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Sketch conversion tools (Designer Edition)

The Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition provides the ability to convert images into sketch designs for use with sketch pens offered by Silhouette America®.

Sketch Options

To access this feature in the Designer Edition, go to the Object menu and select Sketch, or select the Sketch icon. This panel will allow you to select the following options.

Edge Sketch effect

  • None – Removes any original lines around the border of the image if the image is filled with one of the Fill Sketch effects. – (See Fill Sketch examples below)
  • Plain – Reverts the image to its original state
  • Continuous – Applies a continuous drawn appearance, similar to many of the sketch images offered from the Silhouette Design Store
  • Scribble – Applies a scribbled loop appearance to the selected design
  • Pen – Applies a pen drawn appearance (with slight waves to straight edges) to the selected design
  • Pencil – Applies a pencil drawn appearance to the selected design
  • Charcoal – Applies a thicker charcoal drawn appearance to the selected design

All examples shown above are shown with the default values for these effects, though they may of course be adjusted through the Advanced Options or by resizing the image for slightly varied effects.

Fill Sketch effects

The Fill Sketch effects may be applied to images that have any Edge Sketch effect. All examples shown below have the None option for the Edge Sketch in order to focus on the Fill Sketch examples being displayed.

  • None – Clears image of any sketch fill effects
  • Cross Hatch – Applies a filled square box pattern
  • Diamond Hatch – Applies a filled diamond pattern
  • Grill – Applies a filled straight parallel line pattern
  • Scribble – Applies a filled scribble loop series pattern
  • Zig Zag – Applies a filled zig zagging series of lines to the image
  • Pencil – Applies a filled pencil shading effect to the image
  • Charcoal – Applies a filled thicker charcoal shading effect to the image

Release Sketch

This option will release the sketch pattern from further alteration regardless of how it may be adjuted or resized.

Advanced Options

An Advanced Options link is found at the bottom of the Sketch tools panel which will allow you to make advanced adjustments to any of the pre-set edge or fill sketch effects. Each of the pre-set options from the Basic Options panel are a compilation of varying specific variables that can be adjusted in the Advanced Options.

Advanced Edge Effects

  • Off – Turns off the lines of an image if one of the Fill Effects is present
  • Plain – Sets edge to default regular line
    • Continuous – This panel includes:
      • Width: Controls how far away the lines will be pushed away from the each other
      • Density: Determines how many series of continuous lines are present to make the edge more or less dense
      • Waver: Controls how randomly wavering the various differing series of lines appear
  • Rough – This panel includes:
    • Stroke Length: Controls the length of each line segment
    • Width: Controls the overall width of the line segments
    • Density: Controls how loosely or tightly compacted the line segments appear
    • Splay: Controls how perpendicular line segments are in relation to the original image’s line path
    • Curvature: Controls how straight line segments are in relation to the original image’s line path
  • Scribble – This panel includes:
    • Loop Separation: Determines how close each loop segment is to each other
    • Loop Size: Controls the loop size
    • Randomness: Determines whether the loops are uniform or more random in appearance
    • Density: Controls the density of the loops drawn

Advanced Fill Types

  • Off – Turns off all sketch fill types
  • Zigzag – This panel includes:
    • Spacing: Controls how tightly compacted the zigzag line fill appears
    • Angle: Controls the angle of the filled zigzag lines
    • Offset: Controls how close the fill is to the outer edge of the image (can be made to extend beyond outer edge)
  • Hatch – This panel includes:
    • Spacing: Controls how tightly compacted the hatch line fill appears
    • Angle: Controls the angle of the filled hatch lines
    • Sweep: Allows for a second set of lines to sweep accross the original set of lines (provides control for either single perpendicular lines at a 0 value or cross hatch lines as the value is raised)
    • Offset: Controls how close the fill is to the outer edge of the image (can be made to extend beyond outer edge)

Advanced Fill Effects

  • Off – Turns off all sketch fill effects
  • Rough – This panel includes:
    • Stroke Length: Controls the length of each filled line segment
    • Width: Controls the overall width of the filled line segments
    • Density: Controls how loosely or tightly compacted the filled line segments appear
    • Splay: Controls how perpendicular line segments are in relation to each other
    • Curvature: Controls the curvature of the filled line segments
  • Scribble – This panel includes:
    • Loop Separation: Determines how close each fill loop segment is to each other
    • Loop Size: Controls the fill loop size
    • Randomness: Determines whether the loops are uniform or more random in appearance
    • Density: Controls the density of the loops filling the image

Notes:

  • All adjustments are shown live as they are made so you do not have to guess what your image is going to look like as you adjust values or adjust the effect and size.
  • Not all images are designed to be able to be converted well, for sketch purposes. You may wish to re-size your image to a larger scale in order to acheive the desired result with such images.
  • Images with Sketch Edge effects cannot be filled with any of the other fill tools unless reverted back to a regular cutting image.
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