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If you have a laser engraver at home – no matter if it’s a simple diode laser or a powerful CO₂ – sooner or later you’re going to want it to just work. No tambourine dancing. That’s where LightBurn comes in. It’s not a magic wand, but it seems to be the most adequate program for working with a laser right now.
LightBurn is a program for preparing and sending projects to a laser engraver. It can do everything: draw, import, customize, cut, engrave, and even tell you if you’ve done something wrong. And best of all, it’s all in one window, not fifteen different software programs like this.
You can load SVG, DXF, AI, BMP, PNG – almost everything you have. And not just load it, but process it right away. LightBurn knows how to distinguish between cutting and engraving.
Works with most popular controllers: Ruida, GRBL, Smoothieware, TopWisdom. If you have Ortur, xTool, Atomstack, NEJE – it will almost certainly work. You just need to select the right device type during installation – LightBurn will recognize it itself in most cases.
If your laser is on GRBL – everything is simple. You plug it in, the program finds the device, and in a minute you can start a test cut.
In other programs, you might spend 20 minutes trying to figure out why a laser is burning through wood when you just wanted to draw a logo. Here, everything is human. In the settings for each layer you can specify:
Another cool feature is Material Library. You can store your parameters for each type of material: plywood, acrylic, leather, glass. You can set it up once and forget it.
LightBurn can not only cut, but also draw. Right in the program itself you can make a logo, business card or label. There are basic tools: lines, circles, text, knots. It works stably – does not hang, does not crash.
Plus – you can do image tracing (tracing a bitmap image into a vector). For example, you took a hand-drawn picture, threw it into LightBurn, the program itself turned it into lines that the laser will understand. Or you want to engrave a photo – no problem either: you throw it in, select the engraving mode and test the parameters via material test grid.
If you want to engrave exactly where you want it, the LightBurn camera comes in handy. It helps you align the workpiece and see where the engraving will go. It doesn’t work perfectly, but it’s better than guessing.
There is also a preview function that shows you exactly how the laser will follow the path. This saves material and nerves.
LightBurn is like a universal remote control for a laser. Not perfect, but definitely one of the most convenient. Plug it in and you’re up and running. You don’t need to understand millions of tabs, you just do what you want: cut, engrave, experiment.
You can download LightBurn absolutely free from our website. The main thing is to download such programs from trusted resources, which is our site.
LightBurn software supports a wide range of machines, including diode lasers, CO₂ lasers, and engravers using GRBL, Ruida, TopWisdom, and Smoothieware controllers. If you use machines like Ortur, xTool, or Atomstack, it will likely work out of the box. You can check compatibility in the official device setup section.
Yes — LightBurn supports many file formats including SVG, DXF, AI, PDF, PNG, and more. You can import designs created in other apps or even trace images in LightBurn using the built-in vectorization tool. It’s great for converting photos or sketches into engraving-ready files.
Absolutely. You can use LightBurn for cutting, engraving, or even photo engraving. Just assign different layers with custom power and speed settings — the software lets you adjust everything from kerf offset to fill vs line modes. It’s perfect for switching between different laser materials like wood, acrylic, leather, and metal.
Yes — LightBurn camera setup helps with precise laser alignment. You can see a live view of your workspace, position designs visually, and even correct perspective with camera calibration. This is especially helpful when you want to engrave on pre-cut or oddly shaped materials.
