# New laser etch settings?

**URL:** <https://forum.snapmaker.com/t/new-laser-etch-settings/33986>\
**Category:** Snapmaker 2.0 (3-in-1)\
**Created:** [December 8, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://forum.snapmaker.com/t/new-laser-etch-settings/33986 "2023-12-08T17:36:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![NilartPax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.snapmaker.com/nilartpax/32/3681_2.png) [@NilartPax](https://forum.snapmaker.com/u/NilartPax)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://forum.snapmaker.com/t/new-laser-etch-settings/33986/1 "2023-12-08T17:36:54Z")

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Has anyone experimented with the new laser etch settings? what give the best image quality? I don’t see any difference in luban using the different “grayscale conversions”, and am curious about the “none” algorithm for dithering.  
Hoping to get some guidance beforehand, instead of using up a bunch of extra material with experiments.

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**Author:** ![Skreelink](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.snapmaker.com/skreelink/32/16398_2.png) [@Skreelink](https://forum.snapmaker.com/u/Skreelink)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://forum.snapmaker.com/t/new-laser-etch-settings/33986/2 "2023-12-08T17:46:35Z")

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“None” actually runs grayscale by varying the power of the laser to darken/lighten as needed. It’s very finnicky and has to be dialed in painstakingly for each material, but you can get some wonderful results. Such as this;

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/snapmaker/original/3X/c/5/c5da361fd6199a1e8dc81672a5753dac106115d2.jpeg) ](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/snapmaker/original/3X/c/5/c5da361fd6199a1e8dc81672a5753dac106115d2.jpeg)

I did an explanation between dithering vs grayscale feature in Luban in this thread if you want some information on it:

> [@Laser engraving constant power mode issue?](https://forum.snapmaker.com/t/laser-engraving-constant-power-mode-issue/33059/19):
>
> Ohhh! Apparently they added actual grayscale to Luban if you don’t pick a dither option! Nice find, but very tricky to dial in and is only really good on materials that respond to and darken at different levels of laser power. What it does it convert the image into a heatmap and changes the laser power depending on darkness, and doesn’t seem to have a way to control the range. In Lightburn this is set with Min/Max (max power is for purest black, min is for purest white) and modulates % between …

As far as the actual dithering algorithm options available, they’re mostly how it mathematically determines the dithering and is mostly up to personal preference. A good rule of thumb is `Stucki` gives the best details for real life images, with minimal artifacts. `Atkinson` however, is high contrast, this is good for smooth/solid colours, like drawings or non-real life images. Say, logos, webcomics, etc. You won’t really see much of a difference in the preview, but you will in the finished result.

The grayscale conversion is how it converts to grayscale before dithering, that’s a bit more on photo editing that is outside of my scope. I assume it has to do with brightness values vs colours, etc.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NilartPax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.snapmaker.com/nilartpax/32/3681_2.png) [@NilartPax](https://forum.snapmaker.com/u/NilartPax)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://forum.snapmaker.com/t/new-laser-etch-settings/33986/3 "2023-12-08T18:04:35Z")

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Yes, thanks.

I am curious what happens when you don’t use an algorithm, use grayscale, and then generate with dot-filled engraving. I wonder what is used to generate the dots when you aren’t selecting the algorithm.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Skreelink](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.snapmaker.com/skreelink/32/16398_2.png) [@Skreelink](https://forum.snapmaker.com/u/Skreelink)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.snapmaker.com/t/new-laser-etch-settings/33986/4 "2023-12-08T18:27:40Z")

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> [@NilartPax](#):
>
> I am curious what happens when you don’t use an algorithm, use grayscale, and then generate with dot-filled engraving

I think it defaults to `Atkinson` and the old method of doing a dot engraving (stop and go stuttering with dwell). If you want to play with grayscale, use line mode and about 0.15-0.2 line width.

EDIT: Yes, it defaults to `Atkinson` if you choose dot-filled with the algorithm set to `None`. Just did some comparisons.