How to Change Colors in Silhouette Studio

One of the great things about Silhouette Studio is how easy it is to change colors of imported designs. 

If you're wondering how to change colors in Silhouette Studio this tutorial will explain how - and WHY and when you might want to change colors. 

The most obvious use of colors in Silhouette Studio is when printing and cutting, but that's just one of several useful ways to use fill colors in Silhouette Studio. You may also want to know how to adjust colors in the Silhouette software so you can take advantage of cut by color or so you can preview what your design will look like when it's cut on the material or create a mockup in Silhouette Studio. 

How to Separate Colors in Silhouette Studio

Before you can change colors, you will first need to know how to separate colors in Silhouette Studio.  When you open or import a colored design, like this summer popsicle design, in the Silhouette Software you need to separate the colors before you can change them.  

Changing the colors this way, will only work if you imported an SVG, DXF, or Studio file. If you are importing a JPEG or PNG read this tutorial for how to change colors in Silhouette Studio. 

Depending on how the design was put together you will need access the right click menu to do one of the following...attempt in the following order:

1. Ungroup (Can't ungroup? Go to step 2)
2. Release Compound Path (Still grouped after releasing compound path? Go to step 3)
3. Release Compound Path then Ungroup 

If, when you release the compound path, all parts of the design turn a single color...don't worry.  Before you start filling pieces with other colors, I would suggest you take the following steps: 

• Select the entire design and change the fill color to white
• Change the line color to red or black - allowing you to see the individual pieces. A white fill is important because it will allow you to click anywhere on the pieces of the design to select it. If the areas are transparent instead of white you have to click right on the cut line to select the shape.

How to Change Colors in Silhouette Studio

Decide where you are going to pick your colors from.  You can work from the Quick Access Tool bar if you are okay with the basic colors or you can get access to the full range of colors by opening the Fill Color panel on the right sidebar. 

Select a piece of the design you wish to color and then pick the color to fill it.  

If you have multiple parts of the design that should be the same color, hold down Shift while selecting each piece then selecting the color. 

Repeat this process until you have changed the colors of all pieces of your design in Silhouette Studio.

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