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Camera Control Window

The Camera Control Window is where you capture and adjust an Overlay produced by a camera, allowing you to position designs directly over objects in your laser's work area. You can also trace artwork or objects placed in your laser and captured by the camera.

Note

To use all of the features in the Camera Control Window, you must first properly Calibrate and Align your camera.

Accessing the Camera Control Window

The Camera Control Window is not enabled by default. To enable it, go to WindowCamera Control.

The Camera Control Window will appear docked behind the Cuts / Layers Window on the upper right side of your screen. Click the Camera Control tab to bring the Camera Control Window to the front.

Camera Control Window tab next to other docked window tabs

Tip

The layout of LightBurn is highly customizable. For more information on enabling and disabling windows and toolbars, or rearranging the default layout, see Customizing the LightBurn Window.

Camera Control Window Options and Settings

Click any option in the image below to jump directly to the relevant section for that option, or scroll down for a list of options and descriptions.

Camera Selection Menu

Opens a dropdown menu where you can select the appropriate camera — in order to use all the features in the Camera Control Window, this must be the same camera you selected during the Calibration and Alignment process.

The Camera Selection dropdown menu

Camera Information Tooltip

After selecting a camera, hover over it to view information on that camera, indicating its Resolution and whether it is Calibrated and Aligned.

A camera that is properly set up will have its Resolution indicated at the top of the tooltip, followed by the words Calibrated, Aligned.

Tooltip for an Aligned and Calibrated camera

A camera that has not yet been set up will have its Resolution indicated, followed by the words Not Calibrated, Not Aligned. Perform the Camera Calibration and Alignment processes to use your camera.

Tooltip for a camera that has not been Aligned or Calibrated

Finally, if your camera's calibration was performed at a different Resolution than the one it is now presenting, you will see two Resolutions indicated.

Tooltip for a camera that was Calibrated at a different resolution to the one it is now presenting

  • If you see a discrepancy in these resolutions, verify that you've selected the correct camera from the dropdown menu.
  • If you're sure you have, you'll need to perform the Camera Calibration and Alignment processes over again.
  • If the problem reocurrs with the same camera, it may not be fully compatible with LightBurn.

Update Overlay

Captures a new image to use as an Overlay for your Workspace.

You can also click the Update Overlay icon Update Overlay Icon in the Main Toolbar, or press Alt/Option+C.

Using the Overlay

When you press Update Overlay, the Start From mode in the Laser Window is automatically set to Absolute Coords. As long as this mode remains selected, anything you place in the LightBurn grid will be output in the corresponding location in your machine's work area. Position graphics over objects captured in the Overlay to engrave or cut directly on them.

Warning

If you switch to an alternative Start From mode, your graphics will no longer be aligned to the objects visible in your Overlay.

Graphics Positioned over an Overlay

Graphics positioned over a physical object in an Overlay.

Final result of an object engraved using camera for alignment

The final result of the engraving on the object.

Head-Mounted Camera Overlays

If you completed the Camera Alignment process for a Head-Mounted camera, see Head Mounted Camera — Capturing an Overlay for information on producing an Overlay.

Trace

Captures an image and opens the Trace Image dialog window, where you can adjust settings to produce a vector graphic from the captured image.

Tip

It's likely that the artwork you're tracing won't take up the camera's entire view. Click and drag within the Image Trace dialog window to select a specific area of the capture to trace.

Save Settings

Saves any adjustments you've made in the Width and Height or X and Y Shift fields.

Auto Exposure

Note

The Auto Exposure and Auto Brightness switches are available on Windows only — on macOS, Exposure and Brightness are always automatic.

Leave the switch enabled to set camera Exposure automatically, or toggle it off to manually adjust exposure using the slider below.

Auto Brightness

Leave the switch enabled to set camera Brightness automatically, or toggle it off to manually adjust brightness using the slider beloew.

Fade

Toggle whether or not the Overlay in your Workspace is dimmed.

Camera Overlay Faded

A faded Overly

Camera Overlay Unfaded

An unfaded Overlay

Show

Toggle whether or not the Overlay in your Workspace is visible.

Width and Height

The Width and Height fields increase or decrease the size of the Overlay in the X (Width) or Y (Height) dimension.

X and Y Shift

The X and Y Shift fields move the Overlay left, right, up, or down, in the X or Y dimension.

Tip

Use Width, Height, X, and Y Shift to fine-tune placement and scale if your Overlay's alignment is close, but not quite accurate. For larger discrepancies, see Troubleshooting: Using a Camera — Overlay Misaligned.

Preview Capture

The image at the bottom of the Camera Control Window is the pre-processed picture from your camera. In order to produce an accurate alignment, the camera must be able to see your laser's entire work area in its pre-processed field of view.

Camera Control Window Context Menu

Right-click anywhere in the Camera Control Window to open a context menu with additional options.

Camera Control Window Context Menu

Camera Selection Help

Opens the Camera Selection Help dialog window.

Export Camera Settings

Opens your system's file browser, where you can name and select a location to save your camera settings on your computer. The file will be saved with .lbcm extension, and can be transferred to another computer, where it can be imported.

Import Camera Settings

Opens your systems file browser, where you can name and navigate to the location of a previously saved .lbcm file, select, and Import it, to load the settings contained in the file.

Calibrate Camera Lens

Opens the Lens Calibration Wizard.

Calibrate Camera Alignment

Opens the Camera Alignment Wizard.


For more help using LightBurn, please visit our forum to talk with LightBurn staff and users, or email support.