LightBurn image tracing: a version-agnostic checklist

Decide whether LightBurn tracing fits

This is a conceptual checklist for a high-contrast raster that should become filled outline geometry. It does not reproduce or cite a specific LightBurn release, so use the official help for the exact command names and controls in the version you have. Machine profiles, material settings and machining results remain outside this page.

Trace the image and keep the source visible

1. Prepare a copy Keep an original image outside the working document and crop unrelated background. Use a clear, high-contrast monochrome source when the desired result is a filled outline.
2. Import the image Place the image in a new LightBurn document and keep it identifiable as the source. Do not delete it before the traced result has been checked.
3. Open the image trace command Open the image-trace command documented by your installed LightBurn release, choose its documented brightness or threshold controls, and preview the boundary before accepting it. The exact menu and control names are intentionally left for that version's official help.
4. Create and separate the result Create the trace, move the generated geometry away from the bitmap, and inspect it as selectable paths. A preview that still includes the bitmap is not proof of vector output.
5. Save a reversible checkpoint Save the project before deleting or hiding the source. Export only after the path count, holes and intended physical size have been recorded.

Check the traced geometry before use

Use the same answer contract as any raster trace: prove that the result is geometry, then check the details that matter to the next task.

• Select the trace with a node or path tool; an image-only selection is not enough.
• Compare holes, thin bridges and separate parts with the original before changing the threshold.
• Measure the complete drawing and set the intended units instead of scaling by eye.
• Preview the operation with the correct layer and machine profile only after the geometry checks pass.

What this tutorial does not prove

This checklist does not certify any LightBurn release or reproduce a native trace result. It also does not cover arbitrary photographs, centerline output, toolpath settings, material behavior or machining accuracy. If the result needs one center path, use a centerline workflow; if size or import is the issue, compare the recorded calibration guide.