Overview
Kromacut turns a flat image into a stacked, color-layered 3D print. The central idea is simple: the colors in your image become physical layers, and the order and height of those layers become the print plan.
Use Kromacut when you want a HueForge-style print, a color lithophane-style relief, or a layered display piece where filament swaps create the final image.
Main Workflow
Most projects follow the same path:
- Load or import an image.
- Reduce colors until the preview has a printable palette.
- Dedither or clean up isolated pixels if the image looks noisy.
- Switch to 3D mode and choose Manual or Auto-paint.
- Build and export an STL or 3MF file and follow the print instructions.
Two Ways To Paint
Kromacut has two printing workflows in 3D mode.
| Workflow | Use it when | What you control |
|---|---|---|
| Manual | You want direct control over each image color. | Color order, per-color slice heights, print settings, and swaps. |
| Auto-paint | You want Kromacut to plan the physical filament stack. | Filament colors, hiding distance values, max height, and optimizer options. |
Manual mode starts from the image colors shown in the Image colors panel. Auto-paint starts from your real filaments and their hiding distance (HD) values, then generates printable layers for the image.
What You See In The App
Use 2D to prepare the artwork and 3D to plan the physical layers. The guides below follow that distinction.
Illustrated Guides
Start with the task you want to do. Each guide explains the controls, their interactions, and the consequence for the physical print. Diagrams are schematic examples, not calibrated color predictions. Click or keyboard-activate an illustration to open it at full size.
| Task | Guide |
|---|---|
| Set dimensions, layer heights and manual color order | 3D mode |
| Choose filaments, optimize blends and inspect printable detail | Auto-paint |
| Make a flat face-up or face-down multi-material slab | Flat Paint |
| Measure HD, compare Palette Proofs or photograph a Stack Matrix | Calibration workflows |
| Prepare the silhouette and touch up pixels | Loading images |
| Tune tones and colors, then bake the result | Image adjustments |
| Reduce colors and manage palettes | Reducing colors |
| Remove speckles without confusing 2D cleanup with height dithering | Dedithering and cleanup |
| Check the finished stack and transfer it to a slicer | Generating and exporting output |
Workspace Layout
The workspace has three main areas:
- The header contains docs, theme controls, and community links.
- The left panel contains the current mode controls.
- In 2D, it shows adjustments, dedither, quantization, custom palettes, and detected image colors.
- In 3D, it shows print settings, Manual controls, Auto-paint controls, and print instructions.
- The main preview shows the 2D image canvas or the 3D model.
Tip: 3D settings do not automatically rebuild the model. After changing print settings, Manual slice heights, or Auto-paint options, click Build 3D Model.
Good First Project
Start with a high-contrast image that has a clear subject and limited background detail. Reduce it to 4 to 16 colors, then use Manual mode if you already know your layer order or Auto-paint if you have calibrated filament hiding distances.
Next: Quick start.