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silhouettestudio V3 V4
Table of Contents 5.2 Manipulating Text . ....................................34 5.3 Text to Path ...............................................37 6 - Manipulating Images ...............................38 6.1 Basics . .......................................................38 6.2 Grouping/Ungrouping ...............................41 6.3 Compound Paths .......................................43 6.4 Moving Images ..........................................45 6.5 Rotating .....................................................46 6.6 Sizing .........................................................47 6.7 Mirroring ...................................................50 6.8 Arranging . .................................................51 6.9 Aligning . ....................................................53 6.10 Replicating ...............................................55 6.11 Nesting (Designer Edition only) ...............57 6.12 Modify .....................................................58 6.13 Offset Options .........................................61 6.14 Tracing Options . ......................................62 Trace ................................................................62 Trace Outer Edge .............................................62 Trace and Detach . ...........................................62 7 - Library and Design Store ..........................63 7.1 Library .......................................................64 7.2 Silhouette Design Store .............................66 8 - Saving . ....................................................73 9 - Cutting/Sketching ...................................74 9.1 Send ..........................................................74 9.2 Performing a Test Cut ................................79 9.3 Cutting / Sketching ....................................80
Software Usage Agreement ............................1 Registered Trademarks ...................................2 Disclaimer ......................................................2 About this Manual .........................................2 1 - General Information ..................................3 1.1 System Requirements.................................3 1.2 Features Overview......................................4 1.3 Software File Formats . ................................5 1.4 Available Digital Content .............................6 2 - Installing Silhouette Studio® ......................7 2.1 Download ....................................................7 3 - Basic Software Overview ...........................8 3.1 Opening the Software .................................8 3.2 Software Sections ........................................9 3.3 Cutting/Drawing Area . ..............................11 3.4 Opening Documents . ................................12 3.5 Document Tabs . ........................................13 3.6 Document Sizes .........................................14 3.7 Cutting Orientation . ..................................15 3.8 Viewing and Zooming ................................17 3.9 Preferences ...............................................18 4 - Drawing/Editing Images ..........................21 4.1 Basic Drawing Tools ...................................21 4.2 Editing Images ...........................................23 4.3 Line Tools . .................................................27 4.4 Fill Tools . ...................................................29 5 - Text.........................................................33 5.1 Creating Text . ............................................33
10 - Print & Cut . ...........................................81 10.1 Registration Marks ..................................81 10.2 Cutting Printed Images ............................82 11 - PixScan™ ...............................................84 11.1 Import from Scanner ...............................84 11.2 Import from Camera ...............................85 11.3 Using PixScan™ images ...........................87 12 - Curio Features .......................................88 12.1 Embossing ...............................................88 12.2 Stippling ..................................................92 12.3 Multiple tool use .....................................95 13 - Designer Edition Plus Features ...............96 13.1 Appliqué Embroidery ..............................96 13.2 Advanced Rhinestones ............................98 14 - Business Edition Features ....................102 14.1 Multi-Cutter Support .............................102 14.2 Ai/EPS/CDR file compatibility ...............103 14.3 Design View vs. Media Layout View .....103 14.4 Tiling Feature . .......................................104 14.5 Automatic Nesting Preview ...................106 14.6 Matrix Copy Feature . ............................108 14.7 Automated Weed Line Feature .............109 15 - Troubleshooting . ................................110 15.1 Common Troubleshooting Tips .............110 15.2 Calibration .............................................113 15.3 Further Support Contact Information ...115 Silhouette Studio® Shortcuts ......................116
Silhouette Studio® V4 | Software Usage Agreement
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Software Usage Agreement Silhouette America Corporation ("Silhouette America") hereby grants the purchaser and authorized User (the "User") the right to use the software (the “Software”) in accordance with the terms and conditions specified. By its purchase and/or use of the Software, the User hereby accepts and agrees to abide by the terms and conditions set forth herein. 1. Copyrights All copyrights relating to the Software and accompanying printed materials such as manuals shall be retained by the individuals or organizations indicated in the Software or printed material. 2. License The User may use the Software on one computer at a time. 3. Copying and modification (1) The User may copy the Software for backup purposes. (2) The User may not modify, combine, amend, or otherwise adapt the Software by any means, including disassembly and decompiling. 4. Third-party use The User may not transfer, assign, or otherwise dispose of the rights relating to the Software or its use to third parties. 5. Warranty (1) Should the Software not operate correctly due to physical defects in the Software installation CD, contact Silhouette America. The Software CD will be exchanged in the case of a physical manufacturing defect, or a link to download the software will alternately be provided at Silhouette America’s discretion. (2) Silhouette America only guarantees the CD under the above situation. (3) Silhouette America provides the Software on an “as is” basis. Neither Silhouette America nor the supplier guarantees the performance or results that may be achieved using the Software and accompanying documentation. Neither Silhouette America nor the supplier gives any explicit or implicit guarantees regarding the infringement of a third party's rights arising from the use of the Software or accompanying manuals, their commercial performance, or their suitability for specific purposes. Neither Silhouette America nor the supplier assumes any responsibility for incidental, secondary, or special damages resulting from the use of the Software or accompanying manuals under any circumstances, including cases in which the possibility of that particular damage arising is indicated to the User by the retailer. Moreover, neither Silhouette America nor the supplier assumes any responsibility for claims from third parties.
