Image to STL: Lithophane and Heightmap Maker
Turn a picture into a 3D-printable STL where brightness sets the thickness. Make a lithophane to hold up to the light, or a relief. Set the size in millimetres, check the 3D preview, and download a binary STL.
- 1Choose an image
- 2Size and thickness
- 3Download STL
1Choose an image
or drop an image here, or paste one with Ctrl/Cmd+V
Drag the preview to turn it. The preview is drawn at true scale, with fewer points than the STL.
Your image never leaves your device. The STL is built in your browser. We count visits and finished downloads (tool name only) with analytics that sets no cookies.
2Size and thickness
How to print it
- Pick the type. A lithophane is thin where the picture is light and thick where it is dark, so the picture shows when light shines through it. A relief (Lithophane unticked) is the other way round: light areas stand higher.
- Set the thickness. Lithophane guides often quote about 0.8 mm for the thinnest areas and about 3–3.5 mm for the thickest. Those are typical starting values, not rules: the right range depends on your filament and light, so a small test print is worth it.
- Download the STL and open it in your slicer (PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Cura, OrcaSlicer). It's in millimetres, with the flat side down and the picture's top edge at the back.
- For a lithophane, use a light filament such as white, so light can pass through. Some guides print lithophanes with walls only and no infill, or stand them upright; check what your slicer does with thin parts before a long print.
What the checks mean
Before download, the page reads the STL back from the file bytes. It checks that the triangle count matches the file header and the file length, and that the mesh is closed and manifold (every edge belongs to exactly two faces, so slicers see a solid). It also compares the volume and the outer size with the settings. It can't tell how the print will look: that depends on your printer, filament and light.
What this is not: it doesn't make a 3D model of the thing in the photo. A face stays a flat picture; only the thickness changes with brightness. Turning a photo into a full 3D object needs a different kind of tool.
FAQ
How do I convert an image to an STL file?
Choose a picture above, pick lithophane or relief, set the width and the thinnest and thickest parts in millimetres, and press Download STL. Each pixel of the shrunken picture becomes a point on the surface, and its brightness sets the height there.
What thickness should a lithophane be?
A common starting point in lithophane guides is about 0.8 mm for the brightest parts and about 3–3.5 mm for the darkest. Thinner gives brighter highlights but breaks more easily; thicker gives darker shadows. Filaments let light through differently, so test with your own filament and light.
Why is the STL file so big?
Each point on the surface needs two triangles, and each triangle takes 50 bytes in a binary STL. 200 points on the longest side makes roughly 80,000 triangles, about 4 MB. Lower the Detail setting for a smaller file. Points much closer together than your nozzle width may not add visible detail.
Can it turn a photo into a real 3D model?
No. This tool makes a heightmap: a flat plate whose thickness follows the brightness of the picture. It can't work out the shape of a face or an object from a photo. Tools that do that guess a 3D shape with AI, which is a different thing.
Does it upload my picture?
No. The picture is read and the STL is built by your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server. The page counts visits and finished downloads (tool name only).