How To Slice In Design Space App

This tutorial will cover how to slice in Cricut Design.

Slicing within Cricut Design Space is such a simple feature but you can do so much with it. It's not just for cutting shapes in half or cropping an existing design. You can create completely new designs using images and text.

Let's first go over the basics of slicing and then I'll present some different ways to use the slicing function to create different designs with one base design.

I will also cover some common mistakes and issues that might come up using the slicing feature within Cricut Design Space.

how to crop an image in cricut design space

Before we get started, I want to offer this "Thank you" Card design for my readers. It is FREE and available in my resource library.

How to slice an image on Cricut Design Space

There are many ways to cut an outline out of an image. In fact, the term is a little confusing. Do you mean removing the background? Do you want to slice something in half? Do you want to crop an image? Or maybe you want to cut out a shape within the image.

Regardless, the first step is to upload the image.

There are two main categories of images that you can upload into Cricut Design Space; vector images (SVGs) or pixel based bitmap images (.jpg, .png, .bmp, etc.)

When most people refer to "image", they mean a pixel based bitmap image. The data behind the image is stored as little dots as in what color is the dot, what position it is in, etc.

The other type of uploads you can do on Cricut Design Space are SVGs. SVGs are a vector based image that is stored with directional information. This directional information tells the blade what direction to turn and cut.

You can slice both vector and bitmap images in Cricut Design Space.

The image we are using is a bitmap (.png or .jpg format) image of an abstract watercolor dot. If you would like to follow along, this image is available for free in my resource library.

Use the Upload button in the left tool bar panel.

After selecting your image file, mark it as "complex" to preserve the details.

In this second stage, you will need to remove the background of the image by using the "select and erase" tool in the upper left corner. The idea is to erase everything that is not the shape you want to keep. You should see a checkered pattern in the areas you have erased.

For this particular example watercolor image, the background has already been erased. Some people call this a transparent PNG.

After removing unwanted parts of the image, select "save as a Print Then Cut Image".

How to cut custom shapes with Cricut Design Space

The second way is to import a vectorized SVG file using the same upload function as above.

Cricut design space will recognize that it is an SVG file and you will not need to remove any unwanted areas in this method.

How to make cutouts with Cricut Design Space

Continuing with out watercolor example, lets say I want to print and cut a watercolor unicorn.

I simple upload my unicorn svg, then place it over the watercolor image, and then use the "Slice" tool in the bottom right corner of the Canvas.

How to cut an image in half in Cricut Design Space

Let just say I want to print and cut a circular watercolor sticker with the unicorn cut out of the middle.

To cut a circle, I first need to create a circle using the Shapes tool.

I then place the circle over the image I want to cut.

With both items selected, click "Slice" in the bottom right corner.

How to crop an image in Cricut design space

Cropping in Cricut Design Space works exactly the same as cutting a shape out or slicing something in half. You simply use the "square" shape maker to first draw the cropping window you need.

Then overlap the shape over the image you wish to crap and "slice" the two images.

Why is Slice not working on Cricut Design Space?

You can only slice 2 items at a time. One way to tell if you only have 2 items is to look at the right panel to see if multiple blocks have been selected.

Interested in these watercolor textures used in this tutorial? Check out my Watercolor Textures kit which included 45 different water color swatch samples you can use for your own designs!

How to slice multiple images on cricut

There are a couple of ways to slice multiple images.

First, you can just do everything in sequence as I did above. Slice the unicorn with the blog, then slice the cutout blog with the circle.

The second way only applies to 2 items that do not overlap. You can weld 2 of the items and then do the slicing.

How to cut text out of an image

I now want to cut out letters from this watercolor image.

To do this, I first type out my text using the Text tool on the left tool bar.

I then overlay the text over the image. With the text selected, I "weld" in the bottom right corner of the Canvas. I then select the welded text and the base image and click "slice".

How to put words inside a shape in Cricut Design Space

For this thank you card, I need to place the thank you words inside the card cutout shape.

To do this, I first create a rectangle using the Square Shape tool.

I then layer all the text on top of each other using the Arrange tool in the top toolbar.

If I wanted to print this as is, I would then select everything and "Flatten" in the bottom right corner of the Canvas.

How to slice on Cricut Design Space app for the iphone and ipad

The Slice function in the app for both iOS and Android platforms is located under the "Actions" tool in the bottom panel.

how to slice on cricut design space on iphone

Just getting started with the Cricut?

If all of this seems overwhelming, check out my quick reference bundle Cracking the Cricut. It includes an image-filled ebook guide + a mini video-based e-course. I provide a comprehensive overview of Cricut Design Space for all devices: