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Chelsea Whitney
USA
4 Posts |
 Posted - 12/07/2007 : 09:51:53
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Hi,
I've seen the tutorials and I've imported my picture and created a pattern. But as much as I tryed playing with the import wizard my picture/pattern is still blurry. The picture is large and very detailed with a very large range of colors. Now I do not know what pixels my photo is because I never actually had the photo it was down loaded to me. So I need help to correct this problem and make a stitchable pattern. Also when you've created a pattern how do you change the floss count, cloth count (for linen/evenweave) and size of pattern? Please Help!!!
Thanks
Chelsea |
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Dragonlair
USA
2916 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2007 : 10:37:33
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Chelsea,
You may need to use something like IrfanView or Microsoft Paint to reduce the size of your image. You should decide how big and what count you want the design to be and therefore determine the dimensions in stitches (number of stitches wide and high). That will tell you how much to reduct your image. You should have the image about the same number of pixels wide and high as you want the number of stitches.
The best conversions are those where you have 1 pixel / stitch. Then you may need to reduce the number of colors you allow and you can limit the percentage of those colors to be used for background stitches giving the most detail to the foreground.
It's really a matter of "playing" with what you have until you get the effect you want. Even after you complete the import, you will need to "tweak" it by changing and "fudging" the image and even changing some of the colors to get the effect you want. This includes removing confetti stitches which are inevitable with this process.
An import never adds any fractionals or backstitches. It is all full stitches so you may need to make changes there to "smooth" edges and highlight areas.
Creating a pattern from a photo is as much an art as it is the use of the software. Remember that the computer sees the colors differently than your eye does and there are only so many colors in any color family so odd colors are also very common.
Just have fun, relax and play with it. You will eventually get what you want.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question |
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Chelsea Whitney
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2007 : 13:00:11
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Hi Diane,
I don't know what a pixel is... And I don't understand reducing the picture why??? It's on my computer. And I have no idea how many stitches since it's a picture and not a stitch pattern. I thought the entire purpose for your software is to import a picture and with some minor information it would create a pattern. Also you didn't answer my question whether after a pattern is made can you change floss count as to adding and the size of the pattern.
Thanks
Chelsea |
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Dragonlair
USA
2916 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2007 : 15:18:28
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Chelsea,
The purpose of the software is to allow you to convert a photo to a pattern. However, it's not a catch all. It is a complex operation and you have to define what you want out of the design.
A pixel is a dot of light. Everything you see on the screen is made up of pixels. The photo you wish to convert to a pattern is converted to colored dots of lights when it is displayed on the screen. The "resolution" of your computer is the maximum number of pixels you can handle at one time. My computer has a 17 " screen and I have it set to a resolution of 1024 X 768. That means it is 1024 pixels wide and 768 pixels high.
For any project you wish to make from a photo, you have to define for yourself how big you want the design to be. For example, if you wish to stitch on 14 count aida and you want the design to be 10 X 14 inches (without matting), then you need to allow for 140 X 196 stitches (10 * 14 by 14 * 14). That means, for the best conversion of your photo, you need to reduce it to 140 X 196 (or close to that while still keeping the same width/height proportions). There is a tutorial on the EMS Cross Stitch Board at: http://www.cross-stitch-board.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28759 It explains how to resize the photo.
Remember, PCStitch Pro is a tool. It has options to customize the pattern according to what you want. Your needs will be different than anybody else. No one can say exactly what is needed for any individual photo without some experimentation.
NO conversion software will give the perfect pattern first try or by itself. The best it can do is give you a good starting point and you customize it from there.
I have seen some very ugly conversions and in every case, it was because the user just passed the photo through the software with no attempt to tweak or clean up the design after the fact. If you take the time, you can create absolutely beautiful designs.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question |
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Dragonlair
USA
2916 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2007 : 15:29:13
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I'm sorry, I didn't answer about the floss count.
ANY design can be stitched with any size fabric. The only changes are the amount of floss needed and the size of the finished project.
If you have a design that is marked for 14 count and you wish to do 18 count, it will be smaller by 4 stitches/inch and it will take less floss because the stitches are smaller.
To decide the size of the final result, just divide the number of stitches needed for each the width and the height by the count (number of stitches / inch). The design itself does not change at all!
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question |
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Chelsea Whitney
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2007 : 18:05:12
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Diana,
Thanks for the information. It makes a little more sence now. But I don't think you understand my question with the floss. Lets say I would like PC Stitch to add a few more floss colors to the pattern because in my import wizard I forgot to tell the program that I needed 100 colors for my pattern instead of 50. But I don't know what colors I need, I just know that in import you can tell the program up to how many colors to use. Now if you make a pattern and would like to add say another 50 colors like you can do in the import wizard is there a way to tell the program that you would like to add more floss colors? Also lets say I would like to alter the pattern from 60 x 90 stitches to 100 x 130. Is there a place to alter the stitch count or inch count when you've already made a pattern?
I will thank you ahead for the information and I'm going to play now.
Thanks again
Chelsea |
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Dragonlair
USA
2916 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2007 : 20:29:03
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I see your question. If you want to change the parameters of the pattern - change the number of colors or the dimensions of the pattern, you can't alter the existing pattern. All you can do is start over again. If you remember any other settings you had, it should go faster but you literally have to start from the base picture again.
If you change the dimensions, you should re-size your original image to match that change so you have one pixel / stitch again. That is why I always say to resize a copy of the original image and never over-write the original. You never know when this might happen.
With PCStitch Pro, you can set the maximum number of colors and you can also dictate what percentage of those colors are seen in the background. This helps to focus the details on the foreground. To really make the foreground pop, make the percentage as low as reasonable depending on the detail of the background as well.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question |
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Chelsea Whitney
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2007 : 22:29:15
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Thanks Diane
Chelsea |
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I have a few questions about PCStitch Pro
