Lithophane Generator Online Free
Lithophane Maker is a free online lithophane generator that turns any photo into a 3D-printable lithophane STL right in your browser. Upload a picture and the tool converts its brightness into thickness — dark areas print thick, light areas thin — so the image appears when the print is lit from behind. There is no account, no upload, and no watermark: your photo never leaves your device, and the STL downloads straight to you, ready for any slicer.
Ready to turn a photo into a 3D print? It takes two taps.
Use the free lithophane maker →What Is a Lithophane? (How 3D Printing Lithophanes Work)
A lithophane is a thin 3D print that looks like a plain pale panel in everyday light but reveals a detailed photo the moment it is backlit. The effect comes from varying thickness: where the original photo is dark, the print is thick and blocks light; where the photo is light, the print is thin and lets light through. Hold it up to a lamp, a window, or an LED frame and the picture emerges in soft shades of light and shadow.
This tool is a free image to lithophane converter: it reads the brightness of every pixel, maps it to a physical height, and builds a watertight mesh you can 3D print. The result is a standard binary image to lithophane STL — the same file format every slicer and 3D printer understands.
How to Make a Lithophane from a Photo — Step by Step
Making a lithophane from a photo takes two screens and works the same on desktop, iPhone, and Android:
- Open capsuletools.app/lithophane-maker/
- Tap the dropzone and choose a JPG or PNG (up to 5 MB)
- Rotate and zoom the interactive 3D preview to inspect the relief before you print
- Optionally open Advanced settings to set the physical width, the maximum and minimum thickness, or invert the image
- Tap Download STL — the 3D model is generated in your browser and saved as
[filename]-lithophane.stl
High-contrast photos with a clear subject — portraits, pets, landmarks — make the best lithophanes. Very dark or very flat images have less light-to-dark range to work with.
How to Use This Free Lithophane Maker
Everything runs entirely in your browser. When you pick a photo, this free lithophane maker scales it down to a sensible working resolution, converts it to grayscale, and turns it into a 3D height map on your own device — nothing is uploaded to a server. Because it is a free lithophane STL maker with no account and no queue, you can generate as many files as you like, and you can install this lithophane generator for 3D printing to your home screen to use it offline like a native app.
Advanced Settings: Thickness, Width, and Invert
The defaults produce a good print, but the Advanced settings let you tune the result:
- Width — the physical width of the printed lithophane in millimetres (default 100 mm). The height follows your photo's aspect ratio automatically.
- Max thickness — how thick the darkest areas print (default 3.0 mm). More thickness means stronger contrast but a heavier print.
- Min thickness — how thin the lightest areas print (default 0.8 mm). Keep this at or above two or three layer heights so the print stays solid and light still glows through.
- Invert colours — swaps the thick/thin mapping. Leave it off for standard backlit lithophanes; turn it on for a different display setup.
How to 3D Print Your Lithophane (Slicer Tips)
Import the STL into your slicer — Cura, PrusaSlicer, or Bambu Studio all work. The model is already oriented vertically, standing up, which is the key to a sharp lithophane: printing it upright means each thin layer adds image detail, so the picture resolution matches your printer's fine layer height instead of its coarser nozzle width.
- Filament: white PLA gives the cleanest, brightest result
- Layer height: 0.1 mm (0.08 mm for extra detail)
- Infill: 100% so light passes through evenly
- Supports: off — the flat back needs none
- Speed: slow (around 30–40 mm/s) for crisp layers
- JPG
- PNG
- → binary STL
- Cura
- PrusaSlicer
- Bambu Studio
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a lithophane in 3D printing?
A lithophane is a thin 3D print that looks like a plain pale panel in normal light but reveals a detailed image when it is lit from behind. It works because the print varies in thickness: dark parts of the photo are printed thick so they block more light, and light parts are printed thin so more light passes through. Backlight it with a lamp, window, or LED frame and the picture appears in shades of light and shadow.
How do I make a lithophane from a photo?
Open the lithophane generator, choose a JPG or PNG, and the tool converts the photo's brightness into a height map — darker pixels become thicker, lighter pixels thinner. Check the grayscale preview, set the width and thickness if you want, then tap Download STL. The STL is generated in your browser and saved straight to your device, ready to slice and print. Portraits, pets, and high-contrast photos work best.
How do I 3D print a lithophane?
Import the STL into your slicer (Cura, PrusaSlicer, or Bambu Studio). The model is already oriented vertically — standing up — which gives the finest detail because each layer adds image resolution. Print in white or a light filament, use a 0.1–0.12 mm layer height, 100% infill, and turn off supports. Print slowly for clean layers. After printing, hold it up to a light to see the image.
What are the best settings for 3D printing a lithophane?
Good starting settings: white PLA, 0.1 mm layer height (0.08 mm for fine detail), 100% infill so light passes evenly, no supports, and a slow print speed of around 30–40 mm/s. In this generator, a maximum thickness of about 3 mm and a minimum of 0.8 mm gives strong contrast while staying printable. Keep the part standing vertically so layer lines run across the image for maximum resolution.
What is the best free lithophane maker?
The best free lithophane maker is whichever one gets you a clean printable STL with the least friction. This one is completely free with no account, no watermark, and no upload — your photo is processed entirely in your browser and never sent to a server. It outputs a standard binary STL that works in any slicer, and it installs as an offline app, so it is a fast, private option for turning photos into 3D-printable lithophanes.
Does this lithophane generator work with Bambu Lab printers?
Yes. The STL is a standard mesh that imports into Bambu Studio just like any other model, and it works equally well with Cura and PrusaSlicer for Prusa, Creality, and other FDM printers. Drop the file into Bambu Studio, keep it standing vertically, use white filament with a 0.1 mm layer height and 100% infill, and slice as normal. There is nothing printer-specific baked into the file.