Prepare a laser depth map before the first burn

A grayscale file for a laser carries two separate decisions: which parts of the subject are raised, and how much of the tonal range each step is allowed to consume. A photograph answers neither. Brightness in a photo records reflected light, so a bright forehead and a bright wall arrive at the same value even though only one of them should become geometry.

DepthCarve works on the second question only. The blank point removes low-value range, the white point sets the upper boundary, contrast separates levels, and inversion decides which end becomes near. Because those operations run on the estimate rather than triggering another inference, you can compare two interpretations of the same subject without paying for the model twice.

Subjects with clear form and an uncluttered border behave best. Flat borders give the engraver a predictable resting level, and smooth transitions across skin, fabric, or ornament reduce banding where the controller steps between power levels. Reflective, transparent, textureless, or heavily repeated surfaces give the estimator no reliable cue and can return a confident-looking field that is simply wrong.

Check the free 8-bit PNG against the original before anything else. Look for a halo along a hard silhouette, a background that has crept into the subject range, and any isolated bright or dark island that will become a spike or a pit. Those are source and range problems, and no amount of increased density or a different container will repair them.

A depth map describes intended relief. It says nothing about what a specific sheet of plywood, slate, coated metal, or acrylic will do at a given power, speed, interval, or number of passes. Combining both questions into one attempt makes a failure impossible to attribute: you cannot tell whether the image was wrong or the settings were.

Approve the grayscale file first, on a screen and on a small scrap strip cut from the same material batch. Only then spend production time. The preview downloads stay free for exactly this reason, and the paid bundle exists for raw float depth and the true 16-bit pair when a job genuinely needs them.