image → cut layers
Separate a design into colour layers for vinyl cutting
* Free to use — selecting, editing and every export run in your browser, and nothing is uploaded unless you start a step that says it will: the AI tools, background removal on its sharper engine (an in-browser engine is one click away under the same button), or upscaling a photograph (logos and flat artwork are enlarged on your device). A free account (Google, Apple or an emailed code — no card) is needed to download the finished file, and comes with credits for the server-side tools.
Design Space wants each colour on its own layer so it can put each on its own mat. A JPG or a flat PNG has no layers at all, so it uploads as a single image and cuts as one shape. Splitting the colours first is the step that makes a downloaded design actually cuttable.
Split a design by colourOne layer per colour, named, not guessed
Point the Colours tab at a flat design, choose the maximum colour count, and it clusters the artwork into that palette — each result gets a readable name beside its exact hex, so “Red” and “Cream” arrive as “Red” and “Cream”. The largest colour field is kept as the base instead of a cut plate, and tolerance can merge close colours, so inspect the returned list rather than assuming the control value is the final mat count. Re-separating replaces the plates instead of stacking a second set on top, so you can dial the count up and down until it matches the vinyl you actually have on the shelf.
The output is knocked out by colour
Layering vinyl works either by stacking colours on top of one another or by cutting them as puzzle pieces that butt together. Stacking is more forgiving on registration and adds thickness; knocking out keeps the finish flat and needs a steadier hand. The local separator returns knocked-out colour masks, not full underlapping shapes. Each numbered colour PNG drops into Design Space as one upload per mat; the largest field is supplied as a clearly labelled base reference rather than a numbered screen, so include it deliberately when it is material you intend to cut. Add any overlap in the cutter workflow if your registration method needs it.
What trips people up
Anti-aliased edges are the quiet problem: a downloaded PNG has soft, blended pixels along every boundary, and a naive split turns that halo into a fringe of stray specks on the neighbouring colour. The separator keeps edge blends out of its ink centres and shares qualifying edge coverage between the two nearest colours. Near-white shades are the other one — paper white, warm white and a pale highlight can still merge when they are close in perceptual colour, so check the plates and lower tolerance when they need separate mats.
Remember to mirror
Nothing to do with the file, and it catches everyone at least once: heat transfer vinyl is cut face down, so every mat needs mirroring in Design Space before you cut. Adhesive vinyl does not.
Frequently asked
Do I need an account?
Not to separate or preview the colours. Downloads need a free account — Google, Apple or an emailed code, no card — but the separation and file writing still run in your browser and the artwork is not uploaded.
Can I get an SVG?
Not from the free local separator: it exports colour PNGs, a layered PSD and ORA after free sign-in, and Design Space can trace each PNG on import. The server-side print-ready render can attempt SVG tracing for suitable flat plates at 10 credits per image, with free re-renders of that image for 24 hours. Empty, tonal or overly complex plates can remain PNG-only, so inspect the manifest and every imported path.
How many colours should I pick?
As many as you have vinyl for. Start at the number of distinct flat colours you can see, then reduce until each plate is a colour you would actually cut.
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