Help and FAQ

Everything you need to turn a picture into a 3D relief you can print or carve. Can't find your answer? Contact us and a real human will reply by email. New to 3D printing or CNC? Our Learn guides start from zero, no judgment.

Make your first STLFour steps, no account needed Image typesJPG, PNG, GIF, WebP and more Embossment typesStandard, High, Ultra and Pixel Grid Pricing explainedWhat every file, format, Ultra and the API cost Print or carve it3D printing, lithophanes and CNC

Getting started

Choose an imageClick the preview on the home page, or drag a picture onto it. A live 3D preview appears straight away, before anything is uploaded.
Set the sizeEnter the width and depth you want in millimeters, or pick a preset.
Press EMBOSSIFYWe build your STL file in a few seconds.
Preview and downloadRotate the finished model in 3D to check it, then download the free file. A high resolution file is there if you want more detail.

Five steps: your picture, heights from brightness, a grid of squares, two triangles per square, and a closed solid. — What happens when you press EMBOSSIFY. Read the full explanation.

No account needed.

You never sign up. Free pictures and the STL files made from them are deleted automatically after 3 days.

Image types that work

Embossify accepts all the popular image types, so you don't need to convert anything first. Whatever the type, each pixel's brightness becomes height, so a sharp, well-lit picture with good contrast matters more than the format.

JPG / JPEGJoint Photographic Experts Group. The standard photo format, used by nearly every camera, phone and website. It squeezes the file by discarding fine detail you rarely notice, so it is small but not exact: heavy compression leaves blocky specks that can show up as tiny bumps (the Smoothing slider hides them). It has no transparency. Phone photos are turned the right way up using their built-in rotation tag.

PNGPortable Network Graphics. A lossless format: every pixel is kept exactly, so edges stay perfectly sharp. The best choice for logos, line art, text and screenshots. Photos work too but make large files. Transparent areas are filled with white before the relief is made, so they become the high areas (turn on Invert depth if you want the opposite).

GIFGraphics Interchange Format. Limited to 256 colors per picture, which is fine for flat artwork and simple graphics but turns a smooth photo into visible steps, and those steps carry into the relief. An animated GIF uses only its first frame. Transparent areas become white.

WebPWeb Picture format, developed by Google. It can compress like a JPG (lossy) or like a PNG (lossless), and it supports transparency. It is common on websites, so a picture saved from a web page is often a WebP. It is handled like a JPG or PNG, and transparent areas become white.

BMPBitmap (the Windows Bitmap format). Raw, uncompressed pixels, so the files are very large: an ordinary 12 megapixel photo is about 36 MB, which is over the 20 MB limit. If a BMP is refused for size, open it in any editor or paint program and save it as a PNG, which keeps every pixel at a fraction of the size.

AVIFAV1 Image File Format. A modern format that keeps photo quality at a much smaller size than JPG. Newer phones, cameras and websites use it. It is handled like a JPG, and transparent areas become white.

SVGScalable Vector Graphics. A drawing made of shapes and curves instead of pixels, so it stays sharp at any size. Your browser draws it onto a white background, with the longest side at 2,000 pixels, before Embossify converts it, so the Embossify server never receives the SVG itself (it is not accepted by the API). Up to 10 MB. Light areas become high and dark areas low, so black line art on white gives a raised background with engraved lines (use Invert depth for the opposite). Text uses your computer's fonts and pictures or fonts linked from elsewhere are not loaded, so convert text to outlines and embed any pictures before you upload.

HEICHigh Efficiency Image Container. The photo format iPhones and iPads use by default (Settings, Camera, Formats). It is about half the size of a JPG at the same quality. Safari and other Apple browsers can open it, so your browser reads it, redraws it on white and sends us a JPG with the longest side at most 4,000 pixels. Chrome and Firefox usually cannot, and you will be asked to save the photo as a JPG first. iPhones normally convert to JPG on their own when you pick a photo from the library on a web page. Up to 60 MB.

TIFFTagged Image File Format. A lossless format used by scanners, print shops and professional photography. Files are large and can hold several pages, layers or print colors (CMYK). Safari can open it, and the first picture in the file is sent to us as a JPG with the longest side at most 4,000 pixels. In other browsers, save the file as a PNG or JPG first. Up to 60 MB.

Not supported

RAW camera files (CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG and similar), PDF and multi-layer files such as PSD. Export the picture as a JPG or PNG first, or take a screenshot of it.

Limits: up to 20 MB per image and up to 60 megapixels. If your file is larger, shrink it in any photo editor first. Even a 3,000 pixel wide image has more detail than the free file uses.

Width, depth and invert

Width (mm)How wide the finished model is, from 1 to 1999 mm. The height follows your picture's shape, so nothing is stretched.

