Contour is a handy tool for hiding unneeded cuts and separating images that can’t be ungrouped. Uploaded images often can’t be ungrouped, and occasionally, this will occur with a Design Space image. This tutorial will take you through the steps of using contour to customize your designs.
In this example from Design Space, the bows can’t be moved independently of each other on the mat. Separating images can be useful if you are trying to conserve material or use up scraps. In the event you need to re-cut one but not both of the images in a layer, contour can be used to hide the other image.
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To separate these images, start by ungrouping the design.
If every image in a design is in a separate layer, the image can be hidden by simply clicking on the eye in the layers panel. Hide the red and green layers by clicking the eye on each layer to make the canvas less cluttered while separating the gold layer.
The bows in the gold layer can’t be separated from each other. With the gold layer selected, click Duplicate. Select one of the gold layers, and click Contour.
Hide the top bow. Either click on the bow itself or on the bow in the panel on the right in the Contour window. Next click the X to close the Contour window.
Select the other gold layer and click Contour.
The second bow has more than one piece. Either click on the pieces themselves or click on the pieces on the right panel to hide them.
The bows are now in two separate layers. These steps can be repeated with the red and green layers if those images need to be separated.
The bows can be moved independently of each other on the mat after clicking Make It.
Here’s a short video demonstrating this process:
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