Silhouette Studio V 4 | Registered Trademarks
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Registered Trademarks The company names and product names described in this manual are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Disclaimer Some of the software images used in this manual are those that were used when the software was under development, and they may be slightly different from those actually displayed. There are no differences between the functions and setting layouts shown here and those of the actual version. About this Manual This manual is intended to provide an overview on how to use the Silhouette Studio® software. While other cutting devices may be compatible, this manual assumes the use of Silhouette electronic cutting tools. Instructions on using the Silhouette cutting tool may be found in subsequent manuals regarding the Silhouette hardware itself, including instructions on setting up the Silhouette for cutting or sketching, loading materials, and using the SD card feature (SD and Cameo models only) to cut directly from the Silhouette hardware device. (1) The contents of this manual may not be copied in part or in whole without permission. (2) The details and product specifications in this manual are subject to change without notice. (3) The greatest effort has been taken to ensure the clarity and accuracy of the information in this manual. Please contact Silhouette America or your retailer with any questions you may have. (4) Please note that Silhouette America assumes no responsibility for any liabilities arising out of the use of this manual and product.
Silhouette Studio® V4 | Chapter 1 - General Information
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1 - General Information Silhouette Studio® is drawing/editing/output software that enables the creation of outline and print data consisting of objects and text, and the output of the created data to the Silhouette electronic cutting tool for a variety of applications including cutting and perforating media materials for 2-dimensional projects, fabricating 3-dimensional fold-together models from cut-out templates, and sketching line art. The software is compatible with all Silhouette models. The software also interfaces with other Graphtec plotter models CC100 – CC300 series models. Features and cutting results cannot be guaranteed for compatible plotter units or electronic cutting tools not offered by Silhouette America. Some features, such as Print & Cut applications, may not be available for other compatible cutting tools not offered by Silhouette America. Silhouette Studio® also supports convenient functions that enable the capturing of image data into the software and the automatic creation of registration marks for Print & Cut applications. 1.1 System Requirements The following system environment is required to use Silhouette Studio®. Operating System: Windows –Vista/7 (32-bit & 64-bit) Mac – OS X 10.6.8 or later CPU: Pentium III 800 MHz or higher Memory: 1GB RAM recommended Monitor: 1024 x 768 True-color recommended (compact button mode available for notebook computers) Mouse and/or Graphic Tablet Supported cutting tool: Silhouette (original), Silhouette SD, Silhouette CAMEO®, Silhouette Portrait®, Silhouette Curio™, Craft ROBO, and Graphtec models (CC100, CC200, CC300/CC330, CC300L/CC330L) Supported printers: Windows-compatible or Mac-compatible printers (inkjet printers strongly recommended for Print & Cut applications)
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1.2 Features Overview The Silhouette Studio® software includes, but is not limited to, the following software features and benefits: • Imports a variety of file formats • Print & Cut technology (requires printer) • Download exclusive digital content • Organize and optimize the library collection of images • Cut font files already installed on your computer • Manipulate Text with: o Word and letter wrapping
o Alignment justification o Letter spacing control o Fit text to path • Draw your own images in printing and cutting formats, including o Lines o Circles, Squares, and Rounded Rectangles
o Polygons & Curved lines o Free-hand drawing tool • Resize images to exact specifications
• Ungroup/Group sets of lines for manipulation • Edit and manipulate points of text and images • Erase image parts with freehand eraser tool • Weld images together • Create shadowed mat effects • Arrange images with following abilities: o Transform o Rotate o Align o Replicate o Modify • Manipulate line types for differing cutting actions • Create your own Print & Cut images by filling images with custom colors, gradients, pattern fills • Unlimited “Undo” and “Redo” actions
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1.3 Software File Formats The Silhouette Studio® software uses a proprietary .STUDIO file format, which consist of vector art for line and color/gradient fill type data intended for printing and/or cutting. The Silhouette also is able to open* the following vector file formats in a Ready to Cut format:
• GSD/GST (ROBO Master program files) • DXF • SVG (Designer Edition only)
The Silhouette Studio® software can also import some other vector and raster file formats for the purpose of being able to trace these images to create cut lines for Print & Cut images. The following additional file types can be imported:
• JPG • BMP • PNG • GIF • WMF • PDF (Designer Edition only)
In addition to files that may be opened or imported, Silhouette Studio® can also access font. Please note that Silhouette cannot guarantee the quality or success of fonts not offered by our company as not all fonts are designed with cutting or sketching in mind. You are also able to create your own images to cut with the Silhouette software. There are simple line drawing functions built into the Silhouette software that will allow you to do so from within the Silhouette program. *Not all features of these file types may be able to be imported into the Silhouette Studio® software
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1.4 Available Digital Content The Silhouette Studio® software comes preloaded with 50 ready-made designs. These become available as you connect and power on your electronic cutting tool.
