Turn a Photo Into a 3D-Printable STL

What this workflow supports

• Brightness becomes height: light areas rise and dark areas sit lower, or the reverse with one switch
• Edge detection finds the subject so the background can be cut away or kept flat
• Size, thickness, and relief depth are set in millimeters before you export
• The STL comes out in millimeters, ready to scale-check in your slicer

Pick a photo that prints well

A relief is shallow, usually a millimetre or two of height, so the photo has to carry its subject in shape and contrast. Clean, evenly lit photos turn into the clearest surfaces.

• Use a sharp photo with the subject filling most of the frame
• Plain or blurred backgrounds give the cleanest edges
• Even lighting works better than strong shadows across a face
• Pets, portraits, buildings, and emblems are common subjects

Choose a size and depth for your printer

Set the finished size first, because detail that reads at 80 mm can disappear at 30 mm. Relief depth then decides how much the subject stands up from the base.

• Resin printers hold fine detail at small sizes such as 30 to 50 mm coins
• FDM printers usually need larger pieces and a little more relief depth
• Add smoothing if the photo's grain shows up as a rough surface
• Watch the 3D preview at the real size before downloading

What you download

The STL is a closed mesh in millimeters. A height map PNG is also available for tools that build their own geometry from a grayscale image.

• Open the STL in Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Chitubox, or Lychee
• Use the height map with CNC and laser software that reads depth images
• Re-export the same project in either format without paying again
• Keep the original photo so you can revise the relief later

Frequently asked questions