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View Full Version : Calling all Photograv xperts



Clyde Baumwell
01-08-2007, 9:30 PM
When I select Clear Cast Acrylic as my material and then auto process, I get the engraved and the simulated image...which look fine on screen...but when I save the the engraved image it gets reversed (inverted). The white background (which is a non image area) becomes black and engraves. The saved image looks the same as if I selected a black material. Anyone know a reason, a fix or a way around this. (I don't care for this program very much)

Dave Jones
01-08-2007, 10:09 PM
Acrylic acts like a black substrate. The parts hit by the laser become frosted white. The unengraved parts are the "blacks" of the original image. Clear acrylic looks best with a dark background behind it or a light striking it at an angle, making the frosted part light up. Because of that, when creating your original image you'll make the image background black (like you would for black marble). When it is inverted it becomes white and doesn't engrave.

Clyde Baumwell
01-09-2007, 9:22 AM
Thanks for that response. I tried inverting the image and engraving to try to get the look I wanted, but then the image (a portrait) looked inverted also. With acrylic, I am trying to engrave a photo of a person and then vector cutting the outline - like a cutout. Maybe I can select another material in Photgrav--any suggestions?

Tom Cullen
01-09-2007, 11:11 AM
I believe the default in auto mode is set to MIRROR the image. You might want to try processing the image usint the interactive mode.

Bill Cunningham
01-09-2007, 12:15 PM
Yup!! Toms Right... The ineractive mode will still alow you to flip the image for reverse engraving, but also allow you the 'de-select' the polarity from negative to positive.. Once you hit the interactive button, click on the simulation on button to bring up the choices...

When you select Positive, the display will look like a negative, but it will save as a positive and look normal Exactly the reverse of what it was doing before...

Clyde Baumwell
01-09-2007, 12:43 PM
Tom/ Bill

In that scenario, wouldn't the image itself also be reversed?

Bill Cunningham
01-09-2007, 5:17 PM
Nope... If you change the polarity, you are just changing the picture from a negative to a positive (think photo negative & photo) The other button below it will actually flip the image left to right.. In most cases you want the photo flipped, because clear acrylic is usually engraved from the back..
When setting up your picture background, if you do not want it to engrave as a solid area, make it 'black' before you process the picture in photograv ..Photograv will then make it white in the auto process and it won't engrave
because everything will become a negative (or reversed as far as colour is concerned).. Glass is the same, both have no contrast, and to get contrast in order to see the picture, it must be displayed against a dark background.. This is why photograv processes it to a negative.. The fact that the background also get reversed can be annoying, but pre-planning, by making it black 'before' processing, will eliminate that problem.. You just have to remember to do it..:rolleyes: