Hey crafters!

Are you tired of the boring plain color design of your vinyl? YES! Don't just create simple be extravagant and make your vinyl projects a trend in the craft world! If you want an extraordinary and eye-catching design for your medium, you can create a layered or combined vinyl.

I don't know how much vinyl you've layered or if you've ever done it, but what I'm about to teach you will completely transform how you layer vinyl. Now, before you say it, I am aware of your thoughts. It was challenging, to begin with, multi-layer vinyl crafts. It might be challenging to layer sticky vinyl on projects. Even when you try to align everything perfectly, it can sometimes be off before you can pull it back up and make the necessary adjustments, and the vinyl sticks, ruining the design. It cannot be delightful. It needn't be that way, though! I can show you how to overlay vinyl with the help of Cricut Design Space!

First thing first, you have to find layered images for your Cricut Projects, and there are essentially three methods:

1. Find them in Design Space

Cricut Design Space is the ideal location to look for images to utilize if you're a new Cricut user. All of the images in Cricut Design Space are divided into layers based on color. You may employ filters in Design Space, so after clicking on Images, go to the Layers area and choose Multi.

2. Utilize an SVG file

3. Upload a jpg or png file to create a Cricut Cutting file.

Now, you're all set! Keep on diving and learn the magic of layering in Cricut!

WHAT IS THE LAYERS PANEL IN THE DESIGN SPACE?

Layering vinyl might be tricky if you need to learn the basics. I mean the function of each tool located in Cricut Design Space. You may customize your graphics and designs with the help of several tools in Design Space. You may access functions like Group, Ungroup, Duplicate, Delete, Slice, Weld, Attach, Flatten, and Contour from the Layers panel.

To layer your graphics properly, let me introduce to you the functions available in the Layers Panel.

Group/Ungroup: To make numerous layers, pictures, or pieces of text move and resize together on the canvas, group them. This will be fine with how photographs are organized on the cutting mats. Ungroup a collection of layers, pictures, or text so that they can move and resize on the canvas independently of one another. You can move and resize each letter of text separately by choosing "Ungroup" on a single text layer. You can drag and resize each layer of text separately while keeping the letters grouped when you click "Ungroup" once per text.

Duplicate: To produce many copies of one object, simply copy and paste it once.

Delete: Remove selected object from the Canvas

Slice: Divide two overlapping layers into distinct sections.

Weld: Remove any overlapping cut lines and combine various layers to produce one item.

Attach/Detach: Attach to secure your things so they will look exactly as you have placed them on your canvas on the cutting mat. To instruct the machine on which picture layer the text or score line should be placed, attach can also connect a draw or score layer to a cut layer. Attached layers are divided with the detach command so they are no longer connected to one another and can be cut, drawn, or scored separately from other layers.

Flatten/Unflatten: Any image can be made printable by using the flatten command, which unifies all selected layers into a single layer. Unflatten breaks down a single printable image's layers into distinct printable layers.

Contour: On a layer, hide or show contour lines and cut paths. If there are numerous layers in the image, you must first ungroup before using Contour.

Visible/ Hidden Layer: The layer will cut, draw, score, or print when visible on the canvas, as indicated by the open eyeball icon. Hidden layers cannot be printed, scored, sliced, or drawn on. To hide the chosen layer, click the symbol. The layer appears on the design screen after you click the symbol once again.

Linetype: Each layer's current Linetype will be noted for reference in the Layers panel.

CUT - A blade will be used to cut the layer.

Draw: A pen will be used to draw the layer.

SCORE: A Scoring Stylus or Scoring Wheel will be used to score the layer.

Print: Print Then Cut is selected for the layer. The Flatten tool converts any multi-layer image into a printable single-layer one.

You can now easily explore your images and create layered vinyl!

CAN YOU COMBINE PROJECTS IN THE DESIGN SPACE?

And now, if you can combine projects in Design Space, the answer to this is YES!

The Combine tool offers four operations: Unite, Subtract, Intersect, and Exclude. These operations let you combine objects in Design Space to create entirely new shapes while maintaining the complete editability of each shape in the group. All I can say about this feature is WOW!

Below are instructions on how to take advantage of these functionalities.

Only Design Space for Desktop and Design Space for iOS currently offer these functionalities.

Combine can be located under the Actions menu on iOS and at the bottom of the Layers panel on the desktop. To access the tool menu, select Combine. When you have two or more things chosen on the Canvas, it will turn on.

Unite: The function unites combines two or more shapes into a single new shape.

