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Ed Miller
12-18-2005, 3:12 AM
Hi all,

I'm curious to know how many people on here use PhotoGrav or edit their images in PS or some other raster application.

For the PhotoGrav users, I would like to know what features you like and what you don't like.

All your thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thank you and happy lasering. :)

David Barron
12-19-2005, 4:13 PM
My personal experiences with Photograv have been mostly good. It has taken a number of images that simply would not produce anything of quality and made something good out of them.

Of course this is not always the case, in a few cases I have actually found images to actually engrave better without using it. The ability to manually adjust the filter settings is very useful though, especially with the preview window as it allows you to get an idea of the contrast before engraving so as not to waste material.

Hope this helps!

Dave

Keith Outten
12-19-2005, 4:41 PM
Ed,

Like Dave I also own PhotoGrav. We use it occasionally, some jobs like marble we have always engraved without PhotoGrav. What we have found it usefull for is engraving Corian and often wood but only for photos as we never use it for text or graphics.

One of the best features is the ability to save a preview and be able to let a customer see the representation before the job is engraved. Something else that is handy is the ability to obtain new parameters for other materials that the software didn't support when it was shipped.

All in all PhotoGrav is probably a necessity for anyone who owns a laser engraver. PhotoGrav is pricey considering its linited functionality but the bottom line is that some jobs would be near impossible or take too much time to engrave without PhotoGrav IMHO.

Bob Tate
12-19-2005, 5:10 PM
I use photograv a lot. I am sure it has paid for itself by saving on wasted materials. I found it confusing at first. Now it is a walk in the park. Well worth the price.

Dave Fifield
12-19-2005, 10:12 PM
I'm pretty new to the laser engraving world. I bought PhotoGrav within a week of getting my laser when I found out how hard it was to adjust/fiddle with photos in Photoshop or Corel Photopaint to get them to laser nicely. I have since used it extensively and now would not do without it. Well worth the money IMO.

IMHO, if one thing could be improved it would be to have more material parameter file choices to make selection/use easier.

Cheers,
Dave F.

Al Curatolo
12-22-2005, 12:31 PM
I use Photograv on small pieces (4"x4") from time to time and it is helpful when you don't want to spend a lot of time on a small, cheap piece. I find that I get much better results on larger pieces the old fashioned way in Photoshop...

I also think Photograv'd images have a wierd "look" about them. My experience has been that the results at larger sizes (we specialize in murals) are not acceptable. I've won business because someone compared the stuff that we do in Photoshop to a piece from one of my competitors that was done in Photograv, there was no comparison. Of course this only applies if you have photoshop skills. :)

Keep in mind that I do stone and glass, for wood your mileage may vary...


Al