Understanding Rasterizer Preset Controls
Rasterizer's main controls determine how much source detail enters the processing pipeline, which Rasterizer swatches the image can map to, and how those mapped regions become vector geometry. In a Material Library-backed workflow, Rasterizer matches each enabled swatch name to the Description of a Material Library entry within the selected material, then applies the cut settings stored in that entry to the LightBurn layer containing the geometry matching that swatch.
Processing width and height
Processing width and height control how many pixels Rasterizer analyzes, which affects both the amount of detail it can preserve and the complexity of the resulting vector geometry. Enter either the processing width or height and leave the other dimension set to 0; Rasterizer calculates the other dimension while preserving the source image's aspect ratio.
Physical pixel size
Physical pixel size specifies how many millimeters each processed image pixel occupies in the exported project, which determines the project's initial physical dimensions. Changing the physical pixel size scales the same processed geometry: a smaller value produces a smaller, more tightly packed project, while a larger value spreads that geometry across a larger physical area.
Artwork preview and cropping
After loading artwork, Rasterizer can show a palette-quantized browser preview with calculated millimeter rulers. Rectangle, Square, Oval, and Circle selections can be moved and resized; Crop transparency instead preserves only nontransparent pixels, including transparent holes within the artwork. A valid geometric selection applies automatically when the job is submitted, while Crop preview lets you inspect it immediately.
Palette swatches
Enabled Rasterizer swatches form the target palette used during color quantization, with each source pixel assigned to an available swatch color. For a saved Color Palette, Swatch Palette Vault records which library setting is assigned to each official Rasterizer swatch; unassigned swatches are unavailable for that palette. A freshly uploaded guest Material Library instead uses matching entry Descriptions because it has no saved assignment map. SVG-only jobs use enabled default Rasterizer swatches without matching or applying laser settings.
Preset
The selected preset controls how Rasterizer prepares the source image and constructs or refines its vector geometry. Cartoon, Color Photo, and Black and White Photo are standard presets designed for different kinds of source artwork, while abstract presets deliberately create stylized geometric structures or transformations.
Geometry Style
For compatible Image Styles, Geometry Style controls the final representation after image processing: Normal Vectors, shared Glyphs, Krasnow Grating, or a separate treatment chosen for each enabled swatch. Specialized abstract filters that already create final geometry do not accept this additional transformation.
Minimum Island Area and continuous fills
Minimum Island Area removes isolated color regions whose raster area is smaller than the selected threshold. A value of 0 keeps those regions; increasing the value removes progressively larger specks and fragments. Use conservative values when small intentional details matter.
Rasterizer transfers each removed footprint to the neighboring swatch that shares the greatest number of pixel sides with it. This preserves continuous, single-owner coverage without automatically turning every removed island Black. Palette order provides a stable tie-break when neighboring colors share the same number of sides. If an island has no touching swatch, ordinary filled artwork retains Black as the fallback while transparent workflows leave the isolated footprint empty.
Material and Material Library
The selected material determines which group of Material Library entries supplies the cut settings. Saved Color Palettes use the explicit Rasterizer-swatch assignments stored in Swatch Palette Vault, while freshly uploaded guest libraries resolve entries by matching Description. The chosen settings contain production parameters such as speed, power, frequency, pulse width, passes, and hatch behavior, so verify them in LightBurn before running the job.
If you are new to LightBurn Material Libraries, read LightBurn's official Material Library documentation to learn how to create, load, organize, assign, and link saved settings.