Trick for Tracing Hard to Trace Images in Silhouette Studio

The detailed tracing capabilities is one of my favorite things about Silhouette Studio. But it can be frustrating when you can't get a good trace on a photo, so I've learned to use a hidden little gem of a tool to make tracing easier.

In this tutorial I'll show you how to invert an image using the Image Effects tool to make tracing hard to trace images a whole lot easier.

So what is the Invert Effect and how do you use it? As I mentioned the Invert Effects is found under the Image Effects menu on the right side of Silhouette Studio. 

How Does the Invert Option Help with Tracing in Silhouette Studio?  

Let's take a look at a more difficult tracing project --- tracing with little contrast.  Since tracing in Silhouette Studio works on contrast, when there's little contrast like in this example, it's difficult to get a good trace!  The yellow and white don't offer much contrast for the tracing option to be successful.

With careful tuning of the tracing features, tracing is still possible. However, since there's not much contrast and you'll need to adjust scale and threshold significantly, the trace may not produce clean or crisp lines.

This is where the Invert function comes in.  With the photo selected, open the Image Effects tool on the right sidebar and choose Invert. Move the Inversion bar all the way to 100%. 

In this example, the white background turned black and the yellow hand print turned blue.  Keep in mind that the colors will vary during the Inversion process, but typically light colors turn dark and vice-versa.

Now when you attempt to trace the photo, with the new darker colors, it becomes a piece of cake.

After tracing, move the original image away to reveal the cut line. 

When your image traces the outside (background), all you have to do is Release Compound Path, Ungroup, and remove the outside box.  

Here's an example of what the final image will look like:

So while the Invert tool won't be the answer to all of your tracing problems, it's a good tool to have and a good function to play with for future use.  Give it a try for yourself!

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