Wednesday, April 4, 2007

The QuicKutz Silhoutte

by Apryl Herrell

Best thing since sliced bread? Almost! It’s the best thing since die cut machines anyway. The Silhoutte by QuicKutz is a very versatile crafting tool.

The software that comes with the Silhoutte is easy to use. There are preloaded shapes in the software, and you can use any font installed on your computer. Additional shapes are available to download, and can be purchased directly from the Silhoutte software.

The best part is; you aren’t limited to the QuicKutz shapes! There is an option in the software to capture the outline of any image you choose! For example: I needed a coffee cup for this layout.

I just found a coffee cup image online, and saved it to my computer. I then went into the Silhoutte software and clicked on the green square at the end of the toolbar. From there you can load your image and make a cutting outline. Obviously some shapes will work better than others, but imagine the possibilities!!

You can use this same technique to create welded (connected letter) words. I use Photoshop (or your favorite photo/graphic editing software) to type out a word. If the letters aren’t already connected, I move them around until they are. I then save it as a JPEG file. Then you can go into the Silhoutte software and capture an outline just like I did with the coffee cup.

All in all, the Silhoutte is a very versatile tool. You have complete control over the size and shape of your ‘die’ cutting. Let your imagination go wild!

2 comments:

Noel said...

Thanks Apryl! Next week I'm going to break down and order one!

lv2scpbk said...

Great way to come up with a title for coffee. I may have to use this one. It's great!