This lesson shows how to load an image in order to draw over it so that it can be cut/penned/debossed/vinyled. A large, clean image is the best to work with. Any distortions in your original image can make it difficult to draw over.

Click the Vectorize tab.  

Click the Load File Image button. 

Alternatively, you could click the Take Picture or Load Server Image button. You must have the FrameShop Visualization software activated in order to take pictures or load server images through the software.

Locate and click on the desired image to select it and click Open.

The Design Bounds shows the current size of the image. If you need to resize the image, do it before you Vectorize/draw over the image. If you resize the image after vectorizing/drawing over it, only the image and the Design Bounds are resized, not your drawn/vectorized objects. 

If you need to scale the vectorized/drawn design, see Scaling Designs.

Enter the desired width of the image in the Width field in the Design Bounds section.  

The Height field will automatically adjust proportionately.

This also works vice versa if you have the desired Height.

If desired, click on the Vectorize tab, move the Opacity slider toward the left to reduce the background image and make the vector segments easier to see as you are drawing.

Move the slider to the right to increase the visibility of the background image, which may make the drawn vector shapes harder to see.

Note that adjusting the image opacity will not have any affect on how the image vectorizes.

Click on the Trace and Draw tab.

Select the Draw radio button.

Select the desired drawing tool, such as Line, Arc, etc.

Zoom in/out on the design as needed to make it easier to see the details of the image/object being drawn.

Click where you want to begin drawing.

Using the sequences necessary for the selected drawing tool, (i.e., click to place first, middle, and end-points for an arc) to draw the segments.

• Line

• Arc

• Curve

• Oval

• Poly

• Star

If you can't move a point or edit the current segment because it selects the whole object, you will have to explode the object. This will break up the object into the individual segments that make it up, which can then be edited separately.

Click on the desired object.

Click the Explode button.

The objects are now broken up into the individual segments which can now each be edited separately.

Optionally, Click Edit > Explode All to break up the entire design into its individual segments.

After drawing the design, you can go back and move the points in order to tweak the design.

Click and hold the mouse on the end-point of the segment you wish to move.

Drag the point to where you want to move it and release the mouse button to place it. 

The point is moved.

Sometimes editing a line/arc doesn't give the expected results. In those cases, it may be easier to just delete the line/arc and redraw it. 

Before deleting the specific line/arc, you will need to explode it from any objects it is joined to. 

If you need to edit only a segment of an enclosed object, see Explode Object into Segments to Edit Separately above to break it up into editable segments.

Hold down the CTRL key and click on each segment you want to delete.

Click the Delete button.

The segments are deleted.

If you need to edit only a segment of an enclosed object, see Explode Object into Segments to Edit Separately above to break it up into editable segments.

Select the desired segment and hit the Delete button. 

The segment is deleted.

Click on the Draw radio button.

Select the desired drawing tool, such as Line or Arc.

Right-click on the end-point of the segment you want to start drawing from. 

Either click to place the next point or if drawing between segments, or right-click to snap to an existing point such as the first point of the next segment item.

Continue drawing and editing the design until it is completed.

Once your design has been drawn, connect the segments together so that it can be traced.

Click Edit > Auto Join Segments.

The segments are joined.

You can confirm that the objects are joined by moving the cursor over the objects. 

If the entire object turns white, it is connected. 

However, if only the current segment under the cursor turns white, you may have to manually join the segments.

Click Edit > Convert Arcs to Splines. The splines can be tangified with less distortion, which will give a smoother cutting path for the design.

Click on Edit > Tangify all Circuits. This makes each arc tangent to each other for smoother cutting.

The degree of tangification is set in the Tangify field; the default is six degrees.

Trace the CutArt.

Save the CutArt.

Load the CutArt.

Cut the CutArt.

Optionally, you can also bring the CutArt straight to the Cut Preview from Trace.

The design is completed.

You can see how much we changed the design when you compare it to what we started with.