Is the lithophane maker free?

Making and previewing the lithophane is free: it's built in your browser and uses no credits. Downloading the STL is part of the paid plans.

How should I print a lithophane?

White PLA, 100% infill, standing upright, 0.12–0.16 mm layers. Then hold it against a light or put an LED behind it.

What size should I choose?

100 mm wide is a good default. Larger panels show more detail but take longer to print.

3D Printing template · free to try

Lithophane Maker

Name: Lithophane Maker: before and after
Uploaded: 2026-10-25
Duration: 4 s
Description: Turn any photo into a printable lithophane

Turn any photo into a printable lithophane

Try it free

Free to try, right in your browser

Upload your image. About 8 s later you download a printable lithophane as STL, ready to print. No 3D skills needed.

Try it

Make printable lithophane

Turn any photo into a printable lithophane. The prompts and settings are already done for you.

Example 1 of 4

Upload a photo

Drop a photo or click to uploadFaces and high-contrast photos look best

Width100 mm

ShapeFramed panel

Instant · runs in your browser · STL export

Examples

Made with this template

The card in the corner shows what went in.

Each example is an actual run of this template at Standard quality, made from a sample image.

How it works

From idea to file in about 8 s

Upload your image, then wait while the AI runs. Nothing to set up.

1
You
You add an image
Faces and high-contrast photos look best
3D Relief2
AI
Your picture becomes 3D relief
The photo is converted to greyscale and every pixel becomes a height on a 0.6–3 mm panel with a solid frame. Nothing is uploaded and no credits are used.
STL
3
Yours
You download the file
As STL. You can use it however you like.

After the download

Print it at home or order it

Open the STL in your slicer, or upload it to a print service if you don't have a printer.

Print it at home

Any FDM or resin printer works. Open the file in your slicer and press print.

No printer? Order it

Upload the STL to an online print service or a local print shop and get it delivered.

Give it as a gift

Birthdays, weddings, a thank-you for a teacher. Nobody else will have the same one.

Paint it

Print in grey and paint it, or print in colour if your printer can.

Behind the scenes

How this template works

A lithophane is a thin panel whose thickness follows the brightness of a photo: dark areas are thick, light areas are thin, so it shows the picture when light shines through. This template builds it right in your browser.

1
Step 1 · 3D Relief Generator
Build the lithophane
The photo is converted to greyscale and every pixel becomes a height on a 0.6–3 mm panel with a solid frame. Nothing is uploaded and no credits are used.
0.6–3 mm thickness · 3 mm frame
Open 3D Relief Generator

Do it yourself for more control

For a 3D relief instead of a flat lithophane (a sculpted picture you look at, not through), use the 3D Relief Generator.
Print in white PLA at 100% infill, standing upright, with a 0.12 mm layer height for the smoothest result.

New here

What is 3D AI Studio?

3D AI Studio is a web app that makes 3D models, images and sounds with AI. It runs in your browser, so there is nothing to install.

A template is a saved recipe. It runs a fixed set of AI tools with settings we've already tested, so all you add is a photo or a sentence.

Runs in your browserPhone or computer

Inside this template

Step 1
3D Relief
Turns light and dark into raised 3D shapes, right in your browser.

Before you start

What you need

An image or logo
Faces and high-contrast photos look best
3D software or skills
Not needed. It all happens in the browser
A 3D printer
Optional. You can order the print online

Free to try

It runs in your browser, so you can make and preview it for free. Downloading the STL is part of the paid plans.

Your download

The files you get

STLThe standard file for 3D printers.

Open it in a slicer such as Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer or Cura, then press print.

Best results

How to describe it

Close-up faces and high-contrast photos look best.
Avoid very dark photos; brighten them first if needed.
Print it standing up (vertical) for the sharpest detail.

Good to know: Fine detail depends on your printer: a 0.4 mm nozzle resolves roughly 0.5 mm features.

Lithophane Maker: questions & answers

3D AI Studio is a web app that makes 3D models, images and sounds with AI. It runs in your browser, so there is nothing to install. A template is a saved recipe. It runs a fixed set of AI tools with settings we've already tested, so all you add is a photo or a sentence.