How to Cut a Upload Picture Using Silhouette

Learn how to utilize whatever epitome with your Silhouette! You can cut all kinds of files with your Silhouette Cameo or Portrait, and I will walk you through the process of using each file blazon with both written and video tutorials. This post may contain affiliate links, which assistance to support this site.

When I got my beginning Silhouette years ago, the thing I was most excited about was the ability I had to cutting anything I wanted – absolutely any image! It was amazing to me, and it still is probably my favorite thing about working with this auto. Yous can exercise then much with it, simply of course, yous first have to acquire how!

The Silhouette (Cameo, Portrait, and Curio) can work with a lot of different types of images and different file types, but the steps for working with each one are a little different. I wrote this post to help explicate the dissimilar file types you can utilise with the Silhouette Studio software and to share some tips and tricks for working with each one.

I also fabricated a video to walk you through the whole procedure also. You tin scout it below or check out the written tutorial later on that. (This video is part of the Silhouette vs. Cricut series with my friend Colleen of Lemon Thistle, and then if you are a Cricut user, you can larn all about working with any image in Cricut from her video right Hither!)

How to Use Any Image with your Silhouette

And then, permit's talk nearly uploading your ain images into the Silhouette software. These could be images y'all made yourself, things you have found online, or even mitt drawn images that you want to turn into vinyl decals or cut out of some other fabric.

First, lets talk virtually the file types y'all can use with the Silhouette Studio software.

File Types You Can Use with Silhouette Studio

There are a few different versions of the Silhouette Studio software, and with each upgrade to the software you get more features and can open more file types. Let's start off with the bones edition of the software that comes for complimentary when you purchase a machine.

File Types Y'all Tin Open with the Basic Edition:

.STUDIO / .STUDIO3 – Studio files are the proprietary file type used past the Silhouette Studio software. These files are prepare to cut in the software and are what you volition find in the Silhouette Design Store.
.DXF – Read more almost DXF files below.
.JPG / .JPEG
.PNG
.BMP

The last iii file types on that list are image files that are made up of pixels, which ways they volition lose some of their definition and shape if scaled upwards also much. To cut them with the Silhouette, you will beginning have to trace them in the software, just that is like shooting fish in a barrel to do, so don't fret!

DXF files with Silhouette Studio Basic Edition

DXF files are actually a nifty pick for Silhouette users who accept merely the Basic edition of the software. Similar SVG files (read more well-nigh those below), DXF files already contains the cut lines for your design, and so they do non need to be traced similar the image files nosotros only discussed (JPG, PNG, BMP). This is what the DXF piñata looks like when opened with Silhouette Studio:

Equally you tin can see, you lose the colors that y'all become with SVG files, just you still have the cut lines and tin apply the make full tool (the paint palette icon) to add colors to the image if you lot like. And so, if you are using the Basic Edition of the software, DXF files are a great option. Where tin can you get DXF files?? Well, I ever include DXF files with the cut files yous tin purchase in my store and so Fontsy cut files as well will always include DXF files, so those are some swell options to check out.

The piñata cutting file design I used in my examples is available in my shop.

File Types You Tin can Open with the Designer Edition:

All of the higher up listed file types
.SVG
.PDF

SVG files are vector images, which means they can be scaled upwardly or down without losing their shape or definition. SVG files also already have the cut lines embedded into the file. They are super like shooting fish in a barrel to work with and are the nearly mutual cut file type.

PDF files can exist imported as vectors, which means they can work similarly to the way SVGs piece of work. (This may depend on how the PDF was created.)

I almost always recommend that people get the Designer Edition of the software. I think the small extra cost is worth it if just for the ability to open SVG files. Plus, you can almost always find it for a good price on Amazon (Although please notation that if you buy it from Amazon, you are ownership a carte that will exist mailed to you. To get instant access to the software, you will need to buy information technology through Silhouette directly. You can apply the code 10OFF for ten% off your purchase.)

There are college levels of the software bachelor too that allow you to work with even more file types (the Designer Edition Plus allows you to open up embroidery files and the Business Edition allows y'all to open Illustrator and Corel Depict files), simply I only recommend those if you piece of work with embroidery a lot or if y'all are an experienced designer.

Ane big file-related bonus to the Business Edition is that it allows you to export SVG, PDF, and JPG files. That basically ways that you tin blueprint in Studio and then export those files to share outside of Studio.

How to Use JPEG, PNG, or BMP Files with Silhouette

Now that you know what file types yous can use with the Silhouette Studio software, let'due south talk about how to use the different file types. Start, let's chat paradigm files such as JPEGs, PNGs, and BMPs. As I mentioned before these are simple epitome files made upward of pixels that do non incorporate cut lines. To turn these files into cuttable images, you first need to use the trace tool to tell the software where to cutting.

How to Trace in Silhouette

Start, open the trace panel by clicking on the trace icon (I recollect information technology kind of looks a butterfly.)
Side by side, click "Select Trace Area" and drag a rectangle around your prototype.
Arrange the threshold until the paradigm is filled with yellow.
Click on Trace or Trace Outer Border to create the cut lines effectually the yellow filled sections.

P.South. The floral designs in the images above are free floral cut files available on my site right Hither.

How to Plow Your Drawings or Hand Writing into Cut Files in Silhouette

Now that you know how to trace in Silhouette, yous can turn whatsoever paradigm you have, including your own hand fatigued images and hand writing into cutting files!

All that y'all need to do is describe or write whatever you want to cut, have a picture of that pattern, upload the image into the software, and utilise the trace tool to plough it into a design you lot tin cut! I have washed this a few times with my kids' artwork and it makes for great gifts.

How to Utilize SVG Files with Silhouette

Unlike JPEGs and PNGs, SVG files come into the Silhouette software gear up to cut. All you need to do to work with an SVG file in the Silhouette Studio software is open up the file by clicking on the file folder icon in the upper left corner of the software or by clicking on "File > Open." (Recall that you lot must have the Designer Edition of the software or higher to be able to open up SVG files!)

Tips for working with SVG Files in Silhouette

You may need to ungroup. Some designs may demand to be ungrouped if you merely desire to cut ane part of the pattern at a time. Select the design and then click "Object > Ungroup" to ungroup.
If you send an SVG design to cut, and nothing happens, you lot probably need to plough on your cut lines. I have done this then many times! Most SVG files do not open up with the cut lines already turned on. They are in that location, only yous have to tell the software to apply them! To make sure the lines are set to cut, select the design and so click on "Cutting" in the Action section of the Send tab. (Run into image below)
You can easily change the colors of dissimilar portions of a SVG file to make information technology easy to cut by color. Simply click on the section yous want to change the color of (think, you lot may have to ungroup it beginning), and so choose a color from the fill panel. This post walks you through all the steps and benefits of cut by colour in the Silhouette software.

Where to GET SVG Files

Yous can buy SVG files in lots of places or you can pattern your own using a design software such every bit Adobe Illustrator. If y'all are looking for SVG cut files, so exist sure to bank check out the gratis cut files I accept here on the blog. I as well take a SVG store and participate in a monthly cut file packet that you may desire to check out. Finally, I am also regularly pinning crawly cutting files to my Silhouette board here.

I promise all of that helps you understand how to cut your own images and designs in the Silhouette Studio software. If yous have any questions most the types of files y'all tin use with your Silhouette or how to use them, permit me know if the comments beneath. 🙂

Until adjacent time, Happy Making!

Check out more Silhouette posts below:

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