No video :(

Preparing Vector Artwork for Laser Engravers | Adobe Illustrator for EZCAD and Lightburn

Подписаться 65 тыс.

Просмотров 76 тыс.

50% 1

This is a beginner friendly tutorial on vector graphics for laser engravers. We talk about a ton of different tools and tricks to get your artwork just right for EZCAD and Lightburn! The tutorial is written for Adobe Illustrator but the same principles apply to CorelDraw and InkScape as well so hopefully everyone can get a little something out of it! This video is the first in a series that will increase in complexity as we go so keep an eye out for follow up videos down the road!
The channel, staff, communities, web services... everything. It's all here thanks to the LMA.
► Consider Supporting Us: masters.lasere...
❤️ We're probably earning money when you buy stuff we link. ❤️
✨As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.✨
► Get Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator: prf.hn/l/dlOM3jY
You're going to love this content too!
► Psst... we're on Odysee: odysee.com/$/i...
► NEW MakerREMIX Channel! @MakerREMIX
► MakerREMIX Network Dev Log: • MakerREMIX Network Dev...
► FULL Laser Source Podcast Playlist: • Laser Source Podcast
► LE Talk Radio: www.youtube.co...
► Laser Everything Linktree: linktr.ee/lase...
► Laser Source Linktree: linktr.ee/lase...
We have SO MANY Laser Resources:
► The 2024 Buying Guide: makearmy.io/sc...
► Join the FREE MakerArmy Network: makearmy.io/
► Join the FREE Matrix Server: rb.gy/m4ca1j
► Join the FREE Discord Server: / discord
► Join the FREE Facebook Group: / lasereverything
► FREE Laser Engraving Starter Settings Packs: lasereverythin...
► Community Fiber Library: db.lasereveryt...
► Community CO2 Library: db.lasereveryt...
► Community UV Library: db.lasereveryt...
► Laser Source Podcast: podcast.lasere...
0:00 - Intro - Overview
1:06 - Creating a New File
1:40 - Creating Text
2:08 - Expanding Text
2:50 - Envelope Distort
4:38 - Type on a Path (Circle Text)
10:04 - Type in a Shape
11:52 - Negative Text (Stamps)
14:17 - Basic Shapes
14:27 - (Pathfinder) Unite Tool
15:15 - Shape Builder Tool
17:15 - Basic Plaque Outline
18:37 - Customizing Corners
20:36 - Reflections
20:21 - Photoshop Upscaling
25:00 - The White Background Warning
25:25 - Image Trace Tutorial (Complete)
28:12 - Bringing It All Together
30:30 - Exporting for EZCAD and Lightburn
31:43 - Blob Brush Tool
32:50 - (Pathfinder) Merge Tool
33:38 - Wrapping Up
34:21 - Outro - Supporting the Channel
Listen up! Laser engraving machines are inherently dangerous. The content this channel is for educational purposes only. Laser Everything LLC can not be held liable for any harm caused to any individual or personal property related to settings, activities, procedures, techniques, or practices described in whole or part on this RU-vid channel. By watching this video you agree that you alone are solely responsible for your own safety and property as it pertains to this content. Do your own research before purchasing machines, materials or accessories. LE is viewer supported and probably earns commission when you buy stuff we link.

Опубликовано:

16 авг 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 150

@ryankawash2847 2 года назад

Hey guys, just wanted to give a quick tip and add on to this video, since I ran into a problem during this process and I'm a total noob at PS and Illustrator.. I took a friends image to practice on.. when I thresh....held? the image and played with the scale, my image kept some black where I didn't want it to...but when I decreased the threshold to eliminate the black, it would then eliminate some black that I didn't want it to eliminate... Well, after a while i figured out that some parts of my image was too dark, and it wouldn't take the black away where I needed it to.. so an easy fix is to draw a box over the darker parts of the image, go to Image > adjustments > curves.. drag the line inside the box toward the upper left area and the part you selected will lighten up while keeping your dark borders... I then when ahead and tried the thresh hold again and it came out beautiful. Anyway.. super dope video as always, love the discord and everything you do!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Pinned, pro tip is always in the comments. Thanks Ryan!

@claytonjames4779 12 дней назад

wow bud i learned so many ways to use illustrator in this one video that I never knew using it for YEARS. A great beginners video to Graphic design in AI also. Thanks!

@crossightoverclothes 2 года назад

For the Type on a path / Inner circle portion you can go into Type > Type on a Path > Type on a Path Options > and under Align to Path select Ascender and it will place the tops of the letters on the line so there's no need to make a larger circle, you'll just have to play with the letterspacing a bit but you'll have the same sized circle for both lines of text.

