Your guide to Pixel Studio.
Open the current customer learning center: Crystal, Relief, videos and PDF
Your design, one step at a time.
A 2-minute 20-second captioned visual walkthrough of the current controls. No audio is required. Pause any time or choose a chapter. Sample artwork is used; your photo and processing time will differ.
Download tutorial video · Open Crystal Studio
Read the full walkthrough
- Start with your original. Select Upload photo / PLY / project. Choose a sharp JPG, PNG or WebP. Wait for the image to appear. This walkthrough uses the studio logo as sample artwork.
- Choose the real crystal. Open Crystal. Select the shape and the size that match your blank. Check width, height and material depth in millimeters before preparing the image.
- Enter a custom size. For a custom blank, enter Width, Height and Material depth. Finish each field before continuing. Boundary inset reserves space near the glass edges; it reduces usable depth.
- Choose one optional AI tool. AI Smart Prepare cleans and prepares the photo. Portrait Layers UHD includes preparation and adds depth layers. Choose either one; you do not need to run both. Skip AI if you prefer manual settings.
- Decide what to keep. Use the Background selector to keep the scene or isolate the subject. After preparation, check the face, hair and cutout edges. Use Background brush if the automatic cutout needs correction.
- Wait for the finished cloud. The engraving-style animation is a processing illustration, not a percentage or a finished result. Wait for processing to end. The actual full-detail cloud then appears inside the crystal.
- Open Artwork Editing Area. Select Artwork Editing Area. Drag the image to position it inside the fixed crystal guide. The glowing border points to suggested controls; you can ignore it or hide the guide.
- Resize and frame the image. In Artwork Editing Area, use the mouse wheel or Artwork size slider to resize the exported design. Check the edges. In the inspection view, zoom changes only the view, not the file.
- Open Detail: density and spacing. Select Detail, then Point density & spacing. Change spacing in small steps and wait for the cloud to update. Inspect fine features and the point count before deciding.
- Balance detail with your design. Smaller spacing generally adds points; it cannot recover missing photo detail. Recheck the preview after each change. These are design controls, not the laser power or machine layer-height settings.
- Shape the relief depth. Open Depth & layers. Adjust relief depth, subject thickness and layer controls as needed. Keep the image within the selected material’s usable depth. More layers are not automatically better.
- Inspect the side view. Choose Final Actual Result and Side to inspect thickness. Return to Front to check framing. If a depth warning appears, use Adjust depth or revise the dimensions and depth settings.
- Generate the checked PLY. Choose ASCII compatibility or binary PLY. Wait until the cloud passes validation, then Generate PLY. Customer accounts use the displayed credit price; admins have admin access. The guide never locks export.
- Keep your finished work. Wait for the verified download and save the PLY. Save an editable project too, so you can revisit settings. Use the Instructions tab to replay this video or jump to a chapter below.
Glowing hints are optional for all accounts. Only real cloud, crystal-fit, processing and account checks can prevent export. The processing animation never changes your file’s point count or quality.
1. Request access and buy credits
Use Request an account and enter your full name and email. An admin reviews the request and provides a login and temporary password. Change that password on your first login. Your account panel shows your available credits and the current credit price for each new PLY or GLB. The starting price is 20 credits. Choose a plan and complete Stripe Checkout when payments are connected.
Choose size, then prepare if needed
Upload a clear original, select the real crystal shape and dimensions, or enter custom width, height and depth. AI Smart Prepare and Portrait Layers UHD are optional alternatives; UHD includes preparation. Inspect the completed image and cutout. Continue to Artwork Editing Area to position and resize, then Detail for Point density & spacing followed by Depth & layers. You may skip the navigation hints and generate any valid current cloud.
3. Place the artwork inside the crystal
Select the actual crystal shape and dimensions. In Artwork Editing Area, the full crystal stays fixed as a guide. Drag to position your artwork, use Artwork size or scroll to resize it, and enter offsets in millimeters. These changes are saved in the PLY. Enable Auto crop outside crystal to enlarge or move the photo beyond the outline: outer XY areas are removed automatically, including the inset and machine boundary. Faint outer photo areas are a guide and are not exported. Originals stay editable. Inspect 3D lets you rotate and zoom the view without changing output.
