You design it , run it through the laser, then you finish it. In most situations the run it through the laser part is the least time consuming. but what it is makes immense difference in how much time you spend in each bit.
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I use Inkscape and GIMP primarily.
Something like this? Preparation of the pictures was maybe ten minutes (they were pretty good to start with). Setting up the jig file another 5-10 tops, then off to the races. The largest time sink was deciding on which images to use. Design is always the longest process, as a rule.
There are a couple of major skills that come into play here:
1: raster editing
more here: Search results for 'prepare engraving' - Glowforge Owners Forum
2: alignment via jigs
more here: Search results for 'jig' - Glowforge Owners Forum (and specifically this: Alignment of irregular objects (Coasters), something I call corner jigging, saves materials)
There are lots of tutorials out there that will help you make sense of the learning curve, your best bet when getting started is to just power through as much of them as you can.
Here’s a good getting started guide: New owner (well, almost) - #11 by evansd2
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