I am finally seriously ready to buy new digitizing software. I already use PE Design 5, but I am willing to learn another system if it has more features. I can buy PE Design NEXT for $800 at Amazon. But what about Embird? Don't people just love it? What do you LOVE about it? Does it do fur? Does it do photographs? What would you recommend I purchase to have enough of the elements to make me happy? I'd love to hear from my favorite Cutie digitizers!! What should I get?

Christie uses PE Next.

I use pe design 6, got carolyn keibers tutorials and do all my digitizing on laYOUT& editing, nothing automatic I find this very good, I bought data 7 eds, but have not tried it yet...wendy

Hi Jan, I only use embird. It works well for me. Hugs,Yoriko

Buy Embird from secretsofembroidery. The prices are the same, but you get bonus points to spent on other purchases. You can buy Carolyn Keber's tutorials (a must have in my opinion, at least for Embird Basic and Studio) also here. Split your purchases, then you can use your points to pay for some.
link:
http://www.secretsof.com/content/...
Have fun!
Anneliese

Oh, and you'll want to get the Studio plug in. The basic Embird plus the Studio plug in will cost you $314 on the Embird website. It's quite a bargain for a software this powerful.

I would highly recommend Embird. It's affordable, stand-alone and works with just about any format. My format(s) are .EXP and .OFM and it handles both. Also, if you have the new Brother Scan-N-Cut, Embird is the only software right now that can export the necessary .SVG files. Embird is easy enough to learn, but if you want to really learn to digitize with it, www.stitchesinmotion.ca that offers inexpensive digitizing with Embird courses ($25-30 per section). The latest build of Embird (2013) has some really neat stuff.

I use the Husqvarna 4D. Good Luck!

1 comment

by mops 17 Apr 2014

Please, edit your post and remove your e-mail address. It might lead to a lot of spam, something you would not want.

Thank you for the question you asked. I have thought of getting the digitizing software, but was unsure of which one to buy. I loved reading the answers to your question and now look forward to getting some software.

Hi, sorry, I missed your question about what I love most. I only saw it now. I only digitize things and pictures I like most. And I used to sell my items on flea markets and in craft shops, and people liked them, but due to my medical problems, my son forbid me to continue with it. So these days I basically just digitize, and stitch out the projects I digitize, and keep them for examples. I am a perfectionist, so once I finish a product, I like it, for all problems would have been solved....

It is now almost a month since the last post - did you try out Embird, and what did you decide about it?

Have a happy and Blessed Easter.
Anneliese

Good luck, sounds like Embird is a winner. I can't reommend Bernina's V7 it
has too many glitches. Though I loved V6 and wish I could have it back, but the upgrade killed my V6 dongle.

1 comment

by meganne 26 Mar 2014

Another great reason to purchase Embird Terri.....
NO dongle!
And no transferring of licences from one computer to another to use it either.
I have Embird on two laptops and one pc and as long as you own all the devices this is ok. You can only use one computer at a time anyway unless you have four eyes and four hands. LOL!!! Hugs from downunder, Meg

Wow, thanks for all the great input. I definitely will check out the trial for Embird. I wouldn't use the auto-digitize from what Mops demonstrated so well for us. What does Vicki use for her fur? And what about Yoriko for all her FSL? How about Christie and Alice? I'd like to know what ALL the digitizing Cuties use... I know Sue just really picked it up and mastered ITH designs! I just really enjoy the freedom we have when we can digitize our own designs, the personal touch, and it's like solving a puzzle. It's a much better use of time than playing solitaire - LOL Thank you all for your input and guidance. I hope you will hold my hand, and mouse, as I learn this new skill. "They" say the best thing for our older brains is to keep learning new things! I'm not going down easily - and I need to keep my screen name - hightechgrammy

5 comments

by meganne 25 Mar 2014

Well now Jan, you didn't ask us what we actually use. LOL!!!
I mostly use Xpressive 11, which is a scaled down version of Pulse's professional digitising software,
BUT, it was a very costly $3,000+ to buy here in Aus and it is no longer supported. It is all manual punch and I love it.
BUT (again) I will often tweak a design in Embird Editor and Embird Studio has some really great features that I sometimes use, ie: the carve tool, which is what I used on Mac n Jane. It also has different ways you can alter how the fill stitch will stitch out (like making it curve) and the Balara's are always making improvements and adding new fun features.
When I first started digitising I didn't like the Xpressive11 program so I bought Embird and just started playing with it, especially Editor, (such a lot of fun), before I started actually digitising designs in the Studio module.
It is so easy to use, if you are at all computer savvy you can pick it up without lessons (as I did), but tutorials can help you hone your skills if you wish to create more complicated and professional looking designs.
I bought so many of Kathy's tutorials when I was going through the whole breast cancer saga, but I have only ever glanced through them to see that they downloaded properly, I keep promising myself I will watch them all one day, but so far just have not had the time, BUT the bits I have watched are really well done and of course there is always help available by asking any Cutie who uses Embird.

I also have the Husqvarna 5D software, the PESDesign (Brother) software, and the Creative software, none of which I have used since..... can't tell you........ years! LOL!!!