Point spacing starts at 0.03 mm and can be increased. Smaller spacing samples more points but cannot add detail missing from the original. Smart prepare keeps the chosen design spacing and checks processing memory. Oversized jobs stop with an explanation instead of silently reducing detail. With crop off, red points mean the placement needs fixing; use Fit inside crystal to reset it. Unsafe depth still blocks generation with crop on. Check faces, hair and hands before exporting.
4. Generate and save
Generate checks every point before saving. A successful new generation deducts the displayed credit price exactly once. You can re-download that active file for free. A rejected generation does not consume credits. Download verification checks the saved file bytes. Keep the export receipt if you want to verify the file later. Further preview edits do not change previously exported files. If your editing session expires, sign in inside the studio to continue without losing the artwork.
Open Project folder · 24h to save the editable project, reopen it or download its JSON file. Project saving is free. Editable projects and generated PLY / GLB files expire 24 hours after creation and are deleted from server storage. Download anything you need before it expires. Copies downloaded to your device remain there.
5. Engrave in xTool Studio
Import the PLY into xTool Studio’s Inner Engraving → Point Cloud Engraving workflow for your F2 Ultra UV. Keep the exported dimensions and avoid another point-cloud conversion. Verify the crystal, orientation, physical size, depth, placement and material settings. The website prepares the design and does not operate your laser. Establish suitable spacing and processing settings with a small test engraving.
Manual cutout cleanup
After background removal, select Manual cleanup · erase / restore. Brush over unwanted pixels, use Restore for accidentally removed parts, and zoom in for edges. Undo stroke / Redo stroke work before Apply cleanup; Cancel discards the edits. Applying changes only the active image’s transparency. The original photo and depth stay available, and the mask is included in saved projects. Studio Undo also reverses an applied cleanup.
Maximum photo layers accepts a positive whole number without the former eight-layer ceiling. Layers must fit the selected relief depth and Z spacing. The former two-million-point quota is removed; processing memory and hosting upload allowances still apply. More layers are not always clearer: compare facial tones before engraving.
Save settings for future visits
In My settings & presets, choose a built-in preset and Apply preset, or adjust the controls, enter a custom name and Save as new. Your login has up to 50 private saved presets. Update saved, Rename saved and Remove saved manage the chosen custom preset. Check Save crystal size & shape too to include your physical template. Placement and caption text stay per-project.
Use on next login loads that preset on future visits and new projects. Clear default restores the usual starting settings. Account presets stay in the database and do not expire with 24-hour projects. Saving and applying settings use no credits. Customers and admins each have their own collection.
Keep this finish in Smart prepare retains your chosen curves and layer structure while checking source-dependent spacing and the available processing memory. Transparent flat artwork needs no estimated depth. Standalone HTML saves presets in the current browser; signed-in website accounts synchronize their settings across devices.
Recommendations for your image
The local Image check updates after uploading artwork and changing settings. It inspects transparency, tonal range, shadows, near-white areas, palette, detail energy, source pixels and crystal size. Photos, flat designs and imported clouds receive different guidance. Analyze artwork refreshes the report; Apply recommended finish applies its suggested controls. You can save those controls as your own preset.
Recommendations use image statistics. They cannot recover missing face detail, certify focus or guarantee physical engraving brightness. Inspect Point cloud and Side view and confirm a small sample with your crystal and xTool settings. Analysis uses no credits and sends no photo to an external service.
Preparation checks
The readiness report checks real transparent pixels, retained full-precision depth, source resolution and every generated point against the working area. Opaque backgrounds, missing or invalid AI depth and nearly flat AI results require review instead of being labelled ready. Inspect Transparent cutout for hair and edge mistakes and Side for estimated depth. Flat artwork and deliberately flat imported maps remain available with appropriate guidance. These are digital checks, not measured calibration of a laser or crystal.
K9 portrait · stronger contrast
For a 50 × 50 × 80 mm upright K9 block choose the K9 50 × 80 × 50 mm crystal size (studio width × height × depth). This selects K9 portrait under Smart finish. Run AI Smart prepare to retain full-precision depth and true transparency while distributing tones over six distinct shells. Moderate shadow recovery and capped highlights keep dark and light regions separate. Other crystals and your existing four-layer finish remain available.
