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Last Updated on October 22, 2022 by Chris Butler
New Cricut Design Space Combine Menu and Layers Menu
Cricut will be rolling out a new update soon that will change how we do many things in Design Space. This is an exciting time as it will give us even more design possibilities!
Cricut has been on a roll this year with updates. First came the addition of guides that you can read about here. And then they took away all of the object icons. (Read about it here)
The new update is currently in Beta with no release date given. You can easily switch to Beta mode at any time to see these updates. If Beta becomes too buggy for you, simply switch back to live mode and continue crafting as usual.
However once this update (or any future updates) goes live, you will not be able to switch back to the old style. So it’s a good idea to start playing around with it now.
Another note, Beta version, along with the updates, are currently only available with a PC or Mac, this will not work on mobile devices.
To see all the new functions in action, watch this video >
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You’ll find the cheat sheets under the header Cheat Sheets and Instructions
Quick Links to Information in This Post
Switching to Beta Mode in Design Space
Open Design Space and on the top left click the three lines to open up the menu. Scroll down and click on Settings.
In the pop-up menu select Beta and then click Done.
Design Space will then reboot and you’ll be in Beta Mode. To switch back to live follow the same steps and select Live and then Done.
All of the changes are in the left layers menu. We’ll go through each one step-by-step
Design Space “Smart” Group and Ungroup Button
Starting on the top on the layers menu, you’ll notice the group and ungroup buttons are missing. They have been replaced with one “smart” button.
So when you select a group of objects in design space the and hover over the smart button it will say ungroup. When you click on it it will ungroup your objects.
If you select two or more objects that aren’t in a group and hover over the smart button it will now say group. And when you click on it your objects will be grouped together.
Changes in the Design Space Layers Panel
The layers panel is looking a little bare after this newest update to Cricut Design Space. After each layer name they used to list the operation type ie. cut, score, draw etc.
That is no longer listed in the layers panel, however you can select a layer and see or change the operation type in the top menu.
The eye icon that allows you to hide layers also appears to be gone at first glance. But if you hover your mouse over the layer, the icon will appear and allow you to hide or unhide layers.
One fun new upgrade is the ability to change the name of your layers. You can do this by double-clicking on the layer in the panel or by right-clicking and selecting rename. This will be super helpful to rename your layers so you can easily find them. Or even leave yourself a note like the material type you want to cut that layer in.
The biggest change is at the bottom of the layers panel. You’ll notice Slice, Attach, Flatten, and Contour are still visible and their functions haven’t changed. But a new feature has appeared and that is called the Combine Menu.
New Combine Menu in Cricut Design Space
The combine menu will be grayed out and unable to be selected until two or more objects are selected.
Go to the shapes menu and add two hearts to the canvas. Select both of them and then click on the combine menu at the bottom. At the top of the menu is where you will find Weld.
Next is Unite. We will go through each of these functions one by one.
How to Unite in Cricut Design Space
Unite works much like Weld, it combines two or more objects into one. But it has one really cool difference. To use Unite select two or more objects and then click combine > Unite.
The two hearts became one continuous shape. And you see in the Layers Panel that they are United with each heart shown underneath. This is the cool part…..
If you want to make any changes you can select the individual part of your design you want to change in the layers panel or Double Click it on the Canvas.
Once selected in the layers panel, you’ll see it selected on the canvas and vice versa. You can then move or resize that piece.
As soon as you click off the object you’re changing, it snaps right back to United. There’s no need to select them and Unite them again. You can also select Combine > Undo Unite to undo it at any time.
How to Subtract in Cricut Design Space
Subtract works much like Slice. It will cut the top layer out of the bottom layer. But subtract is even better. Now you can cut multiple layers at once and you don’t have to delete anything afterwards!
Subtract will take all of the top layers away from the bottom layer.
I have my pumpkin face in different colors to show they are in fact different layers.
Select the pumpkin and the face and then click Combine > Subtract.
In one click, Cricut subtracts the top layers from the bottom layer.
Things to watch out for: If you need a copy of the top layers you’re removing, duplicate them first or use the Slice function instead.
When you have multiple layers selected at once, remember it will subtract from the bottom-most layer.
After the Subtraction has been done you can still change the individual shapes by selecting them on the layers panel or double-clicking on them on the canvas. This will allow you to re-size, move, or rotate.
And like Unite, you can Click Combine > Undo Subtract at any time.
How to us Intersect in Cricut Design Space
Intersect will allow you to combine the overlapping parts of two objects. This is perfect for adding a pattern design into a shape or word. This only works with SVGs or the images in Cricut, I tried it with a PNG and it was a no-go.
I got both of these images in Cricut Access. We can turn the pumpkin into a plaid pumpkin by Intersecting it with the Plaid.
Place the plaid over the pumpkin, select them both and then click combine > Intersect
The result is a plaid pumpkin! If you’re not happy with the result you can Click Combine > Undo Intersect at any time. Or adjust from the layers panel
To make adjustments from the layers panel select the layer you want to adjust. This selects the pattern layer and makes in adjustable again on the canvas. Or you can double-click on the object.
From any corner adjust the size or rotate. When you click off it will automatically go back to the intersected shape.
Using the Exclude Function in Cricut Design Space
This is a cool effect to use with words.
Type out words and place them over a shape, make sure they extend passed the shape.
Then select all of the words and the shape. Click Combine > Exclude
The top layer will be removed from inside the shape, but remain on the outside of the shape. Super cool!
As with the other functions you can either select one of the Excluded objects from the layers panel or double-click it on the canvas to make adjustments.
To undo the Exclude Click on Combine > Undo Exclude
How to Merge Layers in Cricut Design Space
Merge Layers works much like weld. It will combine multiple layers permanently and once done it can’t be undone. The big difference is Weld is always available in the menu. You’ll only have the ability to Merge Layers after performing one of the new functions, Unite, Subtract Intersect, or Exclude
I have these hearts United. I can also go to Combine > Merge Layers. Once they are merged, they will not be able to be adjusted again and the Merge cannot be undone.
This is handy if you’re sharing your designs within Design Space and you don’t want others to mess them up.
Though I don’t have insider information on Cricut’s future plans….. I can see them eventually removing the Weld, Attach, and Slice functions. With the new functions you’ll be able to do all the things of the old functions and even more.
So I would definitely try them out soon and get used to using them. I’m still hopeful for the ability to draw and do even more design functions in Design Space. Hopefully, that will be coming soon, and I’ll update you every step of the way!
Chris Butler has helped thousands of crafters learn how to use their Cricut machine without feeling overwhelmed. She is a best selling author and an up and coming designer. For fun Chris enjoys designing SVG Files, hanging out with her family (preferably at the lake), traveling, and volunteering at her church. She is a wife and mom of two crazy fun kids.
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