Using Ungroup to Get More Out of Silhouette Designs

The ungroup and release compound path tools are two that will let you get more out of your designs! 

When you're shopping for designs...or when you're just looking in your library for a design - look at designs that include multiple elements because you can very likely ungroup or release the compound path and use elements separately!  This gives you more bang for your buck. 

Let's say you're looking for a bow design..but you don't have a specific bow design in your library.  If you have a design that includes a bow as part of it - you can use that!  And it's really easy to do.

I originally created this wreath with bow design as a Freebie Friday and used it to return address labels for Christmas. Later I needed a bow for a little onesie I was making for my new niece.  I searched my library and didn't have any single bows...but I did have this design that included a bow which I could easily use and adapt. 

The first thing you want to do is open the shape in Silhouette Studio.

Select the design.  Always start by trying to ungroup which can be done by right clicking or using the Ungroup tool on the Quick Access Tool Bar up top. 

Depending on how the original design was created you may actually need to ungroup multiple times to ungroup all layers.  And if you have ungrouped as far as you can and you still can't full access the element you are trying to access, you will need to release the compound path. Do this by right clicking > release compound path.

Now you can select the element that you want - in this case the bow - and copy it to your clipboard > right click > Copy.

Open a new work area in Silhouette Studio and then paste the design: Right click > Paste.

And then you can use that design as part of a new design!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I received a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine! 

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