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Nice badass! Great tip!

@meganchamberlain6904 2 года назад

I've been trying to learn Ai for months now, watched countless videos and nothing really helped. This video was beyond helpful even if I weren't making things for the laser. Thank you!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Awesome glad to hear it! Thanks!

@MohiHash 2 года назад

Great trick by making an active object and aligning the other object with it. I am using Illustrator for 16 years and I didn't know that. Thanks!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Me too, had to look it up. I couldn't believe there wasn't a way to center something to something else without moving both lol

@MohiHash 2 года назад

@@LaserEverything Haha okay. I worked for an year or so in Corel as well and I always thought Corel had better alignment options until now haha

@Ultimatereloader 2 года назад

Thanks Alex, this was a great tutorial!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Thank you sir!

@Stucrompton1 Год назад

excellent video thank you

@LaserEverything Год назад

Glad it was helpful!

@foresaken1985 Год назад

Dude AMAZING video! My ezcad kept hatching the entire file no matter what I did and couldn't figure out why! Works perfect now. Will follow and see what else you have. Thanks!

@LaserEverything Год назад

Glad it helped! Thanks for watching!

@Apollo11xYz 3 года назад

I've been waiting for some Adobe videos! Thanks so much!

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

More to come, thanks for watching!

@CobraRob 3 года назад

Thanks for using Illustrator. I learned several things from the video and I think most of the laser people are trying to use just inkscape ore corel and there are enough differences to make your videos that much more useful. I have a 60W MOPA and a 80W Trotec co2 (run a makerspace). Signed up for the patron to support doing more videos. If you get enough to think about getting a MOPA that would be awesome as no one is doing settings for those and you can do quite a few more things with plastics vs standard qswitch fiber. Almost as much as UV for much less cost.

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Yes definitely on my to-buy list. Hopefully the patreon continues to grow and we can bring in all of these awesome machines :) My dream is to just have a nice row of them we can bounce between each video! Thank you for supporting the channel, it means a lot to me.

@steinbierz 2 года назад

What 60W MOPA do you own? Thanks.

@SvGfrankie 2 года назад

Dude totally dig the little yellow hot key pop ups! AI is a huge system to learn thanks for taking the time to do this !!!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Thanks for watching 😊

@tannertidus 2 года назад

25:30 --> The key for all the designd in illustrator for laser cut/engrave! Weeks lloking for it! Thank you!!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

You're welcome Rafa, glad it helped!

@igetcha69 3 года назад

Excellent video mate, I learnt a lot of new tricks from it! I find that if you open the image trace window and select black and white logo from the drop down list of presets then it’s provides a bunch of options to get a perfect trace without the need for resizing etc….select the view as image with outlines and click the preview button and it shows you exactly what is being traced and what needs to be refined using the sliders :)

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Cool tip! I'll definitely check that out! Glad you got something out of it too!

@johnnyrowlandsshootinshowa8360 3 года назад

Watching this channel for awhile. the live streams and all that I have to say thanks for taking the time outta those crazy jobs to do this for us just now learning the craft. Very informative and much needed in the laser world as people hang on to the knowledge likes its top secret documents. looking forward to more Ai tutorials.

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Thanks so much for being a fan and watching the show! The Artwork for Engravers Part II is on deck just waiting for some time to sit down and film it but I have a long list of things I'd like to include in the instructions so it won't be too long.

@ajfreeze215 2 года назад

This should have 100K views! This is perfect for the stuff I need to do! Thank you!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

You're welcome! G lad it helped you!

@cw4608 Год назад

Your voice reminds me of Father Mark Mary who is a super cool guy. I really appreciate the video too btw!

@LaserEverything Год назад

Thank you! Thanks for watching

@MANXEONPRINTDISPLAY 2 месяца назад

Been looking for that tips! 13:00

@Unbreaded1984 Год назад

I'm literally on day one. This is so daunting for me right now.

@LaserEverything Год назад

You got this!!! We've all been there! Feel free to join the FB group or Discord!

@Unbreaded1984 Год назад

@Laser Everything™ Thank you man. Maybe I will

@westLAside 3 года назад

Lets gooo!!🔥🔥 Ai is my favorite for vector work! Thanks bro

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Ditto, hope it helps!

@danielwaters7467 2 года назад

Dude, your videos are the best! I learned alot from this video on illustrator! Thank you for your contact.

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Glad you're enjoying them and they're helping you!

@cchs2000 2 года назад

Looks like you are a fellow UofR guy! First time to the channel just starting out with learning lasers Thanks!

