Photograv- need some help

[Scott Shepherd]

We broke down and bought Photograv several weeks ago and I apparently look like a monkey trying to learn Chinese sitting in front it it. I've emailed the Photograv people and didn't really get any great advice/help from them. I thought Photograv was pretty much a plug and play item, but either I was wrong, or I'm a moron (or possibly both).

I see photos people do and I can't get anything remotely close to it. I look at things like the LaserTile samples and they look amazing. I look at my work and it looks like a hack did it.

So I'm hoping we can walk through the process on a specific photo or two and see if some of us mentally challenged can get some help from those who have clearly mastered it.

So to start, here's the photo I'd like to start with on black granite http://www.customengravingandsigns.c...otograv001.JPG (note, it's the original photo I took and is a very large file- didn't want to resize it, wanted to give others the original as well)

I have resized and resampled it in Photograv at 10" wide, using 250DPI (we have a ULS sytem and the book says we can use 250 or 500).

Can someone look at the photo and tell me what we need to tweak on the photo before processing? Color level adjustments?

45W machine. I have a 1/2 box of black granite left and I'm more than happy to burn through them to go through this with someone who will help us all learn.

[Tom Bull]

There is a fabulous tutorial on www.coreldrawpro.com the June 2007 issue that does a step by step on both granite and marble. I keep a printed copy at hand to refresh me on my granite jobs. I think a real key is the contrast, you have to be careful to have plenty. And a real challenge is doing dark images (seems like everyone has a black dog to engrave). Hope this tutorial will help you.

[Derek Kern]

Scott,

The photo looks like it will turn out OK without any color adjustments. I can run it on my machine and see how it turns out if that is OK with you. Then I could post a pic of the results.

I typically use black marble when I do photos, they seem to come out clearer for me.

[Ed Lang]

Scott, thanks for posting this. I am having the same kind of trouble but using wood. Maybe after you get all fixed up we can start to talk about doing the same thing but on wood. Baltic Birch and Cherry.

Tom, thanks for the link to the pdf files. I have downloaded them all and am reading them. They look like a good resource for Corel and Photograv.

[John Stephens]

Tom, thanks for the tip on the tutorial at http://www.coreldrawpro.com/.
I could use it for my applications now also. Do Im have to be a member to see it? It looks like it cost $60.00 to join.

Thank you, John

[Ed Lang]

Scott,
I downloaded the picture and ran with my Photograv 2.11. Here are the results. This is the first time I have ever put granite in my machine. One is baltic birch processed with cherry parms and the other is the granite I had here processed with the ULS granite/marble parms I downloaded from USL.

[Scott Shepherd]

See, that looks much better than I get. Here's a couple of photos of what I get.

Forgive the poor light and color. Forget to set my white balance for the light.

[Frank Corker]

Steve, give this a try. By the way I have included a file of the picture (still original size and not 10" wide like the included ready to burn bmp 49 power to 100 speed) where I have removed the background. The background removed will enhance the picture much more than yours and make it appear to be more contrasted. Can you give it a try and post the results?

Fantastic photograph by the way. Love the depth of field.

http://rapidshare.com/files/79705306/Desktop.zip.html

Choose the free option. The next page will take you to a choice of download sites. You can choose any.

[Frank Corker]

Strangely enough I ran this through Photograv 2.11 and it gives a recommended power of 23 power to 100 speed but Photograv 3 says 100 power to 83 speed. If that went into my machine I'd guarantee it would be washed out and mine is a 45 watt laser! Still haven't got to grips with version 3 yet, it gives some very weird settings. I would normally engrave black granite on my machine at 33 power to 100 speed, no if's and no but's about it.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks Frank, I'll give it a go on Saturday morning and take some photos of the results.

You're getting exactly the same problem I am with the power. It seems to tell me to run darn near everything at 80-90P. Even clear acrylic it tells me to run it at 90P or something like that.

That's where I'm getting confused.

I'll give it a go and report back. Thanks for the kind words about the photograph I did plan on getting rid of the background, but that darned hair got in my way

[Frank Corker]

I thought it might have, that's why I took a bit of time and removed it, I think you'll be happy with the result. I agree with you about the speed and power settings for acrylics, having tried one or two of the settings I ended up getting quite frustrated. I think I'm going to need some time to tweak them about a bit.

[Larry Bratton]

Dang Scott, you been around Frank so much your beginning to talk like him. "Give it a go", I didn't know you said that in Virginia! I thought it was.."I'll give it a try".

[Scott Shepherd]

Funny Larry I worked for a UK based company for years and years, so I've been around them "foreigners" for years I have a ton of English friends and I have to communicate with them in ways they can understand, so I guess it rubs off. Also went over and worked outside London for a short while.

Guess it all rubbed off At least I didn't call him "mate" or anything

Actually, if it were true Virginian, it would have been more like "Hey y'all watch this"

[Larry Bratton]

Originally Posted by Scott Shepherd

Funny Larry I worked for a UK based company for years and years, so I've been around them "foreigners" for years I have a ton of English friends and I have to communicate with them in ways they can understand, so I guess it rubs off. Also went over and worked outside London for a short while.

Guess it all rubbed off At least I didn't call him "mate" or anything

Actually, if it were true Virginian, it would have been more like "Hey y'all watch this"

Hahaha! Thanks Scott,,I needed that! You know those are usually "famous last words" in the redneck vocabulary "Hey y'all-watch this!". That's for all of us also that think the end of the national anthem is "Gentlemen, Start your Engines".

[Scott Shepherd]

Here ya go Frank, this is as per your file and 49P 100S on 45W machine, 250DPI.

This is shown next to the original one I did that I wasn't really happy with. PhotoGrav 3.0 shows 75P and 100S, which would have surely been way too much power. I'm really disappointed in the speed/power settings with PhotoGrav.

Any ideas on what to try out next or are these typical of what would be acceptable?

Sorry for the small photos, but since it's all black, the KB's are huge.