Create a stencil from an image

A stencil is the reverse of the motif: not the shape gets printed but whatever remains around it. As soon as an area is fully enclosed by cuts, it falls out. The famous case is the inside of an O.

That is why the vector view matters especially here. It shows every counter contour as its own subpath. Wherever an island appears you need a connection to the surroundings so the stencil holds together.

Suitable source material

• Strong motifs with few islands
• Type in a stencil cut or with your own bridges
• Shapes whose thinnest point the material still carries
• Sources without a fine dot structure

The route is the same for every source. Only the slider values differ.

1. Load the image and start in the result viewDrag your PNG, JPG or WEBP into the drop area. The result view shows right away what the source turns into.
2. Split black from whiteSet black level, contrast and brightness until every line you want is there and the rest disappears.
3. Remove leftovers with the lassoCircle whatever has to go. Hold Alt and the lasso flips around, so only the selection stays.
4. Check the contour in the vector viewInspect counters, gaps and the thinnest parts. Outlines shows the same shape as a bare line.
5. Smooth and simplify with restraintRaise both shape sliders in small steps until the pixel staircase is gone and the shape still holds.
6. Export the format you needDownload the result as PDF, SVG, EPS, DXF or a cleaned PNG. The download starts immediately.

For cutting machines take SVG or DXF, whichever the software swallows. PDF is good when the stencil gets cut by hand or printed as a template.