How to Shadow an Image in Cricut Design Space

Today we’ll learn how to manually create a shadow around our image in the Cricut mobile app.

Step 1. Create a New Project

Open Cricut  Design Space and create a new project. You can simply do this by clicking on the blue rectangle box that is labeled New Project.

Step 2. Upload your Image

First, you will need to upload your images to Cricut Design Space app. Today we will  use  a cheetah illustration to use in our project.

Step 3. Duplicate image

After, select your image and duplicate. Click on the Action icon and then click Duplicate on the pop up toolbar. This will become your shadow layer.

Step 4. Contour Duplicate Layer

Next, we will use the contour tool to remove the inside details of the image.This will leave us with the silhouette of our image. We have a great tutorial on using the contour tool in the Design Space app if needed.

Step 5. Duplicate Shadow Layer Multiple Times

Now that you have a silhouette of your image, create several duplicates. This will help us create the shadow. To do this, click the action icon and then the duplicate icon multiple times.

Step 6. Recolor and Arrange 

Before you start creating the shadow, recolor your original illustration and bring it to the front. You can do this by using your Color Swatch and Arrange tool which you can find under your Edit icon. This will make it a lot easier to view your placement when you arrange your shadow layers. 

Step 7. Arrange your Shadow Layers

Now, arrange your layers behind the original image you just recolored. Slightly move each one to the right, left, bottom or top. 

You will notice that a shadow is being created around the image. Continue this process until you have completed a shadow around the whole image.

Step 8. Weld Shadow Layers

To finish, select the shadow layers and weld together. You can do this by clicking on the Action icon and then the weld icon.

You have successfully created a shadow in cricut design space app. If you like this tutorial, check out our other Cricut tutorial on offsetting text in Design Space.