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View Full Version : Photo on black marble..my first



Larry Bratton
03-31-2007, 6:36 PM
Thought you guys might want to critique my first attempt at lasering a photo onto black marble. This is a memorial plaque to be sent to my cousin's widow. Cancer got him two weeks ago.
The photo was scanned from a good color studio photo. Cropped and adjusted in Corel Photopaint. (scanned at 600dpi originally then adjusted to 300dpi to send to Photograv). Dropped into Photograv, autoprocessed using the blackmarble.prm. Then imported into the Corel Draw layout, no resize, just placed where it was supposed to be.
When I lasered it, I lasered the photo first at 300dpi setting to match the photograph. When that finished, I dropped the photo out of the layout, and ran the text at 600dpi. I applied ArmorAll prior to lasering to make the white pop out more. (it worked, I ran this prior on a piece of marble that had a pattern that I didn't want to send but keep for myself and their was a noticible difference).
Anyway, there it is. Comments appreciated. (The photo of the post is not too hot, it's hard to photograph that stuff) I was also kind of miffed because the marble had grain or whatever you call it right on my subjects nose in the picture, but, such is life.

By the way, thanks to Joe Pelonio for helping me via e-mail. I appreciate it!

Steve McKee
03-31-2007, 7:34 PM
Also nice work Larry. That's the problem with working with natural products though, sometimes the are flecks, grain, etc. in the worse place.

Larry Bratton
03-31-2007, 9:40 PM
Thanks Steve,
Yes, that stuff is kind of unpredictable when it comes to that. Is granite the same? Is their an advantage to one over the other? I didn't see any granite for sale where I bought this (JDS) or I would have tried that also.

Bill Cunningham
03-31-2007, 10:05 PM
I have done photos into various types of marble. If it really critical, when looking for a piece I usually have a printout on vellum of the job with me, and lay it over the marble just to make sure I don't end up with a 'hitler mustach' for example..:D
But, sometimes the flaws are hidden and you just have to live with them.. I usually do my photos at 600, and the text at 300, and do eveything twice.. The second pass does brighten up the marble.. Yours came out very nice, whether it was the first or the 50th it looks good.. Black Granite depends on the size of the quartz flake in the rock. The smaller the flec the better the photo. H.D. has what 'they' call absoloute black granite, but it does have a tiny fleck.. I have seen some chinese stuff that is solid black.. If there is a flec in it, I can't see it.. You can brighten up granite with a tube of titainum white from the art store.. Just rub it into the etched surface and let it dry.. I it's not going outside, acrlyic will do. If it is used outside, oil, and a long time to dry properly..

Larry Bratton
03-31-2007, 10:38 PM
Bill:
Thanks for the info. I'm an old wood guy and this lasering on rock is a totally new thing to me. But I'm learning!!

Bill Cunningham
03-31-2007, 11:09 PM
Large flake black granite 'can' be used, but the results are not as fine..
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=51755&d=1165202384