Lesson 4: Editing Tips

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In this lesson, we will cover the most useful editing features of CutStudio software.

Preferences

Click File > Preferences to access default program settings. 

  • Under the ‘General’ tab, you can change the default units in the program from metric to imperial or change the size of your grid. 
  • Use the ‘Curve’ tab to improve the accuracy of your trace. When you change the tolerance for line and angle accuracy, lower numbers will lead to a more accurate cut path. 

Multiple Copies 

Use ‘Multiple Copies’ as an easy way to repeat your design in 

rows/columns with consistent spacing. Right-click the object and select multiple copies. 

Merge overlapping texts 

For text-based designs with overlapping letters, select ‘Merge overlapping text’ from the properties window on the right. For objects that do not have text, see the next tip. 

Remove Extra Cut Lines

To eliminate overlaps, shift-click each overlapping object and then click object->shaping->weld to combine every selected shape into a single, solid piece. This only works on overlaps and has no effect for lines that do not intersect.

Mirror

To get a mirrored reflection of your design, select the object and click Object->Mirror. This tool is especially important for iron-on designs

Grouping/Ungrouping Multiple cut Objects 

  • Users may also modify multiple shapes at once, grouping or ungrouping them to manipulate as a single object or as separate objects. 
  • Shift-clicking several objects in a row will allow you to go through Object->Group->Group to attach them all together. This is different from welding because it will not eliminate overlaps but will join multiple shapes into a single “piece” on the canvas. 
  • Users can also use Object->Group->Ungroup to separate words, pieces or letters of an image into parts. 

Aligning Objects 

  • Shift-click the objects you wish to arrange. 
  • Select Object->Align to choose the precise alignment. 
  • Objects can be aligned vertically or horizontally or have a fixed distance between them. 

Manually Editing Cut Paths 

For extra fine detail, users can double-click their cut lines to enter point edit mode. 

From this view, users can see each individual point in the cut path, where they can click and drag individual points to change the overall shape or click and delete individual points to remove unnecessary details/excessive lines. 

Lesson 4: Editing Tips