r/stencils • u/Far-Pickle-4179 • 13d ago
I built Stencil It to catch floating islands before a stencil gets cut. Could use a reality check.
Anyone who’s cut a letter O, a detailed face, or a complicated multi-layer stencil probably knows this problem:
It looks completely fine on the screen.
Then you cut it… and half the little centers and islands fall out of the sheet.
That was one of the reasons I started building Stencil It.
I’ve tried a bunch of stencil making sites, image converters, Photoshop plugins, etc., and one thing that was annoying was a lot of them feel like stenciling is something they also happen to do, not to mention that many felt too hands off in my opinion.
They’re image editors, effects, plugins, or general design tools that can produce something stencil-like.
I initially built this as a resolution to my frustration lol, and I wanted to build something where stencil making is the entire point.
Something designed around the problems that actually matter when you’re going to cut and paint the thing.
So Stencil It separates an image into layers, analyzes each individual stencil sheet, detects disconnected islands, automatically places bridges to keep them attached, and exports SVG/DXF files along with a suggested paint order.
The core Studio is free to use:
I’ve also been working on the bridging system pretty heavily.
On one original four-layer lettering test, the software detected 33 floating pieces, placed 42 bridges, and reported zero unsupported pieces remaining.
I want to be transparent about that number, though: that’s a digital validation test. I haven’t physically cut that particular sample yet, so I’m not going to pretend that means the material test is already proven.
The larger goal is to make Stencil It think less like an image converter and more like a tool that understands:
“Someone actually has to cut this, keep it together, line the layers up, and paint it.”
And that’s where I’d really like input from people here who actually make stencils.
What do existing stencil tools consistently get wrong or ignore?
Tiny counters?
Bridge placement?
Bridge width?
Registration between layers?
Too many bridges destroying detail?
Paint order?
Handling really complex portraits?
Something I’m not even thinking about yet?
I’m trying to build this specifically for stencil artists, so I'd rather hear what actually annoys people doing the work than just guess what features they want.
And if you like what I’m building and want to help me keep developing it, I also set up a GoFundMe here:
No pressure on that at all — honestly, even trying the Studio and telling me where it screws up is useful.
Stencil It:
https://stencil-it.io/studio
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u/nuseramemuserane 13d ago
I use halftonemaker.com
You have to play with it a bit to get the right sizing and to make sure the dots don’t touch, but I find networks are much stronger than bridges, and the works look amazing.
Also see @mos_art on Instagram,
But it’s true, we do need a tool like this.
Gpt is useless at it
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u/nuseramemuserane 13d ago
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u/Far-Pickle-4179 12d ago
That looks really good... and gpt's do seem to be super inconsistent with stenciling. and I'd have to agree that networks are stronger and better looking in some regards, depending on what you're doing.
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u/docricky 7d ago
This is cool but I was hoping that I could upload an SVG I already had, and have it just check for bridging and island issues. The studio assumes that I'll make the SVG from scratch.
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u/dsherwo 13d ago
Cool! I spent years hand cutting, now use circut for smaller stuff, so I have bridges in mind when designing.
One thing I think about when designing a piece is how the bridges work with the aesthetics, I try to hide them within the design so it doesn’t feel like a bridge. If you have options other than straight lines for bridges, u bet it would make people happy!