How to
How to make a stencil from a picture
A stencil is a sheet with holes: paint goes through the holes and the sheet masks everything else. Making one from a picture takes two steps. First the picture becomes pure black and white, black for the holes. Then every part of the sheet that would end up floating, like the middle of an O, is tied back with a thin bridge, or it falls out when you cut.
- Choose a picture. Bold shapes work best: logos, lettering, silhouettes, high contrast portraits.
- Set the black and white. The threshold is set for your picture. Smooth edges rounds off ragged outlines and Remove specks clears dust and stray dots.
- Check the bridges. The maker counts the loose pieces and bridges each one by the shortest way. The line under the preview says how many were found and how many are still loose.
- Set the size and download. PDF to print and cut by hand, SVG for Cricut and Silhouette, DXF for laser cutters, or PNG.
Choosing the bridge width
Wider bridges are sturdier, thinner ones are less visible in the painted result. For cardstock and a craft knife, keep them at least 2 to 3 mm wide at the final size; for stencil film cut by a machine, 1.5 mm usually holds. Two bridges per piece keep large centers from twisting when you dab paint on them.
Pictures that make good stencils
Strong contrast and few details. A portrait works when the light comes from one side and the background is plain. Tiny details turn into specks that tear or clog, so raise Remove specks or simplify the picture first. For a design made from layers of color, make one stencil per color with the threshold moved for each.
Need clean vector outlines of the whole picture instead? Use PNG to SVG, PNG to DXF or the image vectorizer. For lettering on a curve, start in the curved text generator.
Questions people ask
How can I make my own stencils?
Start from a bold image with clear shapes, such as a logo, lettering or a silhouette. Turn it into black and white here, let the bridges hold the inner pieces, and print the PDF at the size you need. Then cut the black areas out of cardstock, stencil film or vinyl with a craft knife or a cutting machine.
What is the best stencil maker?
The one that gives you a stencil that holds together. Look for three things: a threshold you control, bridges that keep the centers of letters like O, A and B from falling out, and vector exports for cutting machines. This one does all three in your browser, free, and tells you how many pieces were left loose.
Can a Cricut machine make a stencil?
Yes. Download the stencil as SVG, upload it to Cricut Design Space and cut it from stencil vinyl or thin stencil film with the blade and setting your machine recommends for that material. Keep the bridges on: a cutting machine cuts exactly what is drawn, so any floating piece would drop out of the stencil.
Is there an online tattoo stencil maker available?
This page turns a photo or drawing into clean black and white shapes, which works for bold tattoo designs, but it is a cutting stencil maker, not a line transfer tool. Tattoo transfers are usually thin outlines printed on thermal paper. For those, keep the bridges off and use a line drawing with a high threshold.
What are stencil bridges?
Bridges are thin strips of the stencil sheet left uncut so that inner parts stay attached. Without them, the middle of an O or the triangle inside an A would fall out and paint would fill the whole letter. The maker finds every loose piece and draws the shortest bridge to the rest of the sheet.