Frequently asked questions.
Is my original image changed?
No. Your original file is never overwritten — every engine works from a copy, and the Guided Launch flow states this up front (“your original is never changed”).
Does Depth2Beam upload my images anywhere?
Depth2Beam never uploads an image you supplied — there's no engine that sends your own photo or artwork to the cloud. The only cloud calls happen inside the Relief Generator, which works from a text prompt (not an uploaded image) and can optionally send its own generated result on for AI Depth refinement. Shape, Blend, panel shaping, masking, and layered export all process locally in your browser and never leave your machine, and a real photo or portrait you upload is flagged and blocked rather than sent anywhere.
What does “credits” actually pay for?
Real cloud compute. The Relief Generator and its AI Depth refinement pass call hosted AI models with a genuine per-generation processing cost — see Why Credits for the full breakdown.
Do AI Depth and the Relief Generator share the same credit balance?
Yes — one shared credit balance covers both, and it's the same balance used in Illusion2Beam. The Relief Generator uses 4 credits per generation; switching on AI Depth (or AI Depth + Detail) refinement afterward adds 1 more. Verify your email to get 16 free welcome credits, a one-time bonus shared by Depth2Beam and Illusion2Beam; purchased credits cover anything beyond that.
What file formats can I export?
Eight, across four consoles: a grayscale Height Map (plus a true 16-bit Height Map at full 65,536-level precision for CNC/CAM tools) and an STL (with a live rotating 3D preview) for continuous engraving or 3D modeling; Stacked Layers (SVG/DXF, with kerf compensation and registration marks) for cutting and physically stacking material; a Layered LightBurn (.lbrn2) project and matching Layered SVG for multi-pass engraving into one piece of material; plus a Lit Relief presentation render and a Complete Job Package that zips up everything, including the editable project. See the export formats overview for the full breakdown.
What's the difference between Stacked Layers and Layered Relief?
Stacked Layers cuts each depth band as a separate piece — you cut them from plywood, cardstock, or acrylic and physically glue or stack them together; the depth comes from real material thickness. Layered Relief (beta) instead engraves every depth band as its own layer into a single piece of material, each at its own power/speed/passes — no cutting or stacking involved.
Does switching preview modes change what gets exported?
No. Height Map, Lit Relief, Slope Map, and Compare are all views of the same underlying data — switching between them never alters the export.
What image formats can I upload?
PNG, JPG, and WEBP.
What's the difference between Depth2Beam and Image2Beam?
Image2Beam is the free, general-purpose laser image preparation tool — cleanup, vectorization, 3D-illusion prep, and export guidance for artwork you already have laser-ready or close to it. Depth2Beam is the dedicated relief and depth-map generator, including the AI-powered engines. They're built by the same team and designed to work together.