Tammy, thanks for your introduction! Yes, it is possible to take pictures, use the auto trace function in MTC, and create cutting files from them. This is an advanced skill, that we will cover in the tutorials. I am working on the basic tutorials first, so please be patient. Importing black and white silhouette images is much easier to learn, so we will cover that first. Some designs are easier to auto trace than others. You can give this a try and share with us what you learn through the process.

Yes, it is very easy to gather a huge collection of MTC cutting files quickly, especially since the link to the MTC Gallery in the software gives you free download access to 1321 shared cutting files, as of today. This number increases DAILY. If anyone has not discovered this wonderful file resource, open your MTC software, Click on the Custom Shapes tab on the right side of the screen, and click on the MTC icon. The search index will appear. You can search for files of a particular type by typing a keyword, or click on Descending , to see the most recently posted files first. If you have never downloaded any of these files, you might consider doing keyword searches, and downloading all in that category to a single folder with that category name. then move on to another category. Then all of your files will be saved topically from the start.

You don't need to know how to draw to create cutting files. We will be learning how to make our own cutting files using fonts and basic shapes to begin with. You will be amazed at the amazing designs we can create by starting with basic shapes and changing the lines to suit our needs.

When designs have multiple pieces, I like to copy and paste all of the pieces into a single MTC file. Each piece can go on its own layer in MTC 2.03. You can open just the layers you want to see and cut. If the pieces are shared as SVG files, import each of the pieces to a different layer in MTC, and save it as a single file. The new layers palette in MTC 2.03 is simple to use, and it allows you to name each layer, and to select a color for the pieces in each layer.

I save the JPG images of files that I download and add them to my MTC folder with the same file name. This way I have a thumbnail for reference without opening the files in MTC first.

Julie, craftymusician@...
Flanagan Educational Services
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hybrid_Scrapbooking_PaperCrafting/
http://tinyurl.com/MTC-JF http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MTC_Tuts/
www.scrap-savvy.com http://tinyurl.com/SCAL-Purchase


----- Original Message -----
From: "swisher_tammy" <swisher_tammy@...>
To: "MTC Tuts" <MTC_Tuts@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:38:02 PM (GMT-0800) Auto-Detected
Subject: [MTC_Tuts] I will introduce myself






I know I'm one of the first members here but I will still go ahead and introduce myself. I received MTC as a Christmas present and have been collecting image files ever since. I have cut a few things with my Baby Cricut with the software and I love it. I have learned how to take a clip art picture and turn it into a cutable file as well as cut images others have made. I have always wanted to learn how to make my own image to cut. I can't really draw but can you scan in a picture and turn it into a cutable file? I have seen where someone took a picture from a piece of fabric and made it a cutable file. Learning to do so would be fun. Is this possible in MTC?

Remember how I said I have been "collecting" image files since Christmas? Well, I presently have over 3,000 and really need to get on the ball of organizing them into categories. I have a list of all the different names of possible categories, but does anyone have any ideas that might help me organize them faster or easier? I am wondering how others do it because some of my images have multiple pieces so there is multiple files. I make a folder for them, but then I can't see the pictures come up in the preview box in MTC when I go to open an image file from my computer. Any suggestions?

It will be a pleasure to meet the new member and I look forward to learning more about how to use my MTC software. I think this group is going to be a great resource. I like that the lessons will be divided up in categories from easy through Advanced.

Happy Crafting,
T.