By Chris Stilez
Cricut Design Studio is a software package that gives you greater design power with Cricut content. You can affect the look of any Cricut image by resizing it, rotating it, flipping it, stretching it or skewing it. You can even weld from any combination of cartridge sets, the only limit is your imagination.
When you load your Cricut design studio software, you'll see 4 main components: the virtual mat where your work is displayed, the Cricut cartridge library, the virtual key-pad overlay and the shape properties window.
The library contains content of every Cricut cartridge released. As more come out, you'll be able to update your library so that you can always have new tools for your creations. You're free to design with all the cartridges in the design studio library but you can only cut with the cartridges that you own. The library can be used to help you explore content from the cartridges that you don't own, so use it as a tool to help you find what you love!
Searching through the library is easy. The Cricut cartridge library lets you list cartridge set in whatever order you choose from a drop-down menu. You can organize your library list alphabetically by favorites, by category or by cartridges that you own. You can also search through the library by using keywords (tip: when you do a search by keyword, the simpler the search word, the better!) and the auto-filler function anticipates what you might be looking for and gives you suggestions.
As you cycle through your search results, the virtual overlay changes to show which cartridge set and feature your search result is found in. This method makes it easier to find what you want quickly. You can also customize what shows in the virtual overlay if you decide that what it shows for your keyword isn't accurate.
The key-pad overlay is nearly identical with the actual overlays you put on your Cricut machine. On the left, there are the six feature buttons, the "shift-lock" button, and the space/backspace buttons. When the shift-lock buttons are engaged, they are highlighted just like on the Cricut machine. As you hover your mouse pointer over your image keys, they will enlarge slightly to show you which image key you're about to select.
Working with virtual mat is as intuitive as it gets. When you have chosen the shape you want to work with, it will show up on the virtual mat with selection handles. Selection handles are the 8 circles that show on the corners and sides of your shape. The majority of your image crafting will be done using these handles, as you play with them you will discover the possibilities that open up for your creative mind.