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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
 Posted - 10/15/2017 : 19:48:18
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| Please share pros and cons...I'm trying to stitch a wedding invitation with flowers and greenary wondering if it will be worth it to pay for the software. |
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Dragonlair
USA
2905 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2017 : 20:18:05
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That's a hard thing to answer. There are multiple cross-stitch software available but, at least in the US, I believe that PCStitch is the most widely sold.
There are bound to be pros and cons of any software of any kind but the number of people who have significant experience with more than one is bound to be pretty low.
I have used at least the trial version of several types of this software but only the full version of PCStitch unless it was a total freebie. I have used PCStitch since version 7 and that dates back to 2004!
What I recommend you try is to download the trial version and play with it. You may not be able to save what you create with the trial but you will at least get a feel for how it works.
For problems, browse this board to see the questions people have had through the years and the answers to them (if any).
Personally, I prefer this version above any other and I admit it's not perfect. There are things like menu customization not saving, and duplicate symbols in the PCStitch fonts. However, there's nothing major that I would call a deal-breaker.
Just remember what I call Chandler's Law (from a professor I had back in the 70s) -- The only completely debugged program is the one no longer in use!
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question
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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2017 : 20:34:31
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| Thanks! I appreciate the response. I have not decided if I'm going to actually take on this project yet. I have fiddled with the trial version a bit. I assume when you download it, the boxes will be clearer. For the lettering I would just really like the boxes to appear in black and white (easier to follow) but then with the flowers and greenery, that is where I would actually need the shades of color etc. |
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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2017 : 19:51:02
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| Would anyone be willing to post a picture of an example of something they imported into this program so I could see the clarity of it? |
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Dragonlair
USA
2905 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2017 : 20:18:19
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This is the best I can do - using Amazon Prime Photos.
Here is a link to 2 photos. The one with a black background is the original image used to make a pattern. The one with the blue background is the pattern made from this image after all tweaking. It was done for a contest several years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/zQoMbpYhSEChUzSF8o9VQzrhmSgfSVSYAx0ToIbNHMm
Note that this is after some hours of tweaking even with the simple image I started with. The blue background is artificial -- I told it to use blue fabric.  I thought it looked better than the black.
BTW - I won the contest (out of 3 entries). 
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question
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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2017 : 21:45:37
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| Thanks for taking the time to post...I worry about the "tweaking" part :) Just don't know if I have the time with the holidays and all (I need the gift for January. My original image is three or four colors at least and two or three fonts. |
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Dragonlair
USA
2905 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2017 : 22:22:18
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A "raw" import is never intended to be the final pattern with any product that offers conversion from image to pattern. The computer sees things differently than you do. It sees shades that you just don't imagine. Even with the best case scenario (a 1/1 ratio of stitches/pixel) and only a few colors, odd things happen.
This example was simply a black and white photo of a white figurine with gray shading. I had some yellow show up in the initial import. There are only so many shades of gray!
I did one that was a cartoon image - simple black outline with single color (no shading) within the black. It should have used about 4 colors. Those simple black lines had a dozen or more shades of gray, uneven lines, and confetti stitches. That is all normal with a raw import.
If you are going to create a good pattern, tweaking is part of it. If the pattern is simple, it may take only 3 or 4 hours of tweaking. If more, it may take far longer.
The simpler the image (especially the background), the shorter the tweaking time will be but tweaking is needed.
Here's an example of BAD import - https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Bear-Cross-Stitch-Pattern-ebook/dp/B00EBMSGO0/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1509070771&sr=1-3&keywords=teddy+bear+cross+stitch
Click on the book cover to "Look Inside" and scroll down below the cartoon to the page layout. Note the cartoon image is simple of 4 colors. The actual pattern has 10 colors. That's what happens when you don't tweak. Please - do NOT buy this ebook!
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question
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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2017 : 07:36:53
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| is there a way to attach a picture from my computer in a post? |
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Dragonlair
USA
2905 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2017 : 07:45:54
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The only way is the way I did it or similar. A link to an external site's image. There is an icon in the formatting part of the posting box for "insert image" but that is still the same basic thing -- an external link.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question
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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
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Dragonlair
USA
2905 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2017 : 17:38:45
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The "wreath" of flowers and greenery might work better if you make the image TINY. That is use graphics software such as Paint or Irfanview to shrink the image to the point where it is the same pixel dimensions as your desired stitch dimensions or as close as possible retaining the aspect ratio (width vs height). What I mean is if you wish the final project to be 8" X 10" and done on 14 count fabric, then shrink the image to 112 X 140 pixels.
For the text, I would recommend choosing from the stitched fonts and insert them that way rather than an import. Text does NOT import cleanly because of the "blurring" effect that is inevitable when importing into any such software.
That is just my recommendations based on what I have seen and done with the software.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question
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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2017 : 18:15:53
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| I should also note this is a picture of the invite NOT the original that I imported. I don't have the original yet. |
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Dragonlair
USA
2905 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2017 : 20:06:03
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I could tell that. It looks like a "raw" import with no tweaking. Even so, text does not usually import well unless it is very blocky. Something like an invitation would be to intricate for an import to handle well, even if it were sized properly (1/1 pixel/stitch).
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question
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Christine517
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2017 : 21:20:06
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| Just cannot decide if the purchase of the software will be worth it and worth the attempt to make. I have another invite that I need to make in the spring. Just don't know if I should attempt. How many fonts does the software have available? |
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Dragonlair
USA
2905 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2017 : 22:16:07
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As far as I can tell, there are 368 stitched fonts plus 262 Windows fonts that can be used as stitched fonts (not as clear as they are auto-generated).
Also, there is a feature in the software where you can create your own stitched font.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question
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PC Stitch11