Preloaded shapes will vary between Silhouette electronic cutting tools. Additional content is available through the Silhouette Design Store (accessed through the Silhouette Studio® software). The store will allow you to access and purchase additional digital content for the software, available both from Silhouette artists as well as independent artists and various companies, thus ensuring a variety in look and feel of available premade content. Further information on the store and downloading content will be provided later in this manual.
Silhouette Studio® V4 | Chapter 2 - Installing Silhouette Studio®
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2 - Installing Silhouette Studio® 2.1 Download Silhouette Studio® is a free software download from silhouetteamerica.com. Follow the prompts to download the software to your computer. Make sure to choose the corresponding operating system (PC or MAC) to the computer you are using. NOTE FOR WINDOWS USERS ONLY: Upon hooking up the USB cord from the Silhouette electronic cutting tool to your computer and powering on the Silhouette unit, you may be prompted with a “New Hardware Wizard” to install a driver. You may proceed to automatically find and install the driver as located on the installation CD. The driver is not required for proper operation of the Silhouette Studio® software, but may be installed to resolve the Windows automatic “Plug and Play” feature of prompting to install a driver for the hardware whenever the Silhouette is powered on.
Silhouette Studio® V4 | Chapter 3 - Basic Software Overview
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3 - Basic Software Overview 3.1 Opening the Software To open the software on PC, locate the desktop icon and double-click. If a desktop icon was not created during installation, go to the Windows Start menu and select to run Silhouette Studio®.
To open the software on Mac, open the Applications folder and launch Silhouette Studio®.
The Silhouette Studio® icon will appear as follows:
Once opened, the software should show an available starting document and workspace as shown below:
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3.2 Software Sections The software offers several sectioned areas. Details as to each button’s specific function are discussed in later sections. However, so that you may be familiarized with where everything is located, a brief overview is provided for each of the sections.
General Document Management
This section along the top left-hand side of the screen is for general document management functions, such as opening, saving, and sending documents to a printer or your Silhouette electronic cutting tool. Standard Editing Tools This section along the top left-hand side of the screen is for basic copy/paste/cut and undo/redo actions commonly found in many programs.
Zooming Tools This section along the top left-hand side of the screen is for basic zoom-in or zoom-out functions to view parts of the document from a closer perspective or at a more distant range.
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Silhouette Studio® Tools This section along the top right-hand side of the screen provides a range of tools for filling images, altering lines, adjusting text attributes, adjusting and replicating images, and adjusting page and cutting conditions.
Drawing Tools This section along the left-hand side of the screen provides tools used for selecting, and drawing images as well as the ability to drop text directly into your workspace area. Tabs The tabs along the top right-hand side of the screen provide navigation to the Design page, Store, Library, and Send panel.
Quick Access Tool Bar This section along the top of the screen provides a range of tools for grouping and selecting images, duplicating and deleting items, image placement priority (such as bringing images to the forefront or sending them to the back behind other images), welding, and offsetting.
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3.3 Cutting/Drawing Area You will note there are two different sections in your workspace:
• White workspace • Grey holding area
The white workspace notes the active document area. Images may be placed or drawn onto this area, or they may be placed or drawn in the grey holding area. Any images in this grey area are invisible to your cutting tool or printer. You may wish to place images off to the side to be set aside as you do not wish to include them in your job to be printed and/or cut. You will note a red border inside this white workspace. The red line represents the active cutting area. The cutting tool will only be able to see and be able to cut what is inside this red line. All images being sent to the Silhouette to cut should be within this red line area.
