Two sheets of acrylic can need opposite files. Here is how to tell which one you have and prepare the photo for it.
Reviewed by the Vextrify team, tested in our own laser workshops · Updated · How we test
Try Vextrify freeOn clear acrylic the engraved area scatters light and looks pale against whatever sits behind the sheet, so the photo is usually prepared as a negative. Dark and coloured acrylic is a different case: Vextrify's dark/coloured acrylic profile deliberately does not invert by default. Decide which sheet you have before you touch the tone controls.
Photo Studio has 12 material profiles, including clear acrylic and dark/coloured acrylic. Each sets starting brightness, contrast and gamma and suggests a dithering method. Use the Invert control to flip a file when your sheet behaves the other way. The live preview and the ten dithering methods plus grayscale let you compare options before engraving.
On clear acrylic every mark is visible against the surface behind it, so a busy background competes with the subject. Remove it or calm it before the tone work. Transparent areas are placed over white in Vextrify and stay unengraved.
No speed, power or spacing figure is valid across machines and sheets. Engrave a material test grid on an offcut of the same acrylic, choose the best field and save it as a recipe. Dot gain spreads the burn, so tones come out heavier than on screen. Test a small version of the photo, normal and inverted, and keep the one that reads correctly on your sheet.
Acrylic comes in many finishes, and the surface and thickness vary. Peel the protective film only after checking which side you will engrave, and wipe the surface clean. Judge whether the sheet is clear, dark or coloured before you pick the profile, because that choice decides whether the file inverts. When in doubt, engrave a small test normal and inverted on an offcut.
For clear acrylic, usually yes, and Vextrify's clear acrylic profile inverts by default. The dark/coloured acrylic profile does not. Confirm with a small test on an offcut.
The file was prepared for the other type of sheet. Switch the profile or use Invert, then test again on scrap.
That depends on your laser and the sheet. Engrave a material test grid and save the best field as a recipe.