Relief height (mm)How tall the relief rises from its flat back. Lighter areas are higher and darker areas stay lower. 2 to 5 mm is gentle, more is dramatic.

Invert depthFlips it, so dark areas stand tall and light areas are low.

The very edge of every model is kept flat, so it makes a clean frame around the picture. The model is a solid, closed shape and is ready to slice or carve. More controls, such as base thickness, shapes, smoothing and picture adjustments, are under the Shape and Coins tabs and the Advanced button, which opens a panel of settings under the converter.

Embossment types: Standard, High detail, Ultra detail and Pixel Grid

Your picture is cut into a grid of tiny squares, and every square becomes two triangles in the STL. The embossment type sets how that grid is made. A finer grid follows your picture more closely, but the file is bigger and slower to open. You choose the type after your free file is ready: the paid types are offered with their facet counts and file sizes, and you pick one before you pay.

Type	Price	Grid	Typical file	Best for
Standard	Free	200 squares across	about 3 MB	Trying things out, previews, small prints and quick tests. Opens instantly in any slicer.
High detail	Paid	1,500 squares across	about 140 MB	Large prints, fine carving and detailed photos.
Ultra detail	Paid	2,000 squares across	about 270 MB	Very large CNC pieces and very sharp artwork. Needs a powerful computer.
Pixel Grid	Paid	1,500 squares across	about 140 MB	The original Embossify style. See below.

The same picture drawn on a coarse grid, a medium grid and a fine grid. — A finer grid follows your picture more closely. Real grids are far finer than this drawing.

Everything is converted for free first, so you always get the Standard file and can preview it in 3D. The paid types are offered after that, each with its price shown before you pay.

Is more always better?

No. A 120 mm wide model at High detail has a square about 0.08 mm wide, which is already finer than most printers can print. More detail only helps if your picture really contains it, so a small or blurry image gains nothing from Ultra and just makes a bigger file. If your slicer or CAM program is slow or runs out of memory, choose a lower type.

What is Pixel Grid?

Pixel Grid builds the model the way Embossify always has. Each pixel of your picture becomes one square of the model, the brightness of the pixel sets its height, and big pictures are shrunk by picking one pixel per square. It also keeps the original flat border, which is 3 squares wide. High detail uses the same idea, but shrinks big pictures by averaging them, which gives a smoother, less grainy surface, and its border is a set size in millimeters. If you have ordered from Embossify before and want the same look again, choose Pixel Grid. For everything else, High detail is the better choice.

Pixel Grid files have the same surface as the originals, but every triangle now faces the right way and has a correct normal, so slicers and CAM programs open them without repair.

File formats: STL, 3MF, GLB, PLY and OBJ

The default download is an STL, the format almost every 3D printing and CNC program understands. Your files can also come as 3MF, GLB, PLY, OBJ and a heightmap PNG. They all describe exactly the same model, so choose the one your software prefers. If you are not sure, STL is always safe. For a longer, illustrated comparison see 3D file formats: STL, 3MF, GLB, PLY, OBJ and heightmaps. Files made with a volume code or through the API are STL only for now; contact us if you need the other formats in bulk.

Format	Best for	Opens in	Size next to STL
STL Stereolithography	Anything. The safe choice, and the one CNC programs expect.	Every slicer, CAM program and 3D program	The reference
3MF 3D Manufacturing Format	Modern 3D printing. It knows the size is in millimeters.	PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Cura, Fusion, Windows 3D Builder	About a third
GLB Binary glTF (Graphics Library Transmission Format)	Web pages, augmented reality and rendering.	Blender and many web and AR viewers	A little smaller
PLY Polygon File Format	Scanning, research and mesh tools.	MeshLab, CloudCompare, Blender	About the same
OBJ Wavefront Object	Sharing with almost any program, Blender and game engines.	Blender, Maya, 3ds Max and many CAD programs	About twice as big
Heightmap PNG Portable Network Graphics, used as a heightmap	CNC programs that cut from a grayscale picture instead of a mesh. White is the top of the relief, black the bottom. 8-bit has 256 height steps, 16-bit has 65,536 for smoother cuts.	VCarve, Aspire, Carbide Create and other CNC software, Blender (displacement)	Much smaller

Which one should I choose?

For a modern slicer, 3MF is a good choice and a small download. Keep the STL for CNC software and older programs. Choose GLB if the model is going on a web page, PLY for MeshLab, and OBJ for Blender or a game engine. You can tick as many as you like at checkout.

Every extra format is made from your STL the first time you download it, so that first download can take a few seconds (longer for the very largest files). OBJ is plain text and gets very large, so it is not offered above 3 million facets. A heightmap PNG is a picture, so it cannot hold the depth: enter the width and relief depth shown for your model in your CNC software (the file also records them in its notes). The price of each extra format, if there is one, is shown at checkout. The free Embossify Lens opens STL, 3MF, GLB, PLY and OBJ files, so you can look at any of them before you print.