The point density report describes exported dots, not measured glass brightness. The source resolution and available processing memory still apply. In xTool check the actual material placement, size, inner-engraving lens and Depth Compensation for fading with depth. Save your successful finish in Presets after a material test. xTool depth and orientation guidance
Portrait detail · AI Smart prepare
AI Smart prepare removes the background and runs Depth Anything 3 Base locally. It estimates the overall geometry, detects up to four faces and refines each face at higher sampling resolution. Face refinements are aligned and feathered into the global depth; inconsistent refinements are rejected. The original photograph and transparent mask remain unchanged. The model requires approximately 412 MB on first use, then caches on this device when browser storage allows. Keep the tab open during the download; processing speed depends on your device.
The automatic Portrait detail profile preserves facial tonal separation, uses four distinct relief shells, distributes density by tone and limits highlights to 90%. It avoids strong brightening that can wash out eyes, hair and skin texture. Spacing adapts to source resolution, crystal dimensions and the available processing memory, with a 0.07 mm starting target. The earlier Pixel reference finish remains available for saved projects and manual comparison. Imported depth maps are retained; older AI depth is refreshed by Smart prepare.
Inspect Point cloud for every actual exported point and Side for estimated geometry. Photo proof is the processed photograph, not a predicted engraving. Single-photo depth is an estimate of the visible surface; it is not a measured full head or hidden-surface reconstruction. Tiny, blurred faces cannot gain real missing detail by making more points. You can change placement, crop and finish settings or undo the recommendation.
A design cannot automatically calibrate laser energy or guarantee daylight visibility. Test a small fresh sample using your K9 crystal and xTool material settings. Excessively dense points or high energy can merge cracks and destroy detail. The website does not change laser power, duration, frequency or operate the machine. xTool engraving-quality guidance
PLY and GLB outputs
Choose PLY · binary, exact points for xTool F2 Ultra UV Inner Engraving → Point Cloud Engraving. ASCII PLY remains available. GLB point cloud (*.glb) exports every point for compatible 3D viewers and interchange. GLB contains POINTS primitives, rather than a filled mesh. Its coordinate buffer keeps millimeters exactly; a 0.001 node scale gives standard glTF meter world units. Some viewers require point-cloud support.
xTool lists GLB for mesh workflows; its point-cloud engraving workflow uses PLY. Keep using PLY for inner engraving. Both formats use the displayed generation credit price, server shape validation, verified downloads and the 24-hour project folder. Downloaded copies are unchanged by later edits and do not expire.
New editor tabs, text and two images
Shape the result is organized into Crystal, Detail, Text, Images, 3D relief and Presets tabs. In Text, choose a font and horizontal, vertical, arch, round or artistic wave layout. Text becomes actual export geometry. Longer vertical/round designs need more physical room. Text and placement belong to each image; your preset can remember the font and layout.
For two images, upload both to the library and choose the companion under Images. Use Smart prepare both images, then Arrange side by side. Edit second image switches which photo you adjust; the crystal stays shared. Both sources keep their own cutout, depth and finish. Preview the whole composition and avoid overlapping subjects. Undo/redo restores design edits, not credit transactions or a downloaded file.
Browser-only 3D relief mesh
Run AI Smart prepare for every included image, then use 3D relief → Preview relief mesh. This creates a detailed indexed 2.5D front surface from estimated depth, with original enhanced photo tones. It does not reconstruct hidden sides or send images to an external provider. Choose Standard for mobile, High for detail, or Ultra for a single detailed image. Large combined surfaces may require Standard or High; the studio never silently removes triangles to fit its limit.
Generate relief GLB has its own displayed price, initially 35 credits. Point-cloud generation keeps its separate current price, initially 20. Admins generate free. Both file types are validated, privately stored for 24 hours and verified when downloaded. Use PLY for xTool Point Cloud Engraving. A textured-looking mesh preview is not a prediction of etched glass brightness. Keep the exact export dimensions in xTool; the new size report shows millimeters.
