Learn To Use Contour in the Cricut Design Space

The Cricut Contour Tool is one of five essential design tools that allow working with layers inside the Cricut Design Space (the others are Slice, Attach, Weld, and Flatten). The idea behind the Contour Tool is straightforward: it is an "on/off switch" for cut lines. The Contour tool allows hiding part of an image by showing or hiding individual cut lines within that single image. The Contour tool has a lot of uses, and you can create some cool things with this. Also, it can be a bit frustrating as it has particular rules that you've to follow before working correctly.

When to Use the Cricut Contour Tool?

You will often use the Contour tool to hide the part of the image layer you don't want to crop out. But there are also different methods to use it. For example, you can use Contour to convert a single-color image to a multi-color image. Or you can use Contour to separate portions of the image into individual layers so that you can cut them out on separate mattes.

What does the Cricut Contour Tool do?

When you press the Contour button, Cricut Design Space will open a Hide Contour window. You will see all the different cut lines that make up an image layer. You can press any of them to hide them (or turn them off.) When you hide a cut line, it won't be visible on the canvas screen, and most importantly, it will not cut through your circuit.

Here are the instructions to use the Cricut Contour Tool

Follow these easy and basic steps to use the Cricut Contour function tool in the Cricut Design Space.

Step 1: Open the Cricut Design Space and add an image to the canvas screen. If the image contains grouped layers, you will need to ungroup them before using the Cricut Contour tool.

Step 2: Choose a layer to use with the Cricut Contour Tool. Press the Contour tool button in the Layers panel. Then, it will open the Hide Contours window.

Step 3: In the Hide Contours window, press the contour lines (parts of the image) that you want to hide. Any contour lines you hide will not be shown on the canvas screen, nor will they be cropped when you send the design to the matte.

Some tips and tricks to use the Cricut Contour Tool

Here are some simple tips and tricks to keep in mind when working with the Cricut Contour Tool.

• Contour works on images with more than one cut line. You can only use Contour on "complex" shapes of more than one cutting line. For example, Contour won't work on a circle because it has only one cut line. But the Contour will work on the donut shape, as it is made of two cut lines.

• Contour works with one layer at a time. If you don't have a visible layer selected or have more than one layer selected, the Contour tool will be unavailable.

• You can't use Contour on a group of layers or attached layers. However, you can use Contour on a single layer within a group but only one at a time.

• Contour works on Cut or Draw layers, not print layers. If you want to use Contour on flat layers, you'll need to unflat them and convert them to Cut or Draw layers first. You can't use Contour on Print, then Crop or Flatten the images.

• Doesn't work on contour text layers. If you want to use contours on text, you must first weld the text.

• Contour is reversible. You can re-open the Hide Contours window and click to hide/show the cut lines whenever you want to edit your design. You can still use Contour after you save your design.

• The layer must have at least one visible cut line. You cannot use the Contour tool to hide every cut line within a layer. Instead, if you want to hide all in one layer, you can toggle the Visible/Hidden button in the Layers panel.