Transcript - How to Upload Basic Image for Cutting | Beginner Design Space Tutorial | Cricut

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In this video we’ll learn how to upload a basic image to Design Space and convert that image into cut lines. And we’ll learn how to tell Design Space which parts to keep and which parts to eliminate. While the process is pretty straightforward, there are a few tips and tools you’ll need to know.

First, about images: when cutting images, the simpler the better. Let’s upload this one. Next we’ll tell Design Space  how complex it is. You can determine complexity by looking at the following: how detailed the image is; how many colours the image has; even the contrast between the foreground and background can make a difference. This image is pretty simple, so I’ll select that. And then click continue.

Since we’re about to use some new tools and commands, let’s have a peek. Here’s the magic wand, the eraser, and the crop tool. Below that are more advanced options. Here’s undo, redo, and zoom commands. Along the bottom are the back, preview, cancel, and continue buttons. Okay, let’s create some lines.

First we need to tell Design Space what to cut by erasing or deleting the areas of the image that we don’t want. Here’s how to do it. Select the magic wand tool and click it on an area that we want to erase, like background. This checkerboard pattern means the background is now transparent. A cut line will be created along this line where transparent and opaque pixels meet. Use preview anytime to see what the cut lines look like. See how some image detail disappears and is filled with grey? That means that detail will be lost when the image is saved and will not cut because there are no cut lines.

Now let’s hide the preview and click inside those areas. Just like that. We can preview again to check. And much better. When you’ve dialed in the detail you want, click continue.

Here we decide to save this as a print then cut image or as a cut image. If you have a simple black and white image, without colour or complex gradients, that’s perfect to convert to a cut image. If your image is more like this with complex colours, then better opt for print then cut.

I’ll go ahead and select cut. I’ll give this image a name, a few tags as well, which you will definitely want to do because this is your only opportunity to do so. Tags help the Design Space search engine find your images when you need them. And trust us on this; tags come in handy when your uploads get up there in number, and they will! When you’re good, click save. And that’s it! There’s your new upload, in the recently uploaded images section, ready to select and place on your Canvas.

In the next video we’ll cover using basic images for print then cut.