Stays in your browser — it is resized and converted to a height map here, and
only that small greyscale version is ever sent or saved.
1.0x
Drag the window to choose the part; zoom to tighten in.
Double-click to reset.
No photo chosen yet.
Every shape takes the middle of the picture and is cut for real — the frame
follows the same outline, so it fits whatever you choose.
Detail applies to the download. The preview is always rendered coarse — a 300px
map is an 8MB mesh and an 800px one is 57MB, and no screen shows the difference.
Light passes through the thin parts. Below about 0.8mm it gets fragile; above
about 3mm the darks stop letting any light through at all.
A nozzle rounds every edge, so a picture that looks right on screen prints soft.
Auto contrast
Stretch the photo to use the full range before anything else
Negative
Flip light and dark, if the print comes out inverted
Frame
A separate printed piece — leave it off for a bare panel
A corner loop hangs the tag at an angle instead of flat against the ring.
No loop leaves a plain panel — for a stand, a magnet or a window.
custom colour
custom colour
The image only appears because light gets through — print this part in white or
natural filament. A dark one shows nothing whatever the geometry does.
3MF keeps the colours as separate parts. STL is one plain mesh. OBJ is for
Blender and the like, not for printing.
A recipe of everything on this page, so you can come back to it later.
About this lithophane maker
A lithophane is a photo printed as varying plastic thickness — flat and plain until light passes through, when the picture appears. Upload a photo, pick a shape and frame, and download a print-ready STL or 3MF tuned so the palest tones still print thick enough to hold together.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lithophane?
A photo turned into a thin 3D printed panel whose thickness varies with the picture's tones. Held to a window or backlit, thinner areas pass more light and the photo appears.
What settings should I print a lithophane with?
White filament, 100% infill, and the panel upright or flat per your printer's strength. The generator already maps tones between your chosen minimum and maximum thickness, so no slicer tuning is needed.
What photos make good lithophanes?
High-contrast photos with a clear subject. The editor lets you adjust brightness, contrast and sharpening before you download, and the preview shows the actual 3D relief.
Can I choose the shape of the lithophane?
Yes — circle, square, heart, pentagon, hexagon, octagon or star, each with a matching frame and an optional hanging ring.