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Engrave a photo on wood

Light wood is preset. Drop a photo, enter the size in mm and download the finished file with a wood preview.

Drop a photo here

or tap to choose a photo. JPG, PNG, WebP and iPhone photos (HEIC).

Choose file

Step by step

  1. Sand the wood smooth and remove the dust. A flat, clean surface burns more evenly than rough wood.
  2. Drop the photo. Light wood is already selected; if your board is darker, choose “Dark wood (walnut, cherry)” as the material – brightness, contrast and lines per mm then change to match.
  3. Enter the width in mm. Below the fields you see how many pixels the engraving needs. At 100 mm and 10 lines per mm that is 1000 pixels wide – your photo should be at least that wide.
  4. Check the result on the simulated wood color in the “Preview” tab. If shadows in the face look too heavy, reduce the contrast a little.
  5. Download the PNG, first engrave a small section or a test grid on the same wood, then start the actual engraving.

What you can use it for

  • Wood prints and photo blocks: A portrait or holiday photo on a solid wood slice or plywood board replaces a picture frame and looks warm and natural.
  • Cutting boards as gifts: A photo or family motif on the back of a cutting board makes it a personal gift. Put the engraving on the side that is not used for cutting.
  • Wooden boxes: Lids of wine, keepsake or jewelry boxes can be decorated with a photo. The exact width in mm makes sure the design fits the lid.
  • Key rings and small pieces: On small surfaces a photo only works with a strong subject. A tightly cropped face or pet works better there than a whole group.

Which wood works best?

Light, even wood such as maple, birch or poplar plywood shows photos best because the contrast between wood and burn mark is high. On dark wood such as walnut or cherry, more brightness in the image helps, otherwise dark areas disappear.

Plan for the grain

Strong grain burns unevenly. For portraits, choose calm wood. The preview shows roughly how the photo works with grain.

Photos with a clear subject and good contrast work best. A photo with a busy background is worth cutting out first.

Go to tool: Prepare a photo for laser engraving

Frequently asked questions

Which dithering is best for wood?

For photos, usually Jarvis or Stucki. They give fine gradients and little banding.

Why is my photo too dark on wood?

Wood burns darker than the screen shows. Increase brightness in the tool or set gamma to about 0.8 (values below 1 brighten).

What changes when I choose “Dark wood”?

The image is set slightly brighter and with more contrast, gamma is raised a little and lines per mm drop to 8. This keeps more detail visible on the darker surface.

How many lines per mm make sense on wood?

The starting value for light wood is 10. How fine your laser can separate cleanly depends on the machine and the wood – too many lines make the dots merge and the image turns dark. A test grid settles it.

Is grayscale worth it on wood?

Only if your laser software should control power by gray level. Wood reacts to that very differently depending on the species. The dot dithering options are usually more predictable.

Can I use a phone photo?

Yes. Current phone photos have enough pixels for typical wood engravings. With photos from messengers, which are often downscaled, the tool shows a notice if the image has to be upscaled for the chosen width.

Why does the preview look lighter than my engraving?

The preview simulates a typical wood and burn color. How dark wood actually burns depends on species, moisture and laser settings. In that case lower the power in your laser software or raise the brightness in the file.