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View Full Version : Photograv 3 Who here knows this program inside and out.



Andrew Mammoliti
09-08-2010, 4:28 PM
Hi Guys, anyone on here who knows PG3 really well, Need some help to get this to work at it's best, I am comparing it to 1 touch by ULS. Want to see if it can get close to what 1 Touch is doing for me. It's a challenge thing!!!

Thanks Andrew

Frank Corker
09-08-2010, 4:33 PM
Well unless you plan on getting someone to write the whole manual out on it, you might want to be more specific about what it is that you need, otherwise it's all guess work. As far as I am aware, 1 touch is specific for your brand of laser, photograv will cover just about everyone else, even those not listed.

Andrew Mammoliti
09-08-2010, 4:38 PM
Hi Frank, I have a xenetech laser, I just want to get best quality from PG3 as 1 touch give me. What to adjust in the interactive mode to do this? The auto process is not good enough. Want the detail.

Andrew

Larry Bratton
09-08-2010, 4:54 PM
If you will take time to learn it, you can achieve as good or better results making the adjustments yourself. I am a Photoshop user, but I like to use Corel Photopaint for photo prep. When you save to 1 bit, PP gives you several dithering options. PG3 is OK, and I used it for a long time, but I can still beat it using the right methodology. Some members here, Bill Cunningham, comes to mind, still uses PG2 and achieves phenomenal results. Some don't use the canned programs at all. Just depends on how much of a purest you are.

Andrew Mammoliti
09-08-2010, 4:57 PM
Frank what I mean is in 1 touch I can take a photo input it "no pre processing" in to 1 touch and let it do its thing with the material selected and export it back out and into corel and we are done. In PG3 it is hit and miss. I am using same pic and everything, but PG3 auto process cant give me the detail like 1 touch does. Is there a way to tinker with the interactive mode to get it better? Or do I need to tinker with it in corel Image lab first?

Thanks Andrew

Martin Boekers
09-08-2010, 5:34 PM
Are you looking to use it on a variety of substrates or basically one or two?

Not using 1 Touch I'm not sure if you pick the material the have it process the file.
I use PG just because it is quick and easy, yes maybe not always the best result,
but more often than not an acceptable result for the graphics I use.

The more you play with doing photo's I think you'll find that there isn't a 1 button, cure all.
Some processes may favor wood another granite etc.

I've wanted to do testing with a grey scale chart to see just how well
it holds the different levels, like everyone else there just isn't time.

Actually I seem to find that the settings (power and speed) are more important than the process.

Use the recommended setting as a guide, the test to find the best compromise.


Marty

Andrew Mammoliti
09-08-2010, 8:13 PM
well would like to start with laser tile, then move to marble and then cast acrylic. I want to ask this question, If i process photo in say like corel image lab or the such, then bring into PG3 then I select my material there then hit auto process, will that affect the pre process that i had just done in corel? Or just do the process in PG3 in the interactive mode?

Thanks

Larry Bratton
09-08-2010, 8:49 PM
well would like to start with laser tile, then move to marble and then cast acrylic. I want to ask this question, If i process photo in say like corel image lab or the such, then bring into PG3 then I select my material there then hit auto process, will that affect the pre process that i had just done in corel? Or just do the process in PG3 in the interactive mode?

Thanks
Andrew:
I, for one, make the photo look as good as possible in my "pre-process". Such as your contrast and sharpness etc. You have visual control at this point. When using PG, I try and submit the best photo possible. I do not use that funky interactive thing. Once I have my photo to my liking, I load it into PG, pick the material and final process. Do not use the laser settings it recommends, they don't work most of the time. I then import the saved ENG file into Corel Draw and laser it using the settings I know to work from experience. (Oh, and btw, don't resize the ENG file once you have it in Draw)

IMO the basis for good results, as much as anything, is to begin with a good photograph,300 dpi is my standard, try and avoid jpgs if possible. Downloaded low res photos off the internet don't give good results. Optimum results are achieved with professional photos, scanned, and pre processed in Photoshop or Corel Photopaint. Save as a tiff or bmp to preserve your quality.

As far as what your starting out with , acrylic is very easy to get good results, marble is a little more difficult and I assume tile is the most difficult. (I don't do tile but I do acrylic, wood, granite and marble).

Dee Gallo
09-08-2010, 9:35 PM
well would like to start with laser tile, then move to marble and then cast acrylic. I want to ask this question, If i process photo in say like corel image lab or the such, then bring into PG3 then I select my material there then hit auto process, will that affect the pre process that i had just done in corel? Or just do the process in PG3 in the interactive mode?

Thanks

Here is a test lasertile (ivory) I did to see how an untouched scan would do. I scanned a drawing from an old book and just added the lettering to compare type with image. I find lasertile very easy to use, but you will not get as black a mark as you will with cermark on tile.

The second tile is a plain 19 cent white tile from HD done with cermark. Don't laugh, guys, it was my first time using cutout lab to remove a background and pretty bad, but I learned from the results. I still prefer using PhotoShop for prep. The final tile was actually granite and came out very well. This is just posted to show Andrew how the two processes compare.

Neither of these used PG - one less process for me is good.

cheers, dee

BTW- I meant to add that you will spend more time and effort looking for an easy way than it's worth. You will get best results by learning how to use photo editing programs and it's not as hard as you might think if you put some effort into it. Using the right tool for the job IS the easy way.

Tim Bateson
09-08-2010, 10:13 PM
I would like to try the 1-Touch software, and I know some here still use PhotoGrav & even like it. If it works for you then go for it.

I'm going to surprise most you. After 3 years of trial & error... mostly error, I have FINALLY found a good use for PhotoGrav...


The CD makes a Great coaster. :cool:

Andrew Mammoliti
09-08-2010, 10:50 PM
Hi Larry, so can I use that interactive app to process my photo as well? I mean I can do it here too instead of corel, it has edge sharpen, and all those other tools and I can see the picture change in real time as I make the changes. That is the tricky part.

thanks for the help, as well as dee. I will keep probing you guys till I figure it out. lol

As for Tim, you get get a trial version 30 days free. from ULS. via download. This software is the "king" so far.

Dan Hintz
09-09-2010, 6:56 AM
I have 1-touch... I prefer doing everything within Paint.NET.

Scott Shepherd
09-09-2010, 8:18 AM
1-touch is by far much easier to use than PG. You are exactly right, in my opinion, PG is hit or miss. People have good results with it, my my guess is few rarely have the outstanding results from the first pass through.

1-Touch was developed to deal with this exact problem. Some won't like it, as it doesn't give you much control over anything at all, but in many cases, that's perfect.

I find it to be very good, the images are outstanding on everything I have tried.

It is not brand specific, it will work on an Epilog just fine from what I understand. For those curious about it, I think it's a free trial demo, give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

Larry Bratton
09-09-2010, 9:39 AM
Andrew,
yes, you can do that. However as they say "results may vary". Problem with photographs is that there are a lot of variables. I don't care if it's 1-Touch, PG2, PG3, or whatever, you are going to have to experiment and find your own way, so to speak. I don't believe any one software program is going to allow just simple importation and processing of the photo and then output perfect results every time.

I personally have been into the laser for about 3 years now. I read this forum every day. There is not a day goes by that I don't learn something at this great place. So, keep reading and working on your techniques and you will get a lot of satisfaction from your projects. As I have said, I enjoy the creative process of photo preparation, choosing my own dithering method all without the automation that causes me to pretty much lose control of my output. Good luck with your projects.

Andrew Mammoliti
09-09-2010, 4:22 PM
Thanks Dan