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LightBurn Basic Usage: Essential Features for Beginners

  • by halim yahya

LightBurn Guide: Creating, Importing, Moving, and Grouping Artwork

 

In this section, we’ll walk you through essential tasks in LightBurn such as creating shapes, importing artwork, resizing and moving designs, and grouping objects for easier manipulation. These basic skills will help you efficiently manage your laser cutting and engraving projects.

 

 

Creating Shapes in LightBurn

LightBurn provides a variety of shape creation tools that allow you to make simple yet effective designs. To create shapes, select the appropriate tool from the left toolbar (ellipse, rectangle, polygon, or text tool). After selecting a tool, click and drag in the workspace to adjust the size of the shape:

  • Shift key: Hold while dragging to constrain the shape to a perfect square or circle.
  • Ctrl key: Hold to center the shape from its starting point.
  • Release the mouse: To finalize the shape. 

For text, select the Text Tool, click in the workspace to place the cursor, type your text, and press Esc when finished.

 

 

Importing Artwork into LightBurn

While LightBurn offers basic shape creation tools, it's often more efficient to import artwork created in other graphic design programs. LightBurn can import a variety of vector and image formats, including:

 

Supported Vector Formats:

  • .ai (Adobe Illustrator)
  • .svg (Scalable Vector Graphics)
  • .dxf (AutoCAD Drawing Exchange Format)
  • .pdf (Portable Document Format)
  • .plt / .hpgl (Plotter Graphics)

 

Supported Image Formats:

  • .png (Portable Network Graphics)
  • .jpg / .jpeg (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
  • .bmp (Bitmap)
  • .gif (Graphics Interchange Format)
  • .tiff / .tif (Tagged Image Format)

 

To import a file, you can use several methods:

  • Click the Import button on the toolbar.
  • Use the File > Import menu option.
  • Press Ctrl + I on your keyboard.
  • Drag and drop files directly into LightBurn.

 

Remember, vector files can be complex and may not fully translate into LightBurn if they include advanced features such as gradients or pattern fills. For best results, export as a high-DPI image.

 

 

Moving and Sizing Artwork

Once your artwork is imported, adjusting its size and position in LightBurn is simple:

  • Resizing: Click on the corners of the selected object and drag to resize. Hold Shift to maintain proportions, or Ctrl (or Command on Mac) to resize from the center.
  • Moving: Click and drag the object to move it. Holding Shift while moving constrains the movement to horizontal, vertical, or diagonal directions.
  • Rotating: Use the rotate handles to freely rotate the object. Hold Ctrl (or Command on Mac) to snap rotation every 5 degrees, or Shift for 15-degree increments.

You can also adjust the size, position, and rotation of artwork using the Numeric Edits Toolbar for more precise control.

 

Grouping Objects for Easy Management

Grouping is essential when you want to move or resize multiple objects together while maintaining their relative positions. Here’s how you can group and ungroup shapes:

  • Group: Select multiple objects and click the Group button (or press Ctrl + G).
  • Ungroup: Select a grouped object and click the Ungroup button (or press Ctrl + U).

When selected, a grouped object will display a dot-dot-dash pattern, while ungrouped objects will have a simple dash pattern.

Grouping is especially helpful for organizing complex designs or ensuring that multiple elements stay aligned.

 

 

Adjusting Cut Layer Settings

LightBurn assigns colors to layers based on the vector shapes’ color when importing artwork.

Each layer can have different settings for the laser’s power, speed, and operation mode. For example, you might use different colors for cutting, engraving, or outlining:

  • Red: Used for cutting at high power.
  • Blue: For light engraving or outlining.
  • Black: For solid engraving.

 

 

You can view and adjust these settings in the Cuts / Layers window. To fine-tune the settings for a specific layer, double-click the layer entry to open the Cut Settings Editor, where you can adjust speed, power, and more.

 

 

Controlling the Laser in LightBurn

Controlling your laser in LightBurn involves using the Laser Window and Move Window, which allow you to manage your laser's operation and positioning:

  • Laser Window: This window lets you select your laser, start, stop, or pause jobs, frame your design, and more. The available options may vary depending on the type of laser you're using.
  • Move Window: Located behind the Cuts / Layers window by default, the Move Window provides jog buttons for controlling laser movement and framing.

 

Additionally, there are other ways to move the laser within LightBurn:

  • Click-to-Position Tool: Select a location in the workspace, and LightBurn will move the laser to that point.
  • Arrow Keys: Use the number pad arrow keys for precise laser movement.
  • Arrange Menu: Move the laser relative to artwork in the workspace.

 

 

Summary

With these essential tools in LightBurn, you’ll be able to:

  • Create and manipulate basic shapes using the Shape Tools.
  • Import and adjust artwork from external programs.
  • Resize, move, and rotate your designs with ease.
  • Group objects for better management.
  • Set layer-specific parameters for precise laser cutting and engraving.
  • Control the laser to frame, position, and execute your design.

 

 


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