can I upload?

JPG / JPEG, PNG, WEBP, BMP
PDF (first page converted automatically)
Adobe Illustrator .ai (modern CS+ files, which are PDF-based)

Maximum file size is 30 MB.

Should I use Dithering or Threshold?

For photographs and gradual tonal images (faces, animals) — use Dithering. For logos, text and bold graphics where you want hard edges — use Threshold with Dithering set to None.