Moraine Lake on Tile

After seeing how well the tiger tile turned out, I decided to push the limits of what I thought a laser tile was capable of. This scene of Moraine Lake in Alberta, Canada, after being converted to a grayscale image, had an excellent tonal range. Everything was there, from the bright white clouds to the dark crevasses and shadows in the mountains.

Overall the image turned out rather well. Though the tile is capable of being engraved nearly pitch black, doing so to get darker shadows merely darkens the entire image. In the end, I had to strike a balance between brightness, contrast and detail. Any lighter and the clouds would have completely washed out. I think a picture of a blue cloudless sky would have enabled me to bump up the brightness and contrast of the whole scene for a picture perfect tile engraving. Next time...

Fun with Laser Tile

Every once in a while I come across a product that just impresses the heck out of me. Such is the case with Laser Tile. This product is specifically designed for laser engraving. It's available in two colors (Birch White and Vanilla Cream) and three different sizes: 4.25", 6" and 8". As you can see in the picture, the results are simply amazing. High resolution photos are perfectly captured.

What makes this product so different from standard tiles is the unique laser sensitive finish embedded into the tile itself. The satin finish is the only distinguishing characteristic that might keep you from mistaking it for a regular ceramic tile. Once engraved with the laser, a nice, richly detailed image is your reward!

Though I haven't tried it out yet, an Italian Laser Tile is also available. This comes in a nice earth tone and engraves with a Sepia finish.

The applications for this are endless. Imagine an 8' wall mural mounted above a luxurious spa tub, or accent tiles around a fireplace, or risers on a staircase. Hmmm...