Colors and Layers
If you've worked with other design software in the past, a lot of what we've covered so far may have been pretty familiar to you — you might even have skipped a few pages. That's ok, we forgive you.
From here we get into the areas where LightBurn functions a bit differently from other design software, due to the nature of the end goal: getting graphics ready to be cut or engraved by a laser.
Colors and Layers¶
In LightBurn, different colors indicate each layer. Lasers don't print in color, so these colors don't represent the final product's colors but instead differentiate each operation needed to complete the job. Each layer defines a process and a collection of settings that is assigned to objects within the project.
In other words, layers let you tell the machine what it needs to do to produce the final work.
Note
See Images vs. Vectors for more information on the differences between these types of graphics.
Generally each color refers to a different layer, with one exception — if you add an image to a vector layer (or vice versa), then the layers will split to show two entries in the Cuts / Layers Window.
In all other cases, all graphics that share the same color/layer will be cut or engraved by your laser with the exact same settings.
You can use the Color Palette at the bottom of the Main Window to assign colors/layers to graphics in your project. If you already have objects selected, clicking a color will set the selected objects to that color/layer:
If you don't have any objects selected, clicking a color will determine the color/layer that subsequent new objects you create will be set to:
Once any graphic in your project has been assigned to a color/layer, you'll see that layer appear in the Cuts / Layers Window. You can use the drop down menu in the Cut / Layers Window to set the mode of given layer:
By default, operations are performed by your laser according to the order of the layers in the Cuts / Layers Windows. Click and drag a layer or use the arrow button on the side to change the layers' order:
Layer Modes¶
Note
By default, all vector graphics in LightBurn appear as outlines only, regardless of the type of layer mode they're assigned to. You can change the appearance of graphics set to Fill and Offset Mode by turning on a Filled View Style — we have more information on that below.
There are four layer modes in LightBurn. You can assign vector graphics — shapes made of lines, curves, and points — to layers set to Line Mode, Fill Mode, or Offset Fill Mode. Image graphics — pictures made up of pixels, or tiny blocks of color in a grid — can only be assigned to Image Mode layers.
Offset Fill Mode is meant for very specific and relatively uncommon use-cases, and Image Mode is a complex topic, best left for after you've gotten the hang of lasering-basics.
We'll focus on the two most commonly-used types of layer modes for the rest of this walkthrough: Line Mode and Fill Mode.
Line Mode¶
Line Mode tells your laser to trace a path around the contours of vector graphics.
Line Mode is the most straightforward mode for new users to understand, because the output from your laser is the same as the outlines you see in your LightBurn Workspace.
The darkness of a Line Mode engraving or the depth of the cut it achieves depends on your cut settings, which we'll return to on the next page.
Fill Mode¶
Fill Mode tells your laser to etch parallel lines within the boundaries of vector graphics.
The darkness and depth of a Fill Mode engraving also depends on your cut settings, though not in exactly the same way as Line Mode. More on that later.
Fill Mode is a bit more complicated in other ways as well — graphics interact with one another differently depending on whether they are set to the same or different layers.
For instance, if you have two shapes set to the same layer, and one is inside of the other, the area between the two outlines will be filled.
If those same two shapes are set to different layers, the entirety of the outer shape and the entirety of the inner shape will both be engraved, meaning the area within the inner shape will be engraved twice.
This difference in logic may not be what you're expecting if you come from other design software, where parts of layers can be hidden behind others, and not appear in the final outcome.
The same logic holds true when shapes only partially overlap — if the shapes are assigned to the same Fill Mode layer, the area where they overlap will not be engraved. If they are set to different Fill Mode layers, the area where they overlap will be engraved twice.
In most cases (but not all!) you probably do not want these overlapping areas engraved twice, so always keep this in mind as you're creating and modifying designs.
View Style¶
You can change LightBurn's default View Style from a Wireframe mode to a Filled mode to check that your Fill Mode layers are arranged properly as you work.
In order for graphics set to a Fill Mode layer to appear filled in your Workspace, go to Window → Filled / Coarse (or Filled / Smooth), or press Alt/Option+Shift+W on your keyboard.
Select Wireframe / Coarse or Wireframe / Smooth from the same menu, or use the same keyboard shortcut again, to switch back to Wireframe mode.
There is a drawback to using a Filled View Style — while it's helpful for checking on the relationship of graphics set to the same Fill Mode layer, if your graphics are set to different layers, they can end up hidden behind one another — but they'll still be sent to your laser.
For that reason, it's best never to rely on the appearance of graphics in your Workspace alone, and always check the Preview window. We used the Preview window to make many of the examples shown above, and we'll explain how to use it in more detail later on.
For more help using LightBurn, please visit our forum to talk with LightBurn staff and users, or email support.