Subtract: Shapes on the bottom or final layer of any chosen group of items are removed by subtracting them. You may subtract many items simultaneously, unlike Slice.

Intersect: You can create a new cut using intersects that is made up only of the portions of two or more shapes that overlap.

Exclude: By just using the non-overlapping portions of two or more different shapes, exclude creates a new cut shape. The overlapping sections are "excluded" or eliminated.

Editing a Combined Group

You can see in the Layers panel that you can still access each object in the group after a Combine operation has been finished. The Layers panel allows you to choose an object and then make the appropriate edits, such as changing its size, rotation, position, or even hiding or deleting it.

To access and change the group's shapes, you may also just double-click or double-tap on the group on Canvas. The Combine action will be in effect and display your new cut form once you've finished editing and have released your mouse or clicked or tapped outside of the group.

Undo a Combine Action

Select the Combine group on the Canvas, then choose Combine > Undo [action] to restore the original state of any objects in the group.

When you use Undo, objects do not revert to their original colors, but you can change them by using the Edit bar.

Merge/ Combine Layers

With Merge Layers, you may convert a Combine group into a single-layer object and make a Combine operation permanent. The shape will cease to be a Combine group after Merge Layers is applied.

Weld

You can combine two or more objects on the Canvas into a single-layer object with the welding tool. While the cut shape that results is comparable to a Unite outcome, Weld is a permanent action; after Weld is applied, objects utilized in a Weld are no longer editable.

HOW DO YOU COMBINE LAYERS IN CRICUT?

How can I combine photos in Design Space?

So there is a cool trick that almost always results in perfect placement. I'll show you exactly how to do it. It's much simpler than you may imagine, and you'll save time, material, and effort.

Start with a GOOD image for layering; too much shading would ruin the image, and Cricut Design Space would not let you make a layered design. I suggest using an SVG file.

By deleting any overlapping cut lines, the Weld tool enables you to combine forms to produce a single personalized image. This is a terrific technique to keep a word's letters connected, simplify a design, or combine shapes to make new ones. This can be done by following a few straightforward steps:

Note: Before welding, you should ungroup the layers if you're working with multi-layered photos so that you can organize them separately.

1. Make sure the photos you want to weld are near one another.

2. Choose every picture that will be stitched together. The Weld tool will become active when two or more layers have been chosen.

3. To combine the chosen photos on a computer, click Weld in the Layers window. Only the outside cut path will remain where cut routes have intersected. Weld is accessible from the Actions menu in the iOS and Android apps.

4. When your photos become one color and the new image displays in the Layers window, you will know that your images have been fused. Reposition your layers to their original configuration if necessary.

Keep on reading and see how to create multiple layers in Cricut!

HOW DO YOU CREATE MULTIPLE LAYERS IN CRICUT?

Wanted to create not just two but three layers in Cricut?

No worries! I got you! You can create a multi-layered image from a single-layered image in Cricut Design Space in just a few minutes. Follow this step-by-step tutorial:

1. Launch Cricut Design Space first. Click on upload. Then, upload your selected image/graphics.

2. Click on browse.

3. A single layered image may be uploaded. You must first build a background base, then separate each color for cutting in order to make it multi-layered for paper piecing and other crafts. Click complex, then proceed.

4. After using the magic wand to submit your image, eliminate any unnecessary extra backdrop. Click "next."

5. Choose the cut file, and then save.

6. Insert the background you saved into your design area.

7. Your backdrop will now show up. As needed, alter the color.

8. Go back to steps 2-4 and click on the complex image once more.

9. You must now choose a certain element of the design. Making a new layer for each color you want to cut off is a good rule of thumb.

10. Use the eraser tool to delete any additional components that are unnecessary, then press the next button.

11. Choose the cut file once more and save.

12. Add the following layer.

13. Change the color.

14. To construct the image's layers, repeat the previous procedures.

15. Recreate your image by layering it 16 times over one another. Then click, Make It.

16. Then, the image will be divided into several layers.

And voila! You now have a multiple-layered vinyl that everyone will adore!

Layering vinyl in Cricut may sound tricky, but everything will turn out majestic if you know the basics!

Other Vinyl Crafting Articles

Please click the links below for more blogs that you may find helpful in your crafting adventures:

SVG AND CRICUT PERFECT MATCH FOR PERFECT RESULTS

SUBLIMATION IN COTTON AND DARK COLORS WITH HTV

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For your vinyl crafting needs, please check our website at xvinyl.com. We offer different Adhesive and Heat Transfer Vinyl, perfect for your next project.