Question 1

How does a photo candle work?

Accepted Answer

The photo is built into the candle as a relief, thin where the image is bright and thick where it is dark. Lit from inside, the thin wax glows and the thick wax stays dark, so the picture appears. Unlit it just looks like a textured candle.

Question 2

What photo works best?

Accepted Answer

High contrast with one clear subject. Faces and simple scenes read well; busy group shots turn to mud at candle scale.

Question 3

Is this the candle or the mold?

Accepted Answer

This page builds the master, the solid candle shape you take a mold off. Use in a mold generator sends it straight to the two-part box mold tool with nothing to download and re-upload.

Question 4

Where does the mold seam end up?

Accepted Answer

A two-part mold has a parting seam that crosses the candle somewhere. The rotation slider moves the image relative to it, so you can put the seam behind the picture rather than through a face.

Photo Candle Master Designer, Custom Lithophane Candle