It is difficult to cut through a transparent material such as polyethylene (PE) film with a continuous-wave (CW) laser of the near-infrared wavelength, because of the low absorption of laser energy. The plasma induced by a pulsed laser, however, can damage the surface of a film, which can change the transparency of the material. In this study, a transparent PE film with a thickness of 0.6 mm was irradiated by various combinations of focused laser pulses and a CW laser. The test conditions and the processes were recorded visually by a Schlieren optics system on the side surface of the film and by a high-speed camera on the front surface. From the results, it can be concluded that, though it is difficult to cut through a transparent material such as PE film with only a pulsed or CW laser alone, once the transparency of the surface has been modified by multiple focused laser pulses, the PE film can be cut through easily by a CW laser with a near-infrared wavelength.