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3.4 Opening Documents Though opening the software will always provide you with a new document, you may select a new workspace to start a new project at any time. To start a new document you may either use the New option from the File menu, or select the New icon:
To open existing files you may either use the Open option from the File menu, or select the Open icon:
You will then be prompted to navigate to the location where your desired file is located. Through the Open feature, the Silhouette Studio® software has the ability to open the following cutting-type files:
• STUDIO (Silhouette Studio® files) • GSD/GST (Graphtec “ROBO Master” program files) • DXF * • SVG (Designer Edition only) * Silhouette Studio® supports the following DXF features only: Arc, Circle, Ellipse, Line, DWPolyline, Spline, and Text
The Open feature can also access simple image file types that are not in cutting format, but may be imported for printing or tracing purposes. When using a PC, you will need to select “All Files” under the type of file as you seek to open another type of file format.
A list of recently used documents may also be accessed from the File menu under Open Recent.
You may also use the Merge option from the File menu to open any file into the same workspace you are using rather than opening a new document workspace.
Finally, compatible file types may also be accessed by dragging the saved file from your computer directly onto your workspace in the software.
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3.5 Document Tabs Each new document or opened document will provide you with a new document tab at the top left-hand corner of your screen.
The tab will be labeled as “Untitled” until you save your file with a name, or if you have opened a file that already had a name, in which case the file’s name will be displayed. The white tab will always be the active document while all other opened inactive documents will be grey. You may click on any inactive tabs to make it the active workspace and toggle between open documents. Clicking on the “X” will close any open workspace.
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3.6 Document Sizes When a new document is opened, the default document size will always start at a standard Letter size (8.5” x 11”) for the original Silhouette, Silhouette SD, and Silhouette Portrait® models or a 12” x 12” size for the Silhouette CAMEO® model.
To adjust your document size to another setting, you may either use the Page Tools option from the View menu, or select the Page icon:
The Page panel will allow you to alter the width or length of your document. There are pre-set common sizes you may select, or you may set measurements manually for any custom page sizes of material you may wish to use. With custom page sizes the width may be adjusted up to a maximum 8.5 inch material width (original Silhouette, Silhouette SD, and Silhouette Portrait®) or a 12 inch width (Silhouette CAMEO®) depending on the cutting model used. The minimum recommended width for a custom size is 3 inches. The height may be adjusted up to any desired measurement. However, the maximum recommended height is 40 inches. While longer materials ranges may be selected, lengths exceeding 40 inches may have the possibility of becoming misaligned on the Silhouette machine’s rollers as the cutting process continues beyond this maximum recommendation. The minimum recommended height for a custom size is 3 inches. While viewing the Page Settings menu, if your material is sized to fit onto the cutting mat, the cutting mat will be displayed to help you see how your material may be placed onto the cutting mat to feed into the Silhouette when it is time to cut. Later, as you go to cut, this will also be displayed to help ensure you are feeding your material into the Silhouette correctly. This cutting mat animation may be selected to always be displayed under the Preferences settings (discussed in section 3.9). When the cutting mat is shown, you may select the Reveal Cutting mat option in the Page Settings menu in order to show exactly on your mat where images will be cut in reference to the grid that is printed on the actual cutting mat.
As you slide the bar to the right or increase the percentage number, the white page workspace will become more transparent and show the cutting mat beneath. A setting of 100%, or having this bar slid all the way to the right, will allow you to see the cutting mat completely and your white workspace will be entirely transparent. When viewing in this manner, the red line will still represent your cutting area. Images falling outside of this red cutting area will not be cut. The darker area on the cutting mat represents your printer’s print margin area and is only for reference.
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3.7 Cutting Orientation Documents may be viewed in Landscape or Portrait orientation. Depending on how you may wish to view your workspace, images being sent to the Silhouette will vary based on your orientation.
Landscape is the default orientation whenever a new document is opened.
When a document is in landscape orientation, it will be sent to the Silhouette with the upper left-hand corner of the screen coinciding with the upper right-hand side of your material, as seen below:
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Portrait orientation is an optional orientation that may be switched to through the Page Tools. Using this orientation will provide you with a screen that appears as the following:
When a document is in portrait orientation, it will be sent to the Silhouette with the upper right-hand corner of the screen matching the upper right-hand side of your material, as seen below:
The Page Tools also provides the ability to rotate how you are viewing your page. While the Page Orientation will dictate the way your cutting job is being sent to the Silhouette to cut, the Rotate View option will simply rotate your workspace on the screen for a different perspective.
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3.8 Viewing and Zooming Often as you view your workspace, you may either wish to zoom in to get a closer look at smaller images or parts of an image that may be more difficult to work with. Zoom In This tool will zoom into the center of your workspace for a closer view.
Zoom Out This tool will zoom out from your view for a more broad perspective.