Share and Earn
Your account panel shows a unique referral link. Copy or share it with someone who wants to request access. A new request records your referral and alerts the admin through the normal signup email. Rewards require admin review and an approved account; submitting a request does not automatically add credits. Your card shows attributed requests and awarded credits.
Need help?
crystal@pixelandbeam.caText without resizing your photo
Choose Move text in preview in the Text tab, or select the lettering in the preview. Drag with a mouse or finger to move only the caption. Scroll to resize the letters; the photo keeps its own size and position. Arrow keys move selected text, +/− resize it and F centers it. Undo restores a completed drag. Choose Place artwork or Inspect 3D to leave text mode.
Open Text and choose your font and layout. Bold, Italic and Underline are optional. Independent text placement moves, scales, rotates or changes the depth of the lettering only. Your photo and its depth stay unchanged. Turn on automatic crop to trim letters outside the crystal, or correct their position before generation. Save a project to keep text placement; saved presets keep the styles.
Save a 3D preview
Save 3D preview downloads a rotating video of your point cloud inside the crystal guide. Save PNG downloads a still view. Neither changes your points or uses credits. Generate PLY or GLB to obtain your processing file; the video is for viewing.
Protect your account
On the Account page open Account security → two-step verification. Use your current password to set up a time-based authenticator, confirm its code, and keep your single-use recovery codes privately. Enabling verification signs out other sessions. Both admins should enroll. Browser-visible designs and code remain inspectable; access controls protect private account data.
Pets and family / group finishes
Choose the crystal size in millimeters (width × height × depth), then select Smart finish and AI Smart prepare. Pets Details preserves fine fur sampling with five 2.5D shells, gentle shadow recovery and controlled highlights. Family / Group Details uses four shells and fits the complete group inside the crystal. Fresh AI depth can refine up to eight detected faces; tiny or inconsistent faces keep their global depth.
The studio uses full-precision Depth Anything 3 Base locally. Valid prepared depth is reused; Generate AI depth reruns the selected subject route. Original photos and transparency are preserved. Check every face, ears, whiskers and paws in Transparent cutout, then inspect Front and Side before export. A single photo provides estimated 2.5D depth; physical visibility must be checked with a material sample.
Both finishes can be saved privately under Presets. The old K9 visibility test built-in preset is no longer listed; existing projects/defaults still load. K9 stronger contrast remains available under Smart finish. Outlined Save 3D preview and Save PNG controls create shareable previews without spending credits or changing engraving points.
Local Image Upscale and illuminated glass
Leave Include local Image Upscale checked in AI Smart Prepare to run Swin2SR lightweight x2 before the cutout and depth steps. Photos up to 1024 pixels on their longest side are enlarged 2×; larger photos retain their existing resolution within the 2048-pixel studio limit. The original stays recoverable. Compare fine facial detail with Original photo; AI cannot guarantee recovery of missing detail. Restore pre-upscale image resets the cutout and depth for fresh preparation.
Display crystal · drag to rotate opens the glass presentation. Choose LED color, intensity, rainbow, glass reflections and the illuminated base. Save PNG and Save 3D preview include the display appearance. Return to Place artwork · final output for engraving placement. Lighting and display rotation leave point coordinates, physical dimensions and credits unchanged.
After point-cloud export, the xTool setup guide shows the file dimensions and design spacing. Earlier K9 test parameters are labeled uncalibrated references. Establish machine settings with the manufacturer material preset and a fresh sample. This visual simulation cannot predict daylight brightness in etched glass. PLY is the xTool point-cloud output; GLB is interchange. Preparation is local and free of generation charges.
Advanced pet preparation
Choose Pets Details, then AI Smart Prepare. New cutouts use Auto quality: BEN2 on a compatible GPU, with an explicitly reported CPU fallback. Existing cutouts and manual cleanup stay intact; use Remove background to replace an older mask. Pet preparation uses ten distinct depth shells, or twelve for a dark-heavy subject, with a highlight-density limit and bounded dark-fur recovery. Layers must fit the relief depth and processing memory. The existing full-precision Depth Anything 3 Base estimates the visible 2.5D surface; extra layers do not reconstruct hidden anatomy or guarantee physical engraving brightness.