Tuesday quick tip: How to change the default fill and line color

When you create a shape or text in Silhouette Studio, by default it has a red line color and no fill color. Let’s say you know that filled shapes are easier to grab with your mouse, so you always work with filled shapes as I recommend. Or maybe you find that red line color distracting like I do because it affects how you see the fill colors. Did you know you can set it up so that your shape is automatically filled when you create it or has a different line color? There are 2 ways — one temporary, one permanent. That’s my quick tip this week.

To change the default temporarily

To have shapes or text you create automatically have any fill color (or gradient or pattern) and/or any line color you like, just select it before you create the shape/text. Yep, it’s that simple. Without any shape or text box selected on your Design area, go into the Quick Access Toolbar or into the Fill or Line color panel and select the color you want. Then when you add your shape or words, they have that chosen fill color and line color.

This actually works as well for selecting a font, font size, most font attributes, line style, line pattern and line thickness. SUCH a timesaver!

Advantage–

• • You can choose any colors you like.

Disadvantages–

• • You have to do it on each file you’re working on.
  • Once you close that file or close the software, it’s no longer the default on that file.

To change the default permanently

There’s another way to change the default so that a shape or text you create is filled and doesn’t have that red line color. This is one you do in the Preferences for the Silhouette Studio software.

To access the Preferences, click the gear icon at the lower right on your Design area.

This opens a dialog box. Go to the second tab, which is called Defaults. On the Default Fill Style, you can choose to have a solid fill. The red and black boxes at the right on that line are where you choose to have a red or black line color. Be sure to hit Apply and OK at the bottom.

Advantage–

• • You only have to change this setting once and it will always apply. You do have the option to change it back at any time here in the Preferences.
  • It works on all files with new shapes or text you create.

Disadvantages–

• • You don’t have the option to select other colors. The default fill color is always “Silhouette blue,” and the line color can only be red or black.

Does it work on adding shapes from the Library?

No, this doesn’t affect what happens when you add designs from your Library onto your mat area. It’s only for shapes and text that you yourself are creating with the drawing tools.