Selection Zoom This tool will allow you to zoom to specific areas of your workspace by drawing a box around the area you wish to zoom into.
Drag Zoom After clicking on this tool, your icon will appear as the Drag Zoom icon above. You may then click and hold down your mouse to zoom in or out manually to any selected scale. Pan This allows you to move your entire workspace around.
Fit to Page Clicking the Fit to Page icon will immediately fit the full defined workspace to the center of your screen.
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3.9 Preferences There are a number of user-controlled options that may be found in the File menu (PC) or Silhouette Studio® menu (Mac) under Preferences. General This section allows you to manually select the program language and how often you may wish the program to check for available software updates automatically. This section also provides preferences regarding units of measurement displayed in the program. You may adjust the following:
• Unit of Measurement – Adjust all displayed measurements to desired unit.
• Dimensions – Turn on or off image’s measurement properties as images are selected.
Defaults This section will allow you to adjust the default settings when Silhouette Studio® software is opened. You may adjust the following settings: •Default Fill Style – Provides the ability to select how new user-drawn images are created as to whether they are displayed as an outline only (as red line images or grey line image), or as solid fill images (which may be preferable for the creation of Print & Cut images that are made by the user).
•Registration Marks Preference – Adjusts the program to default to have registration marks turned on or off.
•Page Orientation – Define whether Landscape or Portrait orientation is desired whenever a new document is started.
•Blade Type – Defines which cutting blade is being used with the Silhouette.
•Page Border – Gives the option to cut to the edge of your page.
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Display This section provides display options including:
•Antialiasing – Helps smooth jagged lines as they are created and viewed. Higher sample rates will increase the smoothness of lines. The “off” setting will produce rougher edges, but increases drawing speed.
•Button sizing – Allows for larger or smaller buttons to be displayed.
•Animation – Controls speed of animating actions, such as images being moved on undo or redo actions, or during zooming in and out. Can be adjusted to “Instant” to turn animations off.
•Background Color Preference – Allows you to determine the color of the inactive workspace area.
•Curve Quality – Enhances the visual appearance of lines on screen. Does not affect actual cut quality. Import Options Allows you to determine the behavior of various file types when opened. Tools
This section provides preferences for how you may wish to view bezier control handles and how you would like images to behave when certain modifications are applied. It also provides preferences for adjusting how the program selects images or how various drawing tools either continue to draw or finish upon completion of using the drawing tools.
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Advanced This section provides additional advanced options. In this section, you may adjust the following:
•Restore Factory Defaults – Resets all preferences.
•Reindex My Library –Performing this action will re-index the library to ensure corruption or errors may be resolved should you experience any concerns with your library loading properly or being able to use the library’s Search function properly.
•Set Library Permissions – Allows library to be properly accessed according to computer account permissions.
•Restore Pre-loaded Designs –Restores pre-loaded designs according to the Silhouette model detected.
•Reset Library – This action will remove all images and folders from your library and reset the library back to its original software installation settings.
•OpenGL Settings – Attends to select display issues.
•HTTP Sockets – Depending on your internet connection speed, this option may be adjusted to a higher number of sockets to increase the download speed when purchasing images from the Design Store.
•IME Setting – Allows for typing of non-western characters.
•Proxy Settings – Used for proxy connection setups.
•Packet Size – Rate at which information is sent to the Silhouette.
Another program option not in the Preferences menu is the Software Color Theme button located in the bottom right-hand corner of the software screen. Clicking on this button will cycle through a preselected list of color themes for the software’s overall appearance, should you prefer some color other than the default dark grey interface.
Silhouette Studio® V4 | Chapter 4 - Drawing/Editing Images
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4 - Drawing/Editing Images 4.1 Basic Drawing Tools Silhouette Studio® allows users to draw and create images very easily through a set of basic drawing tools. All drawing tools are located on the left side of the software screen. Line Tool The Line Tool allows for the creation of single straight lines. Holding down the Shift key on your keyboard while drawing will force a straight vertical, horizontal, or 45 � increment line from the start point. Polygon Tool The Polygon Tool allows for the creation of multiple straight lines. A point will be created upon each mouse click. Lines will continue to be drawn until the image is closed by aligning the end point with the starting point, or by double-clicking the mouse to stop drawing. Holding down the Shift key on your keyboard while drawing will force a straight vertical, horizontal, or 45 � increment line from the start point or last point dropped. Curved Shape Tool The Curved Shape Tool allows for the creation of multiple curved lines. A point will be created upon each mouse click. Lines will continue to be drawn until the image is closed by aligning the end point with the starting point, or by double-clicking the mouse to stop drawing.
Arc Tool The Arc tool allows you to draw any size arc on your page.
