![[Laser cut and engrave] Snowflake Earrings from Bitmap Image](https://image-res.xtool.com/resource/xtool%2Fcommunity%2Fmaking%2F13f00961-fd8d-42c6-88df-7fa4b5ac0e05%2FIMG_5203.jpeg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_1200,h_900,limit_0/interlace,1/format,webp/auto-orient,1)
Snowflake Earrings from Bitmap Image
Instruction
Information
Have you ever found a image that you really liked but it was the wrong format to be able to cut from? X tool makes it easy to solve that problem, here is a guide to do that exact thing. usually you need a vector file (SVG, DXF, etc.) to upload, But with the image Trace feature, you can easily convert any bitmap files (PNG, JPG, etc.) Into an intricately cut end product!
Instruction
Step1: Open Your Creative Space
As with any project, you must start by opening a blank canvas in your Creative Space.
Step2: Find Your Image
Next we will look for an image on the web that we like enough to create our project with. for this project I decided to look up snowflake earrings for inspiration. along the way, I found a nice design that worked for me. From here you just drag and drop the image that you want onto your desktop or into your project folder.
PRO TIP: the best images to select for this type of project are ones that have a high contrast, this can be achieved by using the term “silhouette” in the search engine. the higher the resolution of the image, the easier of a time you will have with converting the image. This snowflake was 256 pixels by 256 pixels. generally I recommend a higher resolution, but this process worked surprisingly well for me even with such poor resolution of the base image.
Step3: Upload Your Image
The process for uploading your image into the Creative Space is as easy as dragging it from its location on your computer to the work area in your Creative Space application.
Step4: Trace Image
Next we use the “Trace” feature in the Creative Space. After selecting the image on your canvas that you just uploaded, go to the right of the screen and select the button that says “Trace Image” (circled in red here). when you do this, the image will appear larger and grayed out with a light blue outline around it as it does in the next photo. You will then change the settings on the right side of the screen to make the light blue outline appear as you want it to cut. The settings in the third picture are the ones that I decided to use for this project, it generally takes some playing around with to find what works best for your specific project. When you are satisfied with the outline, select the green “Save” button.
Step5: Separate Trace from Image
At this point you will be returned to the canvas and it will appear as it did in Step 3. Select the image and drag it to the side and you will notice that the piece that you dragged is the outline that you just created with the Trace feature. From here you can delete the original image (the one that is not the outline).
Step6: Update Project Settings (Size, Power, Material, etc.)
Now that you are done converting your bitmap image into a vector image, You will now proceed as you would with any other project. make sure to resize the image as needed and adjust the cut, processing type, power, material, and other settings to best fit your project. the settings I used worked for my project.
Step7: Send to Cut
From here you now connect your machine, select it, send the file to cut, and enjoy!