Embossify Studio

Embossify Studio is a wide page that gives the live preview the left side of your screen and every setting the right side, so you can adjust things and watch the model change. Press the Studio badge on the preview, or open embossify.com/studio directly. Your picture and settings come with you. Use the Convert link in the menu to go back to the home page. It is best on a computer or a tablet.

Getting the best results

A picture that is bright in the middle becomes a dome that is tallest in the middle. — Brightness becomes height: white is highest, black is lowest.

Color or black and white?Under "Your picture is", Auto checks your picture and picks for you. A color photo is judged by how bright each color looks to the eye, and its contrast is stretched to use the full height. A black and white picture, or a height map, is used exactly as drawn. Choose Color or Black & white yourself if Auto guesses wrong.

Contrast mattersThe model is built from brightness, so a flat, gray, low-contrast photo gives a flat model. Boost the contrast in a photo editor first, or use the contrast sliders under Advanced.

Simple subjects work bestPortraits, logos, silhouettes, line art and high-contrast scenes make striking reliefs. Busy backgrounds add noise.

Crop firstCut the picture down to what you want to carve or print. The whole image is used.

Clean up specklesDust, grain and JPEG noise show up as tiny bumps. A light blur, or the Smoothing slider, helps.

Height mapsIf you already have a grayscale height map, such as one from terrain or sculpting software, use it directly. White is highest and black is lowest.

Use the 3D previewThe Angled, Top, Side and Underside buttons let you check the shape before you download. Press Mesh to see the triangles.

3D printing, lithophanes and CNC

The download is a standard binary STL file, in millimeters. Almost every slicer and CAM program can open it.

3D printingImport the STL into your slicer (Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Simplify3D and so on) and lay it flat on the bed. It has a flat back, so it prints without supports. A smaller layer height shows more detail.

Backlit lithophanesLight passes through thin areas and is blocked by thick ones. Choose the Lithophane preset, which turns Invert depth on so dark parts become thicker. Print in white or very light filament and keep the depth to a few millimeters.

CNC relief carvingImport the STL into your CAM software and set the depth to suit your material and bit. The relief height you enter is the full height of the relief, so use a value your machine can cut. A ball-nose bit gives the smoothest result.

SizeMeasure your bed or material first. The width and depth you enter are the real dimensions of the model.

Light shining through a panel of varying thickness: thin parts look bright and thick parts look dark. — Why a lithophane works: thin parts let more light through.

Want more background? Read the guides on STL files, lithophanes and CNC routing.

Paid files, codes and orders

The free Standard file is always free. A paid file keeps much more of your image's detail, and is the one to choose for large prints or fine carving.

Buying one fileAfter converting, choose the paid option and pay with PayPal. You can wait on the next page and download it as soon as it is ready. Most take only a moment, and very detailed images take longer. Keep the page open until it finishes.

Your email addressWe ask for it so we can send you the download link as a backup. You don't have to create an account.

Volume codesIf you need many files, a volume code is cheaper per file. After converting, choose "I have a volume code", enter the code and your email, and the file starts. A code also works with the API.

Lost your link?Use Find my order and enter your email address. We email you a link to each of your orders, which shows your download again as long as it hasn't expired. You don't need an order number.

Links and payment

Download links stay valid for 3 days after you pay. Your payment is handled by PayPal and we never see your card details.

Pricing explained

This section always shows the live prices, so it matches what you see at checkout. Not sure what you need? Convert your picture first: the Standard file is free, and every price is shown before you pay.

The short version

Everything starts free. You always get the SD (Standard resolution) STL for nothing. A finer HD (High resolution) file costs $5.00 and includes the STL. Other file formats are $3.00 each, or $10.00 for all of them. A ULTRA copy, finer still, is an add-on of $3.00 per file, and you get it in addition to the HD file. Prices are in USD and shown before you pay.

What each part costs

File	SD Standard	HD High resolution	ULTRA copy
STL	Free	Included in the $5.00	+ $3.00
3MF	Free	+ $3.00	+ $3.00
GLB	Free	+ $3.00	+ $3.00
PLY	Free	+ $3.00	+ $3.00
OBJ	Free	+ $3.00	+ $3.00
Heightmap PNGs (8-bit and 16-bit together)	Not offered	+ $3.00	+ $3.00
Every format together		+ $10.00 more for all of them	Just $3.00 more per format

All formats of a file are made from the same model, so they always match. A format that would be too large for a very detailed file is not offered for it: OBJ up to 3.0 million facets, other formats up to 9.0 million. When that happens the free SD version of that format is offered instead, and the every-format price is reduced in proportion.

