Turn a photo into a lithophane night light.
Upload a photo, pick a shape and a Christmas base, and download a lithophane with its frame and a reflector insert for a coin-size LED puck. Square and circle are free. Your photo never leaves this device.
What is a lithophane?
A lithophane is a thin panel whose thickness follows a photo: thick parts block light and look dark, thin parts glow. Unlit, it is a white relief; lit from behind, the picture appears. This maker turns your photo into a printable lithophane night light: a panel, a frame, a white reflector insert and a pocket for a coin-size LED puck, with a Christmas base if you like.
Square and circle downloads are free. The clock, tree and 360° ornament are Paid, and anyone can design and preview them.
How to make a lithophane from a photo
- Upload a photo. Drop in a JPEG, PNG or WebP. It is processed in your browser and never uploaded.
- Crop and tone it. Drag, scale and rotate the crop, then use auto levels, exposure, contrast, whites, blacks and clarity. The preview shows the picture as the printer will make it.
- Choose a shape and size. Square or circle (free), clock or tree (Paid), at 60, 80 or 100 mm (the tree at 90 or 110 mm). Pick a frame colour from the shop palette or your own.
- Add a base. A snow pile, a candy cane or, for the circle, a round dish. The square can wear a gingerbread roof with a chimney.
- Check it lit. Switch between Night (lit from behind), Day (the white relief) and Depth (the thickness map) and turn it in 3D.
- Download and print. Sign in with a free account and download a Bambu Lab 3MF project with a plate per piece, or STL files for any slicer. Press the panel and insert into the frame and add a coin-size LED puck.
Shapes, sizes and what is free
| Shape | Sizes | Download | Bases and toppers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 60, 80 or 100 mm | Free | Snow pile, candy cane, gingerbread roof |
| Circle | 60, 80 or 100 mm | Free | Snow pile, candy cane, round dish |
| Clock | 60, 80 or 100 mm, with 0 to 25 mm of space below for words | Paid | Snow pile, candy cane |
| Tree | 90 or 110 mm | Paid | Snow pile, candy cane |
| Ornament | 70, 80 or 90 mm across, up to four photos round it | Paid | Its own cap, loop and decor |
Every frame comes in any shop colour or your own. The round dish and the gingerbread roof take the frame's colour.
Lithophane print settings
- Panel: white PLA, 0.12 mm layers, 100% infill, printed upright.
- Thickness: 0.8 mm brightest to 2.6 mm darkest by default; the thinnest goes from 0.6 to 1.6 mm, the thickest from 1.6 to 3.2 mm.
- Frame, insert and scenery: 0.2 mm layers, 15% infill. The insert prints with tree supports under its puck pocket.
- Printer: the 3MF is a Bambu Studio project for the Bambu Lab P2S with a 0.4 mm nozzle, a plate per piece and the filaments set. STL files work in any slicer.
- Light: a coin-size LED puck in a 38 mm pocket behind the panel.
Only a test print proves the fit and the light. Check the layer preview in your slicer before printing.
Photos that make good lithophanes
- Fill the frame with the subject: faces and pets should be large.
- Pick clear light and dark areas. A plain or soft background keeps attention on the subject.
- Raise clarity for edges and texture; lower highlights if skin or sky turns white.
- Use Depth view: lighter there means thicker and darker when lit.
Lithophane Maker FAQ
What is a lithophane?
A lithophane is a thin panel whose thickness follows a picture. Thick areas block light and look dark; thin areas let light through and glow. Unlit it looks like a white relief; lit from behind the photo appears. 3D printers make them well in white PLA at fine layer heights.
Is the Lithophane Maker free?
Designing and previewing every shape is free, with no account. Downloading the square and circle is free with a free Allin Studio account. The clock, the tree and the 360° ornament download with Paid membership (US$19.99 a month), and you can still design and preview them first.
What thickness should a lithophane be?
This maker defaults to 0.8 mm at the brightest parts and 2.6 mm at the darkest. You can set the thinnest between 0.6 and 1.6 mm and the thickest between 1.6 and 3.2 mm. The border of the panel is a full 3.2 mm so it stays strong in the frame.
What are the best print settings for a lithophane?
Print the panel in white PLA at 0.12 mm layers with 100% infill, standing upright, so each layer is one row of the picture. The 3MF from this maker sets that up for a Bambu Lab P2S with a 0.4 mm nozzle; the frame, insert and decorations print at 0.2 mm with 15% infill.
Should a lithophane be printed upright or flat?
Upright. Standing the panel on its edge puts the fine detail in the layer lines instead of the walls, which gives a smoother picture. The square is braced by four thin fins that lift off after printing; round panels, the clock and the tree have their downward-facing edge painted for tree supports.
What makes a good lithophane photo?
A sharp photo with the subject large in the frame, clear contrast between light and dark, and an uncluttered background. Faces work well. Raise clarity to bring out edges, and use whites and blacks to set how bright and dark the print gets. Very dark or very busy photos turn muddy.
What light does it use?
A coin-size LED puck that sits in a 38 mm round pocket in the reflector insert behind the panel and shines through a 31 mm rounded-square window. The insert is white to spread the light evenly.
Can I print it on a printer other than a Bambu Lab?
Yes. Download the STL files, one per part with a README, and set 0.12 mm layers, 100% infill and an upright panel in your slicer. The 3MF project is prepared for the Bambu Lab P2S.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is read, adjusted and turned into 3D geometry in your browser. If you sign in by email link mid-design, the design and photo are kept in this browser only so you can carry on.
Can I make a lithophane Christmas ornament?
Yes. Choose Ornament under the shapes to wrap up to four photos round a 360° lithophane bauble with light-through decor, a cap and a hanging loop. It is a Paid shape: design it freely, download it with Paid membership.
More from Build Lab
Make a lithophane Christmas ornament with up to four photos, a free QR code with your logo, or a 3D-printable QR stand. See every Build Lab tool.