Cricut Design Space - Use Contour to create more layers (Cricut Explore)

 

Can you use Hide Contour in the new Design Space?  You sure can.  Hide contour has been one of my favorite tools to alter a Cricut shape to suit your project ever since it was added to the original Cricut Design Studio program years ago.  You can use this tool in the Cricut Craftroom and it is also available in the new Design space.

This fancy "Circus" image is from the Carousel cartridge.  It has two layers - an extra wide shadow and a top layer.  It is not as colorful as I would like to see the word - particularly when you think about circus posters which are full of colors.

By using the Contour button, you can create two additional layers and add more colors for a much more dramatic sign.

First you need to select the image and ungroup the two layers.  Do this by right clicking and choosing "ungroup" from the drop down menu.  Then make two copies of the top layer to use to make the new extra layers.

While you have one of the top layer images selected, click on the "contour" button at the top of the layers panel.

When you do this the entire screen will go pale and you will just see a fainter version of the image you are working with.  You can click on any of the individual lines to hide them.

For this example, I hid all of the circles on the lower part of the letters.

When you have clicked on all of the lines you want to hide, click on the mat or on the contour button again.  Now you can see how the image looks with the circles hidden - this is the new second layer from the top.

Next, select the second copy of the top image and click Contour at the top of the Layers panel.  You can click on the inner cut at the top of each layer to hide it.

After you complete these steps you will have four layers that look like this.

In order to make all of your hard work show you need to change the colors of the layers.  Click on the image in the layers panel and then choose a color from the palette.

 You can now put all of the layers together to create your four layered word - much more colorful.

Isn't this a more lively version of the Circus?  It actually took me longer to write all of this out than it takes to do it!

As you get used to working with these programs, you will find all sorts of uses for the hide contour function.  I'll share more of those in future posts.

This was a quick post made to help answer a question from the Let's Learn Cricut Explore Facebook Group.  If you use Facebook and would like to join the group you will find lots of helpful information there.


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