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Rectangle Tool The Rectangle Tool allows for the creation of a square or rectangle. Holding down the Shift key on your keyboard while drawing will create a square, while holding down the Alt key on your keyboard will make the initial cursor point where your image is started as the exact center of your object. Rounded Rectangle Tool The Rounded Rectangle Tool allows for the creation of a square or rectangle with rounded corners. Holding down the Shift key on your keyboard while drawing will create a rounded square, while holding down the Alt key on your keyboard will make the initial cursor point where your image is started as the exact center of your object. As a rounded rectangle is selected, you will find two red control points on the rectangle’s upper left-hand corner. These may be dragged to adjust the curves of the rectangle’s top and bottom or sides, or you may select both simultaneously by holding down the Shift key on your keyboard and dragging one of the control points. Ellipse The Ellipse Tool allows for the creation of an oval or circle. Holding down the Shift key on your keyboard while drawing will create a circle, while holding down the Alt key on your keyboard will make the initial cursor point where your image is started as the exact center of your object. Regular Polygon The Polygon Tools allows for creation of shapes of different number of sides. The default number of sides is five, but the slider bar in the middle provides a method of raising or lowering the number to produce different shapes, such as a triangle. Freehand Tool The Freehand Drawing Tool allows for the creation of a continuous free-form line. Lines drawn with this tool will continue until the mouse button is released, or the image is closed by aligning the end point with the start point. Smooth Freehand Tool The Smooth Freehand Drawing Tool allows for the creation of a smooth, continuous free-form line. Lines drawn with this tool will have smooth transitions and no sharp angles. Lines drawn with this tool will continue until the mouse button is released, or the image is closed by aligning the end point with the start point.
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4.2 Editing Images All line points on images may be edited, if changes to the existing image are desired. Select Tool The Select Tool determines which image is selected as the active image and allows you to move images around on your screen. This is your default tool to click on images to show they are selected. Edit Points To enter the Point Editing Mode, you may either double-click on a selected image, or use the Edit Points tool. This tool will allow you to edit any points of your image to move them around or remove them. Only single ungrouped line selections may be edited. Ungrouping will be discussed in later sections.
To exit the Point Editing Mode, you may double-click on your image again, or return to the regular select mode by clicking on the Select tool.
Point Editing Mode When you enter the Point Editing Mode, selected images will change from displaying the resizing and rotating control handles around the image to showing the points, or nodes, of the image. Points on lines are where the line may take a new direction or change from being flat (or straight) to being curved.
Regular Selection Mode
Point Editing Mode
In Point Editing Mode, the selected point will be displayed in white while all other points will be dark grey. The selected line associated with the selected point will be emphasized as a bolded red line. Additional lines that have blue points are handles to adjust curved lines. In Point Editing Mode, you will also be shown the Point Editing toolbar on the right-hand side of the screen. You may do the following actions in Point Editing Mode:
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Move/Adjust Points Move a point by hovering with your mouse over any point on the line. Once over a point that may be edited, the cursor will adjust to show you may click and grab the point to move it to any desired location. With curved lines, you may similarly grab the blue points and drag them around the screen to adjust the curve of the associated line segment. Add Points Add a point by hovering over the line where no points currently exist where you may wish to drop a new point to edit your image. Once over a line where a point may be dropped, the cursor will be adjusted to show you may click to drop a point onto the desired line location.
Aside from the tools found in Point Edit Mode, there are two additional editing tools found on the left-hand side of the screen.
Delete Point Any selected point will be deleted by using the Delete Point tool, or by right clicking on the selected point and choosing the Delete Point option. Deleting a point will cause the closest points on either side of the deleted point to join and create a new connecting line. Note that this tool is different from deleting an image and is only intended to delete individual points. It will only be available while in Point Editing Mode. Break Path You may break the path of any line point by using the Break Path tool, or by right clicking on the selected point and choosing the Break Path option. Breaking a path will create two new points from the originally selected point where the path was broken. You will note that a broken path, or two unconnected end points of opposite ends of the same line, may be re-joined by dragging one end point onto the opposite end point of the image.
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Corner The Corner tool will allow a selected point to be so that the control handles at the selected intersecting point can be adjusted each individually to create a sharp corner. Smooth The Smooth tool will allow a selected point to be adjusted to make a smooth transition point at the selected intersecting point. Make Flat The Make Flat option will adjust the selected line (the line emphasized in bold red that is associated with whichever currently selected point) to a flat, straight line. Make Curve The Make Curve option will adjust the selected line (the line emphasized in bold red that is associated with whichever currently selected point) to a curved line. Simplify Some library images or other imported images from other sources may contain a very large number of points. The Simplify tool will automatically re-adjust the image’s points and simplify the image to its simplest possible point form while maintaining the image’s original overall line form.
