Photo-to-2.5D Crystal Portrait

I have a single photograph of a person that I need converted into a clean, ready-to-engrave 2.5D relief for subsurface crystal laser engraving. Your task is to take that flat image and build the depth information so it will look true-to-life once etched inside the crystal.

You’ll be working in a 2.5D cockpit setup, so I expect the finished file to suit that workflow—ideally a greyscale depth map or equivalent format that can drop straight into a laser software package without extra touch-ups. Facial features must read crisply; the rest of the figure can sit naturally in the depth field, with background simplified or minimized as needed.

Deliverables
• Final 2.5D depth file compatible with standard crystal-engraving lasers (STL, BMP height-map, or your recommended alternative)
• A low-res preview render so I can approve depth and likeness before final hand-off

I’ll supply the high-resolution source photo once we start. Let me know your preferred file type for delivery, the tools you’ll use (e.g., ZBrush, Reliefmod, Photoshop depth extraction, etc.), and your estimated turnaround.