Jason Mills · MOPA Fiber Laser Tooling

MOPA
Color
Studio

Turn any image into a precision laser colour map —
ready to engrave in LightBurn.

MOPA fiber lasers can produce a full spectrum of colours on metal by varying frequency, pulse width, power, and speed — but calculating those parameters for every colour in an image has always been done by hand.

MOPA Color Studio changes that. Load any artwork, get every colour mapped to research-backed laser parameters, and export a LightBurn project ready to run — in seconds.

28
Colour zones
5
Materials supported
3
Vector trace methods
© 2026 Jason Mills · All rights reserved · v6.0 · MOPA Color Studio
Live screenshot — real image, real results
MOPA Color Studio — 52 colours detected from a single flower photograph
52 colours · Raycus 30W · 110mm · SS304

Photo by Jason Mills · processed in MOPA Color Studio v6.0

MOPA Color Studio in action · photo by Jason Mills
MOPA Color Studio — 52 colours detected from a single flower photograph
52 colours · Stainless 304 · Raycus 30W · 110mm
Real screenshot — Black-eyed Susan photograph processed live in the app
The challenge

MOPA colour marking is
extraordinarily powerful —
and extraordinarily tedious.

Before

Hours of trial and error, zone by zone.

Creating a multi-colour design on stainless steel means manually assigning laser parameters to every distinct colour — frequency, pulse width, power level, scan speed, line gap, and passes. A design with a dozen colours requires a dozen separate parameter sets, each requiring test burns and fine-tuning. Most operators spend more time setting up the job than running it.

After MOPA Color Studio

Load an image. Export. Engrave.

Drop in any artwork. The app analyses every colour region, maps each one to a full set of calibrated MOPA parameters, and exports a complete LightBurn project — vector geometry on every layer, parameters pre-loaded, import guide included. Your custom-tuned settings persist automatically and carry forward to every future job.

What's inside

Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.

🎨
28-zone colour classification
Every pixel in your image is classified into one of 28 MOPA colours — from black through the full spectrum to white — with sub-tone detail at high resolution.
⚙️
Research-backed parameters
Each zone ships with frequency, pulse width, power, speed, line gap, and pass count derived from published MOPA colour marking research — tuned per material.
🔷
True vector export
Three trace methods — Pixel Runs, Block Merge, and Contour Trace — convert each colour to native SVG vector geometry. LightBurn imports them as shapes, not images.
📦
One-click LightBurn package
Exports a ZIP containing a pre-configured .lbrn project, per-colour vector SVGs, a visual colour reference, and a step-by-step HTML import guide.
💾
Persistent preset system
Every slider edit autosaves and carries forward to every future image. Name and store unlimited presets for different machines, materials, and power levels.
👁
Live vector preview
See exactly how your image will look as vector paths before export. Switch methods and compare in real time — what you preview is exactly what gets exported.
Workflow

From image to
engraved in four steps.

1
Load your image
Drop any PNG, JPG, BMP, or WEBP artwork into the Original pane. Select your material and detail level.
2
Review the zones
The app classifies every pixel and shows each colour with its parameters. Edit any zone with the live sliders — changes save automatically.
3
Preview the vectors
Switch to the Vector tab, choose your trace method, and see the exact geometry that will be exported — before committing to a file.
4
Export & engrave
Click Export LightBurn. Open the project file, follow the import guide, and run the job. Parameters are already set on every layer.
Vector trace methods

Choose the right geometry
for your artwork.

A
Pixel Runs
Exact Fastest High node count

One filled rectangle per horizontal pixel run. Produces pixel-perfect reproduction of every colour region. Highest node count — ideal for complex, detailed artwork where every pixel matters.

B
Block Merge
Exact Compact 5–20× fewer shapes

Merges adjacent pixel runs into maximal rectangles vertically. Same pixel-perfect accuracy as method A but dramatically fewer shapes. The best all-round choice for most artwork.

C
Contour Trace
Smooth Smallest files Illustrator-style

Moore-neighbour boundary tracing produces smooth closed polygons — the same approach as Illustrator Image Trace. Fewest nodes, smoothest paths. Best for bold graphic artwork.

Persistent presets

Your settings.
Always ready.

Tuning MOPA parameters for your specific machine, lens, and material takes time. MOPA Color Studio makes sure that effort is never wasted.

Every slider edit is autosaved to your browser and carried forward to every new image automatically. Save named presets for different jobs — "My SS304 · 20W", "Titanium · 50W", "Copper test" — and load them in one click.

Factory defaults are always a click away, and your custom presets are never overwritten.

Presets · MOPA Color Studio
My SS304 · 20W
ss304 · 28 Apr 2025
Titanium Gr.5 · 50W
ti5 · 15 Apr 2025
Brass fine detail
brass · 02 Apr 2025
Copper jewellery
copper · 28 Mar 2025
+ Save current parameters
Supported materials

Calibrated parameters
for every common metal.

⚙️
Stainless 304
Full spectrum
✈️
Titanium Gr.5
Vivid interference
🔩
Aluminum 6061
High contrast
🟤
Copper
Warm tones
🟡
Brass
Fine detail
Get started

Your first colour map
in under 60 seconds.

MOPA Color Studio runs entirely in your browser — no installation, no account, no cloud. Just open the file and start marking in colour.

Request access →
Contact Jason Mills  ·  mills.j@rogers.com