@LaserEverything Год назад

We love UofR but I'm just a Rochester-ian!

@djpreble 3 года назад

Your teaching me so much! Keep it coming! Thank you for your time!

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Youuuuu got it!

@HOUSTON713CHEVY 3 года назад

You have made my life much easier ! Thank you so much for all the great content on here and your patreon account !

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

You're most welcome, thanks for your viewership and support!

@yeorge1350 3 года назад

44ďdď

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Did you fall on your keyboard?? Lol

@yeorge1350 3 года назад

@@LaserEverything actually yes fell asleep! Lol

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

LMAO that's hilarious

@scorchio100 Год назад

Awesome video so many great tips in this one

@LaserEverything Год назад

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

@Martin-ll7jc 2 года назад

Absolutely just what I needed thank you

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

You’re welcome 😊

@CadicadMaroc 3 года назад

Thank your for this very good video

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Super welcome glad you enjoyed it!!

@MuhammadTayyab-su4sm Год назад

I WAS EXPECTING TO GIVE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO MAKE A FILE READY FOR ENGRAVING

@LaserEverything Год назад

At the end of this video the file generated is ready to be imported into Ezcad 2, Ezcad 3 or LightBurn. No additional preparation is required.

@weirdo_lulu Год назад

amazing amazing, thank you for sharing!

@LaserEverything Год назад

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

@MisterFizz 2 года назад

O.T. - Have you demonstrated removing/cleaning lenses in a galvo head in one of your many videos?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

We've removed them a few times but I don't think we've done a cleaning. Nbd really, lens wipes and/or compressed air. No sprays, nothing fancy.

@Fishbone4u 2 года назад

Excellent, thanks, man! You earned a subscriber!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Awesome, thank you!

@theunlivingroom8261 Год назад

Did you ever make the video for the intermediate artwork prep? I am an artist and would love to see an intermediate video to help me turn my detailed artwork into vectors. Awesome video, thanks so much for making it!

@LaserEverything Год назад

Not exactly, but we have expanded on our artwork tutorials quite a bit - you can check out the playlist here: ru-vid.com/group/PLoBR3k35202bA9wXbtGDk45JpUszvXNUz

@antonindonnadieu9071 2 года назад

HI. Just a little message to said thank you. I tried at least 12hours to do a banner I am an illustrator beginner. I was missing expend and parthfinder. Have a good day !

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Glad I could help!

@kyfl8140 10 месяцев назад

You rock fella! This is a huge help for what I was looking to do, keep up the good work! I'm subbed thanks for what you do!

@LaserEverything 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for the sub!

@muhammadmoneebbutt8441 2 года назад

Thanks, your tutorials are very helpful. I'm exporting .dxf file in Ezcad which was created using solidworks. On screen the dimensions of desired pattern are fine but when i mark it the engraved result is actually larger in size. Like if i draw a circle of diameter 28mm the laser will mark it as 36mm.

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Sounds like you need to do lens corrections: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-llflAf0G62Q.html

@muhammadmoneebbutt8441 2 года назад

Thanks man, i already saw your video and fixed the issue. Now I'm facing another problem. Can you guide me where can i post my question?

@davidsims3476 2 года назад

your videos are a god send. thank you!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Glad they're helping you :) if you really love them consider supporting the channel over at masters.lasereverything.net/ :)

@davidsims3476 2 года назад

@@LaserEverything any suggestions on how I would adjust the positioning of my red light? it's off by a couple MM and it's throwing my engravings off. they aren't centered perfectly.

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

F3 Param > Other > Red Light > Offset

@eddieolachia5305 2 года назад

you ever make a part 2 to this?

@LaserEverything Год назад

We have a playlist with Artwork tutorials that follow up on this, check the playlist tab out!

@amoamare 2 года назад

In image trace you can click ignore white, so it wont fill white

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Great tip!

@MisterFizz 2 года назад

What is happening if, when I import a dxf file into EZCAD2, the file shows up in the object list with its name and Type (Vectorfile) - but no image elements or curves. There is a bounding box. I can rsize the object. But only a bounding box displays in the on-screen workspace - no image. And when I Light(F1) it - all that shows up is a bounding box (regardless of whether Show Contour is selected). Are there revision levels of DXF files that are not supported by EZCAD2? Anyone else ever run into this?

@JeremyGSU2011 2 года назад

Thanks for the tutorial. This worked great for months and today for some reason my Ezcad 2 program quit importing my Vector files from Adobe Illustrator. I've saved them over and over again in both the 8 and 3 version formats and tried importing them and they aren't working. Any ideas on what could have caused it to stop working? I'm been stumped all day.

