Depthmap Generator Workflow
Treat the initialized depthmap as a first draft, then move deliberately through source review, optional color guidance, depth adjustment, manual correction, and export.
1. Choose a source image
Load a PNG, JPEG, WebP, BMP, or TIFF. The source preview appears below the file chooser so you can check its orientation, crop, composition, and visible artifacts before processing.
Clearly separated forms with meaningful boundaries and consistent lighting are easier for the depth model to interpret. Reflections, transparency, heavy shadows, flat graphic artwork, and ambiguous overlaps often require more correction.
2. Initialize the depthmap
Press Initialize Depthmap. The first run may take several minutes while the browser downloads and prepares the depth model. The processing status and progress indicator report model loading and depth estimation separately from messages about loading the original image.
The initial grayscale depthmap appears beneath the processing status. This read-only preview is limited to 1024 pixels on its longest side to reduce display overhead. It mirrors the full editable output without limiting export resolution.
3. Apply optional color guidance
Choose a saved Depth Palette when colors in the source image communicate intended depth that perspective alone may not reveal. Toggle individual Rasterizer swatches to decide which configured colors influence the result. A Depth Palette is optional.
You can select color guidance before or after initialization. Changing the palette, enabled swatches, or boundary feathering rerenders an initialized depthmap.
4. Adjust and correct
Use Near Clip, Far Clip, Depth Curve, and Invert Depth to organize the grayscale range. Set proportional artwork dimensions, add an optional perimeter border, and paint explicit relative depth wherever the model's interpretation is incorrect.
Inspect the grayscale preview and relief projection together. The grayscale image contains the actual depth data. The relief projection adds simulated lighting to make slopes and forms easier to inspect.
5. Export and test
Download an 8-bit or 16-bit relief depthmap, or create an 8-bit parallax angle map for a compatible diffraction-grating workflow. Establish and test the complete image-to-engraving workflow on a small sample before engraving valuable material.