To my knowledge, Yoriko was using Embird, would hardly think she would change to something else?????
Don't know what the other Cuties use but once you use Embird you won't want to use anything else.
And don't forget, if you can't afford to buy all the modules you want, you only need to buy the license keys for the modules you CAN afford.
So you can start with Basic Embird, which includes Manager and Editor, then later you can purchase the license for say Studio/Sfumato (Photostitch), then Font Engine, then Iconizer, Cross Stitch and some ready made Alphabets.
Remember the trial program is the full version, you just install the license keys to unlock each module as you pay for them. And once you have installed Embird basic you can download and install the tutorial plug in, which acts like a help file. Embird install is usually quite easy to follow and help is only an email away.
Writing all this makes me want to get the latest upgrade. LOL!!! Hugs n love, Meg

by anssmile 25 Mar 2014

Noooo!! You MUST include iconizer in your first buy, unless you already have a program that shows pictures instead of only file names. I do not know what I would have done without my iconizer.

Remember, if you buy through Secrets of embroidery, you can have iconizer for free using the points accumulated when buying the other modules. It must be a separate order, as points accumulated in one order, can only be redeemed in the next order.

by meganne 25 Mar 2014

My list was only meant as an example Anssmile, not intended to be purchased in that SPECIFIC order and a lot of Cuties, who have been here a long time, already have the other viewing program Sewiconz so they don't necessarily require Iconizer..

by anssmile 25 Mar 2014

Sorry...

by meganne 25 Mar 2014

No probs, my fault......
I should have added, "not necessarily in this specific order except for "BASIC" must come first"

I've used Husqvarna software since 1998 (and have just upgraded to 6D) and Embird since 2006.
I would recommend Embird to everyone. Non of the automatic wizards that let you do things one way only, just pick the way you like best. After a few basic lessons you just play with it and choose what you like best. The tutorials on the Embird site are good. I have bought a couple of lessons from the Flying Needle but never learned something I had not already picked up from the Embird site.
Tthe alphabets you make in Font Engine can be mapped (free tutorial on Embird site) so you can use them as you would any bought alphabet, a nice timesaver for fonts you love and use often.

Jan you can't go wrong buying Embird as it is the best supported program I have ever known and I'm including ALL software programs I have known, or used, since I first worked in the industry back in the 80's.

It is also the most reasonably priced and the owners, the Balara family, often do not even charge for upgrades.

If you want tutorials to learn how to get the most out of it, you should look no further than Kathy Jones, Flying Needle Machine Embroidery (link below) who I have recommended to countless Embird newbies and who, in my humble opinion, has the best and most reasonably priced, Video tutorials, bar none. She also has some free tutorials available on her site.

I did purchase Carolyn Keber's instruction manual and videos, back in the beginning, but I found them very heavy going, so I quickly lost interest.

The beauty of Embird is that it is so user friendly and there is more than one way to do most things within the program, so you can choose the procedure that best suits your style of doing things.

Now for some more free tutorials please check out the links below.

And don't forget you can download a free TRIAL of Embird, which is actually the whole program but it has built in restrictions and limitations, which are unlocked once you purchase your license keys and install them.

I hope this info helps Jan.
hugs n roses, Meg

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 24 Mar 2014

Meganne, thanks for these great links! I'm going to be sure to Save this page for sure!

I like Embird, but I've never tried anything else!

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 24 Mar 2014

And, you just took off with it, and flew with it too! Is that why they call it Em-bird?

Oh, Embird does fur, and you use Sfumato module of Embird to do photographs.

I recommend the full suite, unless you do not do cross stitching, then leave out the cross stitching module.

Font engine and iconizer are must haves. If you want to digitize, you need Studio, and for photos you need Sfumato. (you can not buy Sfumato on its own you have to Studio and Sfumato together.)

I would buy 1 or 2 pre-digitized fonts to make life easier. (I bought 3).

And definitely buy the tutorials - they make life so much easier.

Have fun!
Anneliese

2 comments

by hightechgrammy 24 Mar 2014

Thanks, Anneliese, what is your favorite thing to digitize? What's something you have digitized that you are really proud of? I really appreciate your input!

by anssmile 17 Apr 2014

Hi, I like drawing and painting, and with Embird, you do it in Embroidery. I love making baby stuff, and flowers, and animals, and gift bags, and bookmarks, and... and... In short, there is no specific thing I can list. I just have fun, and like all my pictures... I only digitize pictures and things I like. My grandmother used to embroider in short and long stitch, and made jacobean wall hangings. I would love to make a huge jacobean wall hanging with machine embroidery - a huge tree full of animals and birds! But the time...

Hi,
I use Embird and simply loves it. It is VERY user friendly, and you can add modules as you need them. The basic Embird (converting formats, resizing, etc) is only $150. The full suite (all modules) is only $589, excluding the pre-digitized alphabets. They are $13-50 each.

I bought the full suite, with 3 alphabets (no 17, 28 and 38). You do not need to buy pre-digitized alphabets, as with font-engine you can change any font into an alphabet.

I also bought Carolyn Keber's tutorials for basic Embird, Digitizing Studio and Cross stitch, worth every cent I paid. (Each about $100).

So, if you buy Embird, which I recommend, you can also buy very good tutorials, all for the same price you would pay for PE design.

You can download a free trial to test it first.

Should you buy it from Secrets of Embroidery, and you split the modules into separate orders, you get a bonus Embroidery design set for free for EACH ORDER of $30 or more. You will also get points, which you can use to get Iconizer for free, or buy other items on Secrets of Embroidery.

PLEASE look at Embird before you buy.
The link is: http://www.secretsof.com , and then select Embird to go to the modules or tutorials.

Best luck with this important buy!
Anneliese

I do not know to advise you as I have Bernina and I love it. kay

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 24 Mar 2014

Thanks, Kay, for your input!