lithophane maker
Lithophane maker
Turn a photo into a lithophane for 3D printing, or an image into a heightmap. Choose the size and thickness, preview the relief, and download the STL.
Good to know
Lithophane mode makes dark areas thick, so the photo shows when light shines through. Print it upright, in white PLA, at 100% infill. Heightmap mode raises the light areas instead, for terrain and embossing.
How it works
- 1Drop a PNG or JPG in the box above.
- 2Pick lithophane or heightmap, then set the size and the thinnest and thickest points.
- 3Download the STL. Print lithophanes upright, in white PLA, at 100% infill.
Lithophane settings that work
0.8 mm at the thinnest and 3.2 mm at the thickest is a good start for white PLA.
A 0.2 mm layer height and a 0.4 mm nozzle keep the detail. Slow the outer wall down.
Higher detail gives a sharper photo and a bigger file. 240 points along the long side is plenty for 100 mm.
About STL
STL (Stereolithography). The default 3D printing format since 1987: a bare list of triangles. Every slicer reads it, but it has no units, no color, and no parts.
Units: None in the file. Slicers read the numbers as millimeters. Up axis: Z. Opens in Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Cura, OrcaSlicer, and Blender.
Questions
- Is the lithophane maker free?
- Yes. You get 3 runs a month without an account. Sign in with your email, free, and there is no limit.
- Is my photo uploaded?
- No. The file is read and converted in your browser. It never reaches our servers.
- What is the difference between lithophane and heightmap?
- A lithophane is thick where the photo is dark, so it shows the picture when lit from behind. A heightmap is tall where the image is light, for terrain, embossing, and textures.
- Can I turn a photo of an object into a part?
- Not here: a lithophane is the picture in relief. Upload the photo to Voloom instead, and it builds a parametric part from it that you can resize and download as STL.
Related tools
All tools- Convert STL to OBJFree STL to OBJ converter. Runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Preview the model, then download the OBJ.
- Convert STL to GLBFree STL to GLB converter. Runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Preview the model, then download the GLB.
- Convert STL to 3MFFree STL to 3MF converter. Runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Preview the model, then download the 3MF.
- Convert STL to USDZFree STL to USDZ converter. Runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Preview the model, then download the USDZ.
- Convert STL to STEPFree STL to STEP converter. Runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Preview the model, then download the STEP.
- STL viewer onlineOpen STL files in your browser. Measure distances and holes, cut a section, check it is watertight, and see the print weight. No install, nothing uploaded.
- Convert OBJ to STLFree OBJ to STL converter. Runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Preview the model, then download the STL.
- Convert GLB to STLFree GLB to STL converter. Runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Preview the model, then download the STL.