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Generally, more nodes is not really the best option. Using appropriate node types (smooth nodes) will help defining your shape properly without adding more nodes. Sometimes, smoothing your shape involves deleting a lot of extra nodes and replacing them with a single or couple smooth nodes, which is a better solution.

Good catch, I will mention that in the future.

Rather than masking with only an outer shape, you would probably want to put the outline with the outside, then mask. i.e. a mask shape with an inside shape also. Here's how: 1. Right click on the image, remove mask. 2. Select your masking shape AND your outline. Group them. 3. Select your masking shape and your image, then apply image mask again. Method 2: 1. Flatten image mask (right click menu) which makes the masking permanent, then apply a new mask with the next shape.

@@milaserguy Both of these didn't worked but I found something that did. Right clicking and selecting apply mask failed every time but if I go to tools and click apply mask it works. Why it works one way and not the other i don't know. Just leaving this here for if someone has the same problem in the future.

I did just confirm this still works the same on 1.7.03, as they have changed how things are automatically selected slightly over the years. I am not sure exactly what you mean by it doesn't highlight to select. If you select your background first, then hold ctrl and click your outline that you will be using as the path to cut, it should select. Worth noting, if you duplicated the outline as I did, it will be difficult to see the dashed line on the outline when selected. You might switch an outline to a different layer and turn it off to make it easier to see what you are working with.

What you are asking about is 2.5D engraving. You would put them on different layers. Imagine slicing the shape you want horizontally into slices. Each slice would represent what you want to engrave. So your first layer might run several passes and remove everything but the letters. The next several passes would remove everything but the pattern and the letters. (The letters would always be left, since they are tallest, but every time you add more to what is left, you are removing the remainder.) Hope this makes sense.

Glad it was helpful!

Glad I could help!

Noted. In fact, I just took a look at this video and it looks like the video encoder made it look like it was recorded on a potato. I will see if I can fix that.

I re-uploaded the video, not sure what happened here (and how I didn't notice it before.) th-cam.com/video/qlIeG1uMhrY/w-d-xo.html

Can you describe more detail about what you are asking? I am not clear on what you are wanting to do.

Absolutely. Using the layer settings, turn on "Automatic" for tabs. Close the layer settings, then use the "Tabs" tool (right below node editor). Double-click or shift-click a tab to delete it. This will convert your auto-tabs (green) to manual tabs (red).

Glad I could help!

I get it. This is especially true of some of my old videos. I am working on this, and will eventually re-create some of these old ones with better sound and whatnot.

Thanks!

Thanks for the sub!

When you create an Art Library file (each "category" is its own library), this creates the file that is saved. The library is automatically saved any time you make changes to it (adding or removing art).

Glad it was helpful!

You're welcome!

Excellent. Let me know if you get stuck.

I will be doing some pmags this month sometime. If you are getting lines, are you sure your layer is set to fill?

In the "Window" menu, make sure "Color Palette" is checked. If it is, it could be moved somewhere else accidentally. If you can't find it, use Window->Reset to Default Layout

Awesome.

Fantastic!

Always welcome. Sorry for the poor quality, this video is on the list of ones to re-record using my updated process.

Glad I could help! Sorry for the poor video quality, this video is on a list of vids I need to re-record.

Thank you!

Yeah, creating them during the process can help keep track of them in order. I found it easier to do as shown. Thanks for the suggestion on the audio, I plan on re-recording these earlier tutorials soon.

Glad it helped!

This may change how much you have to fix after tracing using node editor. It doesn't really change the process, but if it blends with the background, you may need to fix tracing blemishes to get a proper outline of it.

Starting from "current position" can be problematic. If you are using a DSP based controller, what you are actually describing on your CNC is "User Origin". This is my normal operational mode for my CO2 laser. I move it to a position and press the "Origin" button. This sets my user origin, which I use for aligning materials (sometimes the center of an item, sometimes an arbitrary corner). If I stop my laser part-way through the job, as long as I am still using "User Origin", it will start from the same location. I can move the laser back to that spot in the Move window by clicking the "Go to Origin" button in the Laser window. Alternatively, if you save a "current location" in the Move window, you can go back to that position. You can use the "Get Position" to get the current coords, then save it and go back to that position at any time, but setting an origin on the machine is FAR easier, if possible.

@@milaserguy Thanks for the reply, it seems when I click on the stop button, it looses all positions. I have a Ikier 70 watt diode laser and use Lightburn (1.6) but in this instance it acts different from the software I use on my CNC table. When I zero the DROs that is the current position and for any reason I stop I can just return to the zero, zero (current) position with a click of a button (macro). I tried to make a macro in Lightburn but it looks at that like move to home limits not a current position.

On a diode laser (likely GRBL based), you probably would want to use absolute positioning, which is a reference to the 0,0 home position of the laser. The machine should home itself at poweron, so that it understands absolute positions (as well as being able to go to saved positions), however, user origin is not likely available on these machines.

You're very welcome!

Glad I could help

You bet!

You are so welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

Hi Matt. Sorry for the late reply. Did you confirm that the shape you are trying to mask with is not a group (should be dashes, not the ants on a log outline)? This only works with single shapes and not grouped shapes.

The trial should include all features, it is not restricted. Masking requires an image and a shape, minimally, to apply.

Yeah, not sure what I’m doing! I’m on day three trying to figure it out. I did eventually figure something out and it worked!

@@JohnAndersen-ks4sl Do you have LightBurn in beginner mode? That might prevent masking.

Generally, you can just add an additional offset to the original offset, but it might lose some detail in the process.

As I described in my comment then, make your masking shape (the center) and another shape around the entire image. Group the two shapes. You now have a shape that is the space between the center and the outside. Use this as your mask.

Like, you only want to keep the center, or you want to remove the center? You can create a shape (lets say a "ring") and use that as your masking shape, and only the space between the inside and outside will be visible after masking.