Many people try to upload a JPG to Design Space, and then wonder why the cut goes around the whole rectangle. A JPG has no shape information, only pixels. Tracing it first gives Cricut real paths to cut, so only the design is cut and not the background.
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How to do it
Pick a JPG with a plain light background. Dark lettering or a clear silhouette is best.
Drop it above. Set Mode to Cricut cut-ready (one colour). It is the same single colour trace any cutter needs.
Slide Threshold until the preview shows the design with no background.
Raise Remove specks to clear speckles from JPG noise.
Download the SVG. In Design Space choose Upload, Upload Image, then pick the file and save it as a Cut image.
Works on every machine
Cricut Joy, Explore and Maker all cut the same SVG. Only the mat size and material settings change.
Check the size
Resize in Design Space before you cut. The traced file does not have a set size.
JPG noise
Specks around the edges are compression noise. Remove specks handles most of it. A PNG source avoids it.
Questions
Why does Cricut cut a box around my JPG?
The background is part of the image. Trace it into a shape-only SVG, or remove the background in Design Space.
Can I cut a name from a photo of handwriting?
Yes, if the writing is dark and clear. Photograph it flat in even light, then trace in one colour mode.
Is my image uploaded?
No. The tracing runs in your browser tab, so the image stays on your device.
What does it cost?
Three downloads a day are free. Unlimited is $7.99 a month, or a 20-image pack is $6.99 once.