Cameras / Overlays Window

About The Cameras / Overlays Window¶

Use the Cameras / Overlays window to view and manage connected cameras. To enable the Cameras / Overlays window, go to Window → Cameras. If you don't have any cameras available, you'll need to Add a Camera.

If you have multiple lasers, cameras are specific to each device, so changing devices will change which cameras you havee available.

Click any option in the image below to jump directly to more information about it, or scroll down for a list of options and descriptions.

Using the Cameras / Overlays Window¶

Each camera you've added for your currently selected laser will show up in the Cameras / Overlays window, with the following sections:

• Camera Overlay Toggle & Resolution
• Overlay Tools & Opacity Slider
• Camera Preview
• Camera Settings
• Adjust Overlay
• Advanced

At the bottom of the window, you'll find:

• Home button to home your laser.
• Add Camera button.
• Manage Cameras button.
• Import Camera button.

Keep reading for more on each of these.

Camera Overlay Toggle & Resolution¶

Each camera section starts with a toggle switch to enable or disable the camera in the overlay on the workspace. If the toggle is disabled, the camera will not appear in the overlay.

This section also tells you whether the camera is an Overhead or Head camera, and shows you the resolution in terms of pixels/mm. The higher this value is, the more detail your camera can show.

Overlay¶

Each camera you add will have a section with buttons to control and manage the Camera Overlay, as well as a slider to control the opacity.

Update Overlay¶

Depending on what type of camera you have, your Update Overlay options will change.

Overhead Camera: Update Overlay¶

For Overhead cameras, the Update Overlay button will capture an image from your connected overhead camera(s) and update the overlay in the workspace. If you have multiple overhead cameras, all of them will be included (unless they're disabled). Use this to quickly update the Workspace with an overview of the bed of your laser.

Head Camera: Single, Selected, and Workspace Capture¶

Head Cameras have three different ways to update the Overlay: Single, Selected and Workspace.

Single¶

The Single capture option focuses the Z axis and captures a single image at the laser head's current location.

Selected¶

The Selected capture option requires you to have at least one shape selected. It will move the laser head over the selected shape(s) and stitch captures together for the area around your selected shapes.

Workspace¶

The Workspace capture option moves the laser head over the entire Workspace and stitches captures together to create an overview of the entire laser bed, similar to what you would get from an Overhead Camera.

Trace¶

Click Trace Overlay to open LightBurn's Trace Image tool and trace directly from the camera.

Clear¶

Click Clear to clear the overlay for that particular camera.

Opacity¶

Use the Opacity slider to change the transparency of the overlay for that particular camera. Reducing the opacity can sometimes make it easier to see what you're drawing.

Camera Preview¶

Each connected camera has a preview with a status bar. The status bar shows you the current state of the camera and gives you quick access to tools like Calibration and Alignment. You can find more info about each item in the status area in the table below.

Camera Status Area¶

Context Menu¶

Right-click in the Camera section to open the context menu. The first line on the menu tells you which camera you're working with. In addition:

• Edit opens the Edit Camera Window for the selected camera.
• Remove will remove the selected camera.
• Export will export a LightBurn Camera File so you can back up your camera settings or copy them to a different LightBurn installation.

Camera Settings¶

The Camera Settings section contains settings for adjusting your camera image.

The default settings here are chosen to work for most setups, but you can adjust your settings using the sliders or numeric entry boxes. For Exposure, Focus, and White Balance, you can also enable or disable automatic adjustment here.

Adjust Overlay¶

Overlay Width / Height¶

Adjust the size of the camera overlay.

X Shift / Y Shift¶

Shift the camera image in the X and/or Y directions, if the entire image is shifted over from where it should be.

Advanced¶

The Advanced section contains less commonly used camera settings.

Preview FPS¶

Use the dropdown to set the framerate of your camera. Higher numbers capture more images per second, giving you a more responsive preview, but also increasing the demand on your computer.

If your camera seems to be slowing down your computer, try lowering the framerate. On the other hand, if you've got a powerful computer and want a more responsive preview, you can try increasing the framerate.

Capture Image¶

Use either of these buttons to capture the image from your camera and insert it into your LightBurn Workspace. The Calibrated button will insert the image after applying your lens calibration, and Uncalibrated will ignore your lens calibration.

Add Camera¶

Click the Add Camera button to open the New Camera Wizard and set up a new camera in LightBurn.

Manage Cameras¶

Click the Manage Cameras button to open the Device Cameras window.

Import Camera¶

Click the Import Camera button to import a pre-configured camera with a LightBurn Camera File (.lbcm).

Context Menu¶

Clicking anywhere in the Cameras / Overlays Window other than inside a camera preview will open a context/right-click menu.

• Camera Selection Help will open the Camera Selection Help window to help you find an appropriate camera.
• Add Camera will open the wizard for Adding a Camera.
• Import Camera will open a dialog box to Import a Camera