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 Window → Camera 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.
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.
Warning
If you accidentally select the incorrect camera in version 1.7.00, you will lose your Camera Calibration data, and will need to recalibrate.
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.
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.
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.
- 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 
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.
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 below.
Fade¶
Toggle whether or not the Overlay in your Workspace is dimmed.
Show¶
Toggle whether or not the Overlay in your Workspace is visible.
Width and Height¶
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.
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 and Y dimension.
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 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 the .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.
Related Topics¶
- Camera Selection Helper
- Camera Installation and Focusing
- Calibrate Camera Lens
- Calibrate Camera Alignment
- Troubleshooting: Using a Camera
For more help using LightBurn, please visit our forum to talk with LightBurn staff and users, or email support.