After you purchase PhotoGrav you will be able to download and install the software right away. A serial number will be provided which you will need to activate. Then after the software is installed goto the Help->Activate PhotoGrav menu item to activate. You have 15 days to use it before activation is required.

This version is designed for Windows 11 but we have tested it on Windows 10 and it ran ok for us. It is compatible with modern computer systems. PhotoGrav may be installed on a Mac using a Windows emulator app such as Parallels. Depending on the age and hardware of your system the automatic background removal may not be available but the rest of the app is fully functional.

If your computer is connected to the internet PhotoGrav can automatically be activated/deactived. If no online connection is available it can be activated via phone or email. PhotoGrav allows installation on two computers.

If PhotoGrav needs to be installed on more than two computers then a deactivation is required to free up an installation. Once PhotoGrav is deactivated it can be installed on another computer.

PhotoGrav supports importing/exporting JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP image types and now supports large images and transparent PNG images and automatically supports alternating the background between white and black for negative and positive type materials. PhotoGrav now supports basic automatic background removal. We were able to successfully open and process a 48 inch image at 300 dpi.

PhotoGrav includes some the most common laser engraving materials used for photographs. If you have other materials that are not included in the list then often another included material can be substituted.

PhotoGrav automatically adjusts the parameters once a material is selected, however, with experience often adjusting some of them such as the gamma will improve the engraving results. For best results the dpi of the image should be the same as the engraver dpi or an integer multiple there of.

The parameters are saved when saving the session or by exporting them to disk. A session saves more than just the parameters. It also saves many of the visual options including the path to the image which will open if the link still exists. Exporting and importing only includes the parameter settings of the interactive mode and underline material properties. It does not include the state of the session. PhotoGrav 3.2 does not support earlier session versions but it does support importing the parameters of older versions.

No Known Problems.

Laser engraving photographs work best when the dpi of the image is the same as the dpi that the engraver is set to or an integer multiple of it. For example if your engraver dpi is set to 300 then the image should be resampled to 150, 300, or 600 dpi. Often increasing the dpi does not help for many materials because the burn spots that the laser makes merge together and distort the quality of the engraving. For most materieals engraving at 250, 300, 500, or 600 dpi give the best ressults.

If there are any questions or issues with activation it is most likely your internet connection is not valid, however, you may contact customer support if needed.

PhotoGrav keeps record of all the serial numbers that are released and contact information. So unless your contact information has changed or your commputer is unusble you can apply for a new serial number.