We are all excited with the release of the new software for our Silhouettes, SS (Silhouette Studio). I would like to give you an overview of some of the features that may interest you and me. Let’s start with the positive:
- You can install SS and keep the ROBO Master, since they are different software applications.
- Ability to see the “mat” by moving the Reveal Carrier Sheet slider. That is really cool; we can see exactly where we are going to cut and position even a scrap of paper in the right place. I noticed that when I go away from the Page view (the first one when you open a design), the mat disappears. If you want to see it always, you have to go to File, Preferences, Defaults.
- Ability to see the size of the design in the work area. Also, you can resize the design and will it show you the changes in the work area.
- Ability to create your shapes with more options than the ROBO Master software.
- You can Fill your shapes with Colors, Gradients and Patterns (second group of icons at the right of the screen).
- One of the best features so far for me is the Simplify option, which gets rid of the extra nodes that some designs have when you convert a .jpeg image to a cuttable design.
- Easy just to print without cutting. If you want to send your design to the printer instead of the Silhouette, click on the seventh icon (the one with the scissors) and click on No Cut.
- If you want to import your own designs to My Library, go to File, Import to my Library…. , in the Files of Type drop-down menu, choose .gsd. Your .gsd files will appear, find the .gsd file that you want to open, double-click on it and it should appear in My Library screen. It will give you the option to add some keywords to the file so you can run an easy search of it later.
- The ability to switch back and forth between the cutting area, My Library and the store using the icons at the left of the screen.
- Very easy to organize the designs in My Library. Right-click on the My Library folder and click on New Folder. Give that folder a name, then go back to Show All Designs at the top and click, hold down the mouse button and drag the design to its new location.
Now I want to let you know of some of the difficulties that people are finding with the new software:
- Some .gsd files don’t open when you try to import them and an error message appears. This has happened to me also with some designs, an unsolved mystery since I was able to use the Import to my Library… function with some files and not with others.
- When you open one of your designs, the Line is set to 0 and you can’t see it. In order to change this, select your design and click on Object, Style, Line Style and move the Thickness of the line slider or choose the 6th icon on the right to get the same selection.
- You can’t import .dxf files or auto trace images until their upgrade in November. If you need to do that now, just use the good ROBO Master, cut from it, save it as a .gsd and then open the .gsd file with the SS.
- When you create something with this software, it will be saved as a SS file ( .studio), not .gsd. This makes life a little bit difficult for people that want to export the file to use it in other machines.
If you have an specific question, click on Help, User’s Manual and it will open a pdf file with good instructions.
So far, I really like this software, not just for what can do now but for all the things that it will do when updates are released in the future. My advice: play, play … play, don’t be afraid of messing up anything because you won’t.
Trust me, this program is really good. And …. it’s free!
Tags: how to use the Silhouette Studio software, review, Silhouette Studio
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