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Aside from the tools found in Point Edit Mode, there are two additional editing tools found on the left-hand side of the screen. Eraser Tool
You may erase any part of any image using the Eraser tool to easily and immediately remove inner parts or edges of the line image. The Designer Edition of the software features several options for eraser shapes and allows you to choose between creating an open or closed eraser path.
Original Image
New Image Using Eraser Tool
Knife Tool You may segment images using the Knife tool. This tool delivers a straight-line cut to separate parts of images to create a new separate independent shape. The Designer Edition of the software features several options for knife path shapes and allows you to choose between creating an open or closed knife path.
Original Image
New Image Using Knife Tool
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4.3 Line Tools Lines in the program, including text, images created using the drawing tools, and library images, may be altered to have different properties. Line Color Options While lines will default to be displayed in red, you may alter lines to any desired color. Altering line colors will not affect their properties in how they may cut. Altering line colors may be helpful to allow you to more easily view different images or image parts, see lines in whichever color you may prefer to view them, or adjust image parts specifically with printing in mind for Print & Cut jobs where it may be important that line colors are selected to be printed. To adjust line colors, select your image and access the Line Color menu by clicking on the icon shown above. You may then select any of the Basic Menu color options. The hash line selection will always represent “clear”. The color picker tool will allow you to select any color from another object in the drawing area to duplicate the desired color.
Clear Color Picker The Advanced Options menu will allow you to create lines in any desired custom color. You may either drag the target on the color spectrum to visually match the color you are looking for, or type in the RGB (Red Green Blue) or HSL (Hue Saturation Lightness) value of your desired color. You will also have the ability to adjust the Transparency of the line.
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Line Style Options Within the Line Style menu, you may adjust the style of your line to be a solid (default) or dashed style line. Lines will accordingly be cut or printed in the selected style. Lines are viewed in point sizes regarding their width. The point size may be adjusted to any desired specification. While line width may be adjusted, the line will always be cut or sketched in a fixed width; that is, according to how thick the blade or pen is that you are using.
Line thickness may be adjusted by either manually dragging the Thickness option bar or by typing in the desired point thickness.
The Corner Style option will adjust how lines appear at any of the image’s corner points where Corner is a sharp edge whereas Rounded will be a smoother edge. The End Cap Style option will only adjust lines that have open ends. Flat or Square provide varying sharper flat edges at the line tip whereas Rounded provides a smoother rounded edge to the line tip.
The Position option will adjust if the line is In Front of a filled image, or Behind the filled image.
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4.4 Fill Tools Closed images (where the starting point of the line connects with the ending point of the line) including Text, images created using the drawing tools, and library images, may be altered to have different filled properties. Only closed images may have filled attributes. If the path is broken on any closed images, any applied fill attributes will immediately disappear. Fill Color Options While closed images will default to be displayed as empty, you may fill any closed image with any desired color. Altering fill colors may be helpful to allow you to more easily view different images or image parts, see shapes and text in whichever color you may prefer to view them, or adjust images specifically with printing in mind for Print & Cut jobs. To apply fill colors, select your closed line image and access the Fill Color menu by clicking on the icon shown above. You may then select any of the Basic Menu color options. The hash line selection will always represent “clear”. The color picker tool will allow you to select any color from another object in the drawing area to duplicate the desired color.
Clear
Color Picker
The Advanced Options menu will allow you to create fill colors in any desired custom color. You may either drag the target on the color spectrum to visually match the color you are looking for, or type in the RGB (Red Green Blue) or HSL (Hue Saturation Lightness) value of your desired color, if you are seeking a specific known color. You will also have the ability to adjust the transparency of the filled color by manually dragging the Transparency option bar or by typing in the desired percentage of how transparent you wish the filled color to be, where 0% is solid and 100% is completely clear.
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Fill Gradient Options Similar to filling images with solid colors, you may also select to fill any closed line images with a gradient fill.
To apply gradient fill options, select your closed line image and access the Fill Gradient menu by clicking on the icon shown above. You may then select any of the Basic Menu precreated gradient options. The hash line selection will always represent “clear”.
Clear
You may also alter the basic direction of the gradient by clicking on any of the Direction options at the bottom of the Basic Options panel.
The Advanced Options menu will allow you to create your own custom gradient fills based off of the last gradient fill selected. Gradient fills will always have a minimum of two colors, with one color at the top and one color at the bottom. The gradient will then create a range between the two selected colors.