@LaserEverything Год назад

Sorry, just saw this. Super weird. Can you shoot me or one of the other members one of your files on Discord or the Facebook group? If we can import it it will rule out ezcad. If we can't import it, it will rule out AI and then we can look for more clues.

@PhilipLEdwards Год назад

Thank you! A great foundational lesson. Question: What is the title of the follow up video to this one that you mentioned? Thanks again.

@LaserEverything Год назад

Here's a link to the entire artwork series playlist: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7WadJiuH7Iw.html

@Kevin-tc3ob 2 года назад

Hmmm, i doing something wrong. when i do group and select>same>fill colour the whole thing disappears! I cannot drag out the white background either :(

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

You need to ungroup, not group 🙂

@fullcircleretrospective9913 7 месяцев назад

Thank you for the great information. Please help me with something, though. You did a lot of the work for the college logo and mascot in photoshop. Is that what I should get if i want to convert jpegs into vectors for my laser? Or is Illustrator the right answer?

@miseryandwoe260 2 года назад

16:27 that is defiantly baby yodas crib from Mandalorian

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

lol that's hilarious it totally is!

@guillaumevaslin9033 Год назад

Hi, your video is really instructive, thanks for this good job. I’m using Ai on Mac to prepare my graphics but when I’m using them in EZCad 2.0 with the laser engraver it only makes a full square burned !?! What can be wrong ? Do you have an idea ? Thanks for your help 😉

@LaserEverything Год назад

For this particular problem I think it would be best to ask in our free discord server or facebook group (links in the description) or on our forum over at www.lasereverything.net/forum/ so you can include some screenshots. Being able to see what the file looks like, the settings and the results will help us diagnose the issue.

@jaymead8058 2 года назад

I love this video. I am a beginner at AI and the tips I have learned are great. I haven't been able to delete the fill color. When I select same -fill color and delete the whole image clears. Can somebody tell me what I'm doing wrong?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Probably skipped the ungroup step. Gotta ungroup first! If you can't ungroup that means you skipped the expand step.

@jaymead8058 2 года назад

@@LaserEverything Thanks, that's what I missed. Got my jobs out and they look great!

@vetmecharms 2 года назад

what is your window on the top bar I can't figure it out and I'm constantly searching for the tools you're using on top

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

In the top right corner there's a workspace layout button, click it and click "Essentials Classic" to get the same layout.

@MisterFizz 2 года назад

When you made your first circle, you got rid of the FILL in it and changed the STROKE size to 0.5pt. does that 0.5pt specification come in to EZCAD as a 0.5pt thick line (curve)? Or does it get converted to a line with no thickness (as a true vector is).

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

just a line with no thickness. I just set to .5pt cuz it's easy for me to see.

@MisterFizz 2 года назад

Anyone have the link to the follow-up video Alex mentioned in this video? I was hoping to find out what file format he saved the finished work to for direct import into EZCAD. Was it AI? DXF?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

AI Version 8

@SimonEarly 2 года назад

most excellent stuff. Can I just ask - whats the exhaust ventilation setup you've got there and the link to it :-) thank youuuuu!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

For a CO2 I'd recommend something like a Cloudline S8 adapted down to 6" with 6" hoses, for a Fiber I'd recommend a Cloudline S6 adapted down to a 4" hose. Fan goes at the exhaust point so window, door, whatever. Cover the door/window with some plywood and cut a hole for the fan, stick the fan in the hole and seal it off with some duct tape. Run the hoses from the fans to the lasers, done. Cloudline S8: www.acinfinity.com/hvac-home-ventilation/inline-duct-fan-systems/cloudline-s8-quiet-inline-duct-fan-system-with-speed-controller-8-inch/?ref=zdrp9v5jcc Cloudline S6: www.acinfinity.com/hvac-home-ventilation/inline-duct-fan-systems/cloudline-s6-quiet-inline-duct-fan-system-with-speed-controller-6-inch/?ref=zdrp9v5jcc

@SimonEarly 2 года назад

@@LaserEverything Thanks Alex. bought it!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Solid! Good choice

@tracybest5790 Год назад

When I save as Ai file v8 - (Im on CC) it brings in all the lines. How do I save the HATCH to engrave the invert?

@kobylavery4815 2 года назад

I don't have the area type tool on my menu 😒. Help?!

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Just the regular type tool is fine

@amgpearl1 2 года назад

After photo shop, I go to ai and I have a box inside of the picture, how do I get it off?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Post a screenshot to the discord or facebook group so we can see

@MrMateo716 Год назад

Any one on one training? I purchased an engraver for jewelry. Busy with running my business and would like hire a friend of mine to run the machine for me.