Examples

HD STL only: $5.00
HD STL + 3MF: $8.00
HD STL + every format: $15.00
HD STL + ULTRA STL: $8.00 (you get both files)
HD STL + 3MF, plus an ULTRA copy of each: $14.00
Everything: every format in HD and an ULTRA copy of each (6 files): $33.00, where the file is small enough for each format

How ULTRA works

Ultra is a finer grid, with about a third more detail than HD. It is an add-on, never a replacement: you receive your HD file and the ULTRA file next to it, listed separately on your order page and in the ZIP.
Each file has its own Ultra tick at checkout (the STL, and each format you pick). Every tick is $3.00, whatever the format.
The every-format price covers the HD files only. Ultra is always extra, because an Ultra file is much bigger and takes longer to build.
Ultra is not shown at checkout when it cannot help: a picture too small to gain from a finer grid, a format whose Ultra file would be too large, the Pixel Grid style, and orders paid with a volume code.

Pixel Grid

Pixel Grid is the original Embossify look, one flat square per pixel with a flat border. It is chosen in a separate tab at checkout and costs $5.00 in place of the smooth HD file. The look carries into 3MF, GLB, PLY and OBJ. The heightmap PNGs use the same one-pixel-per-square picking but, being plain pictures, have no border. There is no Ultra copy of a Pixel Grid file.

Volume codes

A volume code buys many files at once, so each costs less. One use of a code is one HD file (smooth or Pixel Grid) in any format, with no extra to pay for formats. Codes do not cover ULTRA copies, and promo codes do not apply to packs.

Pack	HD files	Price	Per file
5 HD files	5	$22.50	$4.50
10 HD files	10	$40.00	$4.00
50 HD files	50	$175.00	$3.50
100 HD files	100	$250.00	$2.50
500 HD files	500	$750.00	$1.50
1,000 HD files	1,000	$1,000.00	$1.00
2,500 HD files	2,500	$1,875.00	$0.75
5,000 HD files	5,000	$3,000.00	$0.60
10,000 HD files	10,000	$5,000.00	$0.50

The API

The API is paid with volume codes, so its price is the volume price: from $0.50 per file in the biggest pack. One successful embossment uses one use of your code, and it is one HD file.

Any format of the same file (3MF, GLB, PLY, OBJ, heightmaps) can be downloaded with format= at no extra use.
Quality is High (the default) or Pixel Grid. ULTRA is not available through the API, and promo codes do not apply.
Failures are not charged. If our build fails, the use is credited back to your code automatically; if a file arrives broken, contact us within 30 days with the bid and we credit it by hand. A file built correctly from your parameters is not credited. Details on the API page.
You can see what a code has left on the balance page.

Terra terrain models

The free SD Terra model costs nothing. A HD Terra model is $5.00 and includes the STL. Other formats cost the same as in the table above. There is no Ultra for Terra, and sales and promo codes do not apply to it.

Sales, promo codes and payment

If you have a promo code, enter it under Have a promo code? at checkout (single files only; never volume packs or Terra). Only the better of a sale and a promo code applies. You pay with PayPal (a card in many countries) and we never see your card details. Download links work for 3 days after you pay; if you lose one, use Find my order. Something wrong with a file? Tell us with your order number.

Troubleshooting

"That file is not a supported image"

The file isn't one of the types listed above, or it is damaged. Check it opens normally on your computer, or re-save it as a PNG or JPG. Renaming a file's extension doesn't change what it is. Calling a cat a dog does not make it bark.

My model looks flat

The picture probably has low contrast. Increase the contrast, or try a larger relief height. If your subject is dark on a light background and you want it raised, turn on Invert depth.

My model is upside down or the wrong way round

Use Invert depth to swap high and low, or the Mirror, Flip and Rotate buttons under Advanced. Photos from phones are turned the right way up automatically.

The download didn't start

Press the download button again. If you still have trouble, try another browser, and check that your browser isn't blocking downloads from this site.

I didn't get my email

Check your spam or junk folder first, and make sure emails from Embossify aren't being filtered. You never depend on the email: use Find my order to have your order links emailed to you again. If that doesn't work, contact us with your email address and we'll sort it out.

"You have reached the hourly conversion limit"

To keep the free service fast for everyone, there is a limit on how many images one visitor can convert per hour. Wait a while and try again. Go stretch, get a snack, come back.

The file is too large to upload

Images over 20 MB or 60 megapixels are rejected. Resize the image in any photo editor. The result won't lose any useful detail. Your printer cannot see 60 megapixels anyway.

Your images and privacy

Your image is processed on our server only to build your model. The live preview on the home page runs in your own browser.
Free pictures and the STL files made from them are deleted automatically after 3 days. Your paid download link works for 3 days, and the picture behind it is deleted then too.
For the full details, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Still need help?

Tell us what you were trying to do and what happened, and include your order number if you have one. We promise not to say "have you tried turning it off and on again" (unless it helps).

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