You may change either of these colors in the range by clicking on the color arrow bars on the left-hand side of this gradient creator tool. Once the color is selected, you may then select any new color from the Select Color tools directly below. You may also add new bars at any interval between the top and bottom colors, or slide any color bars in between the top and bottom gradient color bars up and down to create new gradient effects. Also in the Advanced Options is the ability to rotate the angle of the gradient effect to any customized degree by either manually dragging the Angle tool or by typing in a specified degree. You will also have the ability to adjust the transparency of the line by manually dragging the Transparency option bar or by typing in the desired percentage of how transparent you wish the filled gradient effect to be, where 0% is solid and 100% is completely clear.
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Fill Pattern Options The final fill option is used to fill any closed line images with a pattern fill. To apply pattern fills, select your closed line image and access the Fill Pattern menu by clicking on the icon shown above. You may then select any of the pattern options. Once your desired pattern fill is selected, the Advanced Options menu will allow you to adjust the pattern’s direction Horizontally or Vertically, or adjust to either a Fixed or Stretch aspect ratio. Options are provided in this menu to rotate the pattern by either simple preset degrees, or to any customized degree by either manually dragging the Angle tool or by typing in a specified degree. In addition, you have the ability to scale the pattern’s size to alter the pattern itself as it fills the selected shape. You may do this by either manually dragging the Scale Pattern bar or entering a new percentage value of how much larger or smaller you may wish to make the filled pattern. You will also have the ability to adjust the transparency of the line by manually dragging the Transparency option bar or by typing in the desired percentage of how transparent you wish the filled gradient effect to be, where 0% is solid and 100% is completely clear.
Additional patterns may be downloaded from the Silhouette Design Store.
You can create patterns from your own images by going to File > Import > Import Options. Navigate to the image you would like to use and select it. A new dialogue box appears where you can add information about the image. Press OK to add the image to the User Designs folder in your library. From there, you can drag your image onto any fillable shape on your workspace.
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Shadow Options (Designer Edition only) You can add and adjust a shadow by clicking the Shadow icon in the toolbar above the workspace. In the Shadow menu, you can adjust the shadow offset, color and transparency.
Sketch Options (Designer Edition only) Create a sketch design by clicking the Sketch icon in the toolbar above the workspace. In the Sketch menu, you can adjust the sketch edge, fill type, and fill effect.
Rhinestone Options (Designer Edition only) Create a rhinestone design by clicking the Rhinestone icon in the toolbar above the workspace. In the Rhinestone menu, you can choose a rhinestone effect, rhinestone size and spacing, and placement options. For advanced rhinestone options, see the ‘Designer Edition Plus Features’ section.
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5 - Text Silhouette Studio® has the ability to utilize any font that is installed on your computer. You do not need to install these fonts into the program. Silhouette Studio® will simply access all installed font files and display them for you as you go to create your desired text. 5.1 Creating Text To use your fonts, click on the text tool located on the left-hand side of the software screen.
Clicking this will allow you to place a text cursor onto your workspace and begin typing directly onto the screen.
The red blinking line is your cursor to show where you are typing. You may back up or move forward by either clicking your mouse or using your computer’s right and left arrow keys. The surrounding green box is your text box. This box may be adjusted by clicking and holding the black bar on the right edge of the text box. Dragging this bar to the left will allow you to wrap your text. Dragging this bar to the right will allow you to bring text back toward being on a single linear path. You may double-click or click outside of the text to exit the Text Editing Mode. You may return at any time to re-edit any words or letters by double- clicking again on your created text.
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5.2 Manipulating Text During the creation of your text, the Text Style menu will be opened on the right-hand side of your screen providing multiple adjustment options. Available Fonts The first section of this menu will display the current selected font with additional font options that are installed on your computer you may scroll through. The top of this section may be used to search for any specific font by typing in a font name if it is known. You may change fonts during the Text Editing Mode and use a new font within the same text box with other fonts. Different fonts may also be applied to existing text or letters during Text Editing Mode by highlighting the desired string and selecting the newly desired font. If you are not in Text Editing Mode, new fonts may still be applied to selected text, but such adjustments will change the font for the entire selected text box. Font Characteristics
Some fonts are programmed to enable the use of certain style characteristics allowing you to bold, italicize, or underline text or letters. These characteristics will only be highlighted to be available for selecting if the font in question is programmed with that characteristic and such characteristics can be applied. To apply one of these characteristic, you may highlight the intended letters or words and then click on the available characteristic. While Bold, Italic, and Underline options are displayed, if there are any additional available options programmed for the selected font, a scroll bar will appear on the right-hand side of this option box allowing you to scroll down and view whatever other options may be programmed.
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