Mirror Flip for Thermal Transfer
When using thermal transfer paper, the design needs to be horizontally flipped so it reads correctly once pressed onto skin. The Mirror Flip function handles this automatically. This is essential for designs containing text, asymmetric portraits, or any image where orientation matters.
Controlling Line Detail with Intensity
The Intensity slider adjusts how much visual information is captured from the source photo. For bold traditional tattoo designs with thick outlines and simple shapes, a lower intensity setting works best — it captures only the strongest edges and ignores fine details. For realistic portrait tattoos where subtle shading and detailed features matter, increase the intensity to preserve more of the photograph's tonal information.
Adjusting Line Weight
The Line Weight control thickens or thins the stencil lines. Thicker lines provide more margin for error during tattooing and work well for traditional or neo-traditional styles. Thinner lines suit fine-line tattoo work and detailed realistic pieces. Match the line weight to your preferred needle configuration and tattooing technique.
Choosing the Right Source Photo
The best source photos for tattoo stencils have strong contrast between the subject and background, clear edges, and minimal noise. Portraits should have good directional lighting that defines facial features. Animal photos work best when the subject is sharply focused against a simple background. Avoid heavily compressed images or photos taken in low light, as these introduce noise that degrades stencil quality.
Output and Printing
The generated stencil exports as a high-resolution PNG with pure white background. For thermal transfer printing, use standard stencil paper and ensure your printer is set to the highest quality setting. The clean white background ensures no unwanted marks transfer onto skin. All processing runs locally in your browser — client photos and proprietary designs remain completely private.