I get lots of questions about how to get the grunge or distressed look in Silhouette Studio and I think I finally have a good solution for you! Download my new free distress kit file here and watch the video below to learn how to use it to easily add a fully adjustable level of distress to your cut files. For those of you who like written instructions, here are the general steps.
-Open the distresskit.studio file. -File>Merge to add your image to the distress kit document. (Instructions assume a black image.)
-Size your image to the desired size.
-Place either of the distress overlays (bounded in pink) on top (right click and Bring to Front or, if using V3DE, open the layers panel and drag your image layer to the top of the list) of your image and size to fit. Note: The overlay on the bottom is lower density and seamless.
-Adjust the scale, angle and position of the overlay using the Pattern Fill>Advanced settings. Multiple overlays can be overlapped for different effects.
-When your image looks satisfactory, click the Trace button and select Trace Area, being careful to avoid the overlay’s pink boundary.
-Uncheck the High Pass box and click Trace.
-Separate pieces and copy your newly distressed shape to a new document for cutting.
Thank you so much for sharing. This is so useful and very easy to use. I love your posts! Blessings from South Africa X
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your generosity is much appreciated.
Hi,
Do you happen to have this in SVG or EPS?
Thanks so much!
Do you happen to have this in SVG?
I love your blog.
Thanks for all of the great info here:)
This kit and the texture included only work in Silhouette Studio. If you Google vector distress overlay, texture or pattern you should be able to find plenty.
Awesome video as always. You make everything so much easier to learn thank alot or the videos! Thank you so much!
I have read all the comments and watched the video several times, but when I drag in my wording I can’t get the distressing to show. I have both “files” in my library and I have even tried the merge. Do I need a non silhouette file for this to work? I have tried the “send to back” “bring to front” and that is not working for me either..
If you are using V3 and Designer Edition, you have to open the Layers panel and drag the layer with the wording to the top of the layers list (which corresponds to the bottom of the file). This is why I really can’t stand V3DE. The layers are not only not very helpful, but are in the way. Thanks for bringing this up, though because others will need this info.
Kay I have just found you and am trying to use the distress kit. I must not understand what you mean when you say to open the layers panel and drag the layer. When I open what I think is the layer panel in the cut settings (is that where it is) all the layers are the same and nothing changes. Is there another version of designer edition now that I could try. I notice I am a year later than this post.
Hi Kathy. To open then Layers panel go to the Edit menu and select Layers. It might also work to cut and paste the item. And just be be clear, you don’t need to do this unless you are unable to send the image you want to distress to the back.
I can’t get it to download!
Am working on this. Please check back later.
This is amazing! I love it! Is there any way you could give directions on how you created this? The reason I ask is that I am looking for a lined type distress that would make it easier to weed. I have a font I use like this but would like to do it with images.
You create the distress pattern in white on a transparent background and save as .png, then use that as an overlay.
Any possible way you could do a tutorial on how to do this? I tried in Inkscape and silhouette without much success. I’m going wrong somewhere and can’t quite figure out where.
Create or trace a distress pattern and change its color to white. If using Inkscape, File>Export PNG Image. If using Silh Studio, there’s not a way to export a transparent PNG, but you can just use the traced distress pattern itself as an overlay.
Ok that makes more sense. I was WAY over complicating things by trying to create an actual transparent box and grouping the traced image with it. I think the acronym. K.I.S.S. applies here! Ha!
This tool is invaluable, and your tutorial is SO easy to follow! Discovered you on YouTube (fairly new Silhouette Cameo owner) and had to check out your blog. I already have you in my favorite links! Thank you so much for all of the work you do to help others!
Great job, thank you!
I adore this so much! I’m following step by step, but when I go to trace, mine doesn’t fill in with yellow. The yellow only shows up around the details of my trace (a heart with baseball seams in it). Do I need to do something specific to the heart file (it’s a .studio file) before I try to trace it with the distressed pattern on top? When I un-check “high pass filter”, my yellow trace lines disappear.
I’ve done many traces, so I feel like I usually know what I’m doing. I’m stumped. I’ve messed around with grouping and “compound path” on my original heart studio file, but it doesn’t seem to help. Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated.
Thank you for sharing the files!
Hi Corie,
It sounds like your image is not black like the example. In that case you will need to adjust the threshold after unchecking high pass until everything is yellow except the distress.
I had filled it with gray (because that was the color of the vinyl for the customer)….so I switched it to black, and it works! Such an easy solution. Thank you so much!
When I download the file, my computer is telling me there is no program associated with the file. I have Silhouette Studio Designer Edition on my computer.
Open it from within Silhouette Studio by going to File>Open, then navigating to where you saved the file (usually your Downloads folder).
Is reverse weeding the best way to weed this?
This is HTV, and with HTV you are always doing the equivalent of reverse weeding.
Is there an easy way to weed this?
This file is optimized for easiest weeding and you can adjust it to your level of tolerance. But distress files are always going to be a weeding challenge. You might want to look up how to do “reverse weeding.” Or if you want to avoid weeding, please check out this method of distressing after the fact. https://cleversomeday.com/distresshtv/
Feeling like a total dork. It’s in my downloads, but when I go to file-open and locate it in Silhouette (I did actually read all the comments before asking- I promise!) it says my file type is not supported. Any guidance? Thank you, by the way!
Hi Susan, I double checked this and it seems to be OK. Sounds like a download hiccup. Might want to try it again. And never feel like a dork!
Thanks, Kay. I will continue to try. 🙂
Loving this but it won’t download. Is it still available?
Just double checked and it is downloading properly for me. Might want to try again.
Hi! I have the regular Silhouette Studio (not Designer Edition) but I can’t get your distress kit to work. I rightclick to move your layer to the front or my image to the back, but nothing happens. My image is still in front of the distress layer. Why isn’t it working?
Regards,
Anine
I don’t know why it is happening, but you should be able to correct it by cutting your image, then pasting it in front (control-F)
how do I take away the pink lines around the box? I wanted to do the top of my design with one level of distress and the bottom with the other. When I do that the pink lines show up on the trace
Change the line color to none.
I have looked everywhere trying to figure out how to distress! Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you
Here is the comment that appears after downloading:
Safari can’t open the file “distresskit-5.studio” because no available application can open it.
Please help!
Open Silhouette Studio, then File>Open from there and navigate to your Downloads folder and select the file.
Thank you!
is this Mac compatible?
Yes. In fact I created it on a Mac.
Thank you so much for the free distress kit….so excited to use it on my husbands fathers day shirt!!
will the distress work on silhouette 4.0?
Good question and the answer is yes.
I just found this wonderful tool however it is saying that the file type is not supported. Is there any way that you can re-save the file at v3 and re-upload?
That just means the file transfer site can not preview it. The file itself can still be downloaded and works fine in V3 or V4.
I’ll tried it again and was able to open it. Thanks for this magnificent tool!!! God bless
thank you for this file. I am having trouble finding pattern fill. i have the business edition
In version 4, click the palette icon on the right, then look for the polka dot button.
This looks great but I’m having trouble downloading it — i click “download” and nothing happens. does this still work? Thanks!
I just checked and it worked for me, Janice. Make sure you look in your Downloads folder to see if it went there.
Does it download to our computer or do you need to log into the box.com? Thanks again
It downloads to your computer. No need to log in.
Thank you for taking the time to share this!