@bel31670 2 года назад

Dude, you make some awesome video full of useful information.. I have learned a lot from you.... thank you..

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

So glad it's helping you!!!! :)

@narimanrezaiee3246 2 года назад

amazing

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Thank you! 🙂

@pageofmoskof 9 месяцев назад

Thank you for the video! I am having the same problem again and again. I am making geometrical designs that fit together like a puzzle. but when I glue them they get mm larger than the background plate though on drawing everything fits perfectly. do you have any suggestions, shall I shrink my design or is there any perfect way to design it!

@LaserEverything 9 месяцев назад

So, you're cutting out the shapes, and when cut out, are larger than intended vs the digital design intended? that could be a scale issue for the output itself (so for example, on a fiber laser, the scale is controlled by the corfile/scale in device settings, but also the physical focus affecting the output size, kind of like moving a projector further from a wall), or alternatively could be a kerf issue, which we would sometimes see being an issue when doing box cutouts on a gantry co2 as an example. I would suggest looking into those (for whichever laser is relevant), but if you're still stuck, join one of our linked communities where you can create a thread and everyone can brainstorm and work together to help.

@deanp4329 2 года назад

I'm using Adobe capture every image I save as an svg and run in ezcad2 comes out with a million extra lines. What am I doing wrong

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Adobe Capture doesn't keep vector elements united so there's probably a bunch of stuff overlapping and causing issues. Ezcad can't handle overlapping elements at all. That's a guess I'm not 100% positive but it would be a good thing to check.

@7DoubleO 2 года назад

can you do a simple internet logo and convert to vector graphics for fiber laser engraving ?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Like in a video?

@7DoubleO 2 года назад

@@LaserEverything yeah

@7DoubleO 2 года назад

@@LaserEverything simple

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Totally dude we can definitely cover that.

@MM_45 2 года назад

Is there another app besides photoshop to edit logos before vectorizing it?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

GIMP is a pretty good free alternative.

@spencerc4054 4 месяца назад

So…. Maybe a dumb question. Why not just use lightburn from the get go?

@LaserEverything 4 месяца назад

This was filmed long before Lightburn being available for galvo, so this was just a good option still for importing into ezcad. Even with that, while there is now a good amount of overlap in artwork prep capability, there are still some tools or situations where Ai is just better suited to put things together sometimes. All depends on what you are prepping, your workflow, and preferences.

@happyfuntimepewpew Год назад

you need to create a new art board if you want the align tools to work properly. 29:42

@Alex-co7gv 2 года назад

Is illustrator better than corel draw When it comes to prep work for laser engraving

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

They're both really old and very powerful. I think it just comes down to personal preference. They have their quirks and ecosystems.

@pdwinc.1077 2 года назад

Can I ask how you went about learning AI? School or course?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Trial and error :P I got a job where I needed it and just kinda had to figure it out over the years. Lots of practice and youtube.

@jtcustomknives 2 года назад

Anyone have a link to the next video tutorial on AI?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

Hasn't been one yet, I'd like to make another but laser stuff has just been consuming my time. There are a lot of amazing youtube channels on AI in the meantime though.

@abdolluhawashreh9341 3 года назад

Hello big fan, Im new too the laser family is there a way i can send you a file for ezcad2 ..im willing to pay you..im having trouble coberting image.

@LaserEverything 3 года назад

Join the discord and I'll be happy to help you with support over there, link in the description! Very hard to give support in youtube comments :)

@edwinblanco2063 Год назад

thanks,

@LaserEverything Год назад

Thank you for watching!

@abbasaliraqi5655 Год назад

I used to watch your videos by translating them into Arabic, but now when I activate automatic translation, the subtitles do not appear. Why??? 😞😞😞

@AshrafaliAlkomaim 3 дня назад

🙏

@JBench 2 года назад

How did you Learn AI ?

@LaserEverything 2 года назад

99% practice. Searching for RU-vid when I hit roadblocks and remembering the fixes and processes, then practicing some more. Still learning literally every day.

@JBench 2 года назад

My first galvo was from FSLaser, After 2years I still am learning. I see lots off people bad mouthing them and I get it, their customer service suck B#lls! But their GUI is leaps and bounds over My new 100watt Fiber from Wuhan Keyi Optic. I loath EZCAD LITE. I would sacrifice a lamb if it would help LightBurn come out faster. Thank you for your videos and very clear instructions. It will help when my BOSS HP3655 lands when they find the servo motors for it. Kind Regars, JB