From pixels to your first print.

1. Choose the right tool

Relief gives photos and artwork a solid flat back. Brightness controls surface height. Lithophane uses the opposite thickness mapping so a photo appears when backlit. Cookie cutter traces the outside of a solid silhouette and creates a hollow wall.

2. Prepare your image

Use PNG, JPG or WebP, under 20 MB and 40 megapixels. Crop away unwanted margins before loading. Images must have an aspect ratio between 1:10 and 10:1. A clean high-contrast image usually produces a clearer model than a busy photograph.

Transparent pixels are composited onto black for reliefs and white for lithophanes and cutters. For predictable results, give the image an explicit background in your image editor.

3. Set a size and thickness

All dimensions are in millimetres. Relief and lithophane width covers the whole image, retaining its proportions. Cutter width covers the traced inside opening; the wall and grip extend beyond it.

Relief depth is added to the base thickness. For a lithophane, start at 0.8 mm minimum plus a 2.4 mm thickness range. Leave Invert heights on so darker areas block more light.

4. Inspect the preview

Drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, and right-drag to pan. Top gives a plan view; Reset view fits the model again. Draft detail is useful while adjusting settings; Fine increases the sampling grid up to 256 pixels on its longest side. It cannot recover detail absent from the source.

5. Check the STL in your slicer

Download the STL and import it using millimetres. STL files do not store a unit label or colour. Confirm dimensions, orientation and layer preview in your slicer. Check thin features against your nozzle and material settings, and print a small sample before a larger piece.

Reliefs have a flat back at Z = 0. Cutter grips also sit on Z = 0. Lithophane print orientation depends on your printer and support strategy. The mesh preview does not simulate print strength, material transparency or light transmission.

If something goes wrong

• No outline: use a filled silhouette and adjust Threshold.
• Jagged cutter: simplify the image or try a different detail level.
• Flat relief: increase contrast in the source or increase Relief depth.
• Slow preview: choose Draft, close other heavy tabs, or use a smaller image.
• WebGL unavailable: enable browser hardware acceleration or try another browser; export can still work if the generator has finished.

Still stuck? Prepare a feedback message with the tool name and a description of what happened.