140717✽
I was asked what digitising involved and I thought it was worth throwing open to the community!
For me, it means visualising what I want to make, then drawing lines in Embird for each stage of the construction which it cleverly turns into stitches for me (when I have told it what sort of stitches I want!) On the rare occasions I digitise a decorative design I draw the lines and then colour them in.
Of course, all of this is followed by extensive testing and editing before the design is ready to share.
Anyone else want to add their slant on it all?
Comments (10)
5271✽
by
sandyqueen
11 Apr 2016
+7✽
A big dose of PATIENCE helps.
SQ
SQ
1 comment
Patience, persistence and perseverance!
255054✽
169064✽
Thanks for sharing.For me, digitizing means being very grateful to the folks like you, Martine, Vickie and so on. I very much appreciate well digitized designs.
145305✽
I like making ITH projects - there's an engineering side to it that takes some (or sometimes a lot of) mental arithmetic. Having done that it is a fairly easy process and it gives great results. Making illustrated instructions is another matter.
Digitising existing artwork takes more time, but once you know your software it is not too difficult, but it can be very time-consuming. As is learning to know your software in the first place. And there's always something you'd want to change, like stitch directions or fill patterns.
What I love best is creating my own designs, sometimes using (my own) photos, sometimes drawing freehand in the software. And digitising those. That takes even more time than any of the above, but then it's all mine.
And Sue is right, the keywords are: patience, perseverance and a lot of testing.
Digitising existing artwork takes more time, but once you know your software it is not too difficult, but it can be very time-consuming. As is learning to know your software in the first place. And there's always something you'd want to change, like stitch directions or fill patterns.
What I love best is creating my own designs, sometimes using (my own) photos, sometimes drawing freehand in the software. And digitising those. That takes even more time than any of the above, but then it's all mine.
And Sue is right, the keywords are: patience, perseverance and a lot of testing.
3 comments
The red lettering shows clearly I had to correct some spelling errors. Hopefully it was the only one. :)
You are quite right about the time it takes to write the instructions. It can be the same as the digitising and testing added together.
I really love designing ITH projects too. It really appeals to my mathematical/puzzle-solving part of my brain. I think digitizing appliqué may be the easiest of them all. Digitizing designs for my own use is just pure fun :-)
18499✽
Thank you all for taking time to give your views. I would have loved to digitize but not so much anymore. My brain is tired as is the old body. I feel as though I can't learn anything else new. If I think too much or have a busy day then I am zonked. I would love to have the Embird digitizing since I know you need it to properly resize [to any size] I am still confused over what you need first and what add on's a person needs and which part is actually REALLY need. Then the lettering part--purchased embroidery font add ons and read somewhere about using the fonts loaded in the computer itself. Oh so confusing.
2 comments
What you really need to embroider is a customising program, like Embird Basic or 5D (Extra). The more expensive your machine, the more of those functions may be built in: mirroring, rotating ( by degrees and not just 90 degrees), enlarging up to 10 or 20%.
Embird does not have inbuilt predigitised designs, they come as add-on's; 5D and later comes with over 100.
To turn fonts on your computer into stitchable fonts Embird has FontEngine, the Pfaff/Husqvarna software QuickFont. I like Embird's better.
As for enlarging in the digitising module, you need the design/object file and not the embroidery file - .eof in Embird, the .can file in 4D and 5D (and this old brain forgot the name in 6D). The consequence is I can't resize in Embird Studio what I digitised in 5D or 6D or vice versa.
And although you might be able to resize to any size in theory, in practice the amount of detail limites what you can do and would necessitate a lot of corrections.
Embird does not have inbuilt predigitised designs, they come as add-on's; 5D and later comes with over 100.
To turn fonts on your computer into stitchable fonts Embird has FontEngine, the Pfaff/Husqvarna software QuickFont. I like Embird's better.
As for enlarging in the digitising module, you need the design/object file and not the embroidery file - .eof in Embird, the .can file in 4D and 5D (and this old brain forgot the name in 6D). The consequence is I can't resize in Embird Studio what I digitised in 5D or 6D or vice versa.
And although you might be able to resize to any size in theory, in practice the amount of detail limites what you can do and would necessitate a lot of corrections.
oops - limits
16529✽
by
vickiannette
12 Apr 2016
+7✽
for me, it is the hope and trust that the digitiser uses minimum jumps and that the embroidery looks professional. I have no real desire to become a digitiser so I have learned over the years a lot by reading this forum [ and buying/getting designs over the years] and I agree with Bevintex and O2kar .....leave the hard stuff to the experts!
1 comment
Aptly put, Vicki.
12506✽
I just love digitising, working out how to do it, you need to have used a lot of others designs to know how to construct the design, nearly every time I reuse a design, I seem to find bits to alter, that is order of colours, length of overlap etc. after 6yrs digitising I just worked out how to hole sew( so now as I do things I change them) its so easy but I could not get my head around it so left it alone I use pe design 7...wendy,
4586✽
by
fabricfairy
12 Apr 2016
+4✽
I had a go at and it was not for me , to hard to learn I will continue to just buy membership or two , you get thousand of designs and they ae done by experts.
1 comment
Not all software is too hard to learn. I have always used the Bernina software and I believe it to be very easy compared to several others available.
20276✽
I use Embird too, I just find it amazing watching designs come to life, I'am perhaps to critical of myself as I always strive for no jumps, perfect outlines, but even by trying it does make you appreciate others work especially the excellent digitizers out there and what goes into making a good design, but also there is nothing worse then finding that perfect design stitching it out to realise its so poorly digitized or auto digitized , during my first year I found this so frustrating, I am now so selective of free designs, and purchases I collect for that rainy day
Big hugs from London xx
Big hugs from London xx
2 comments
Although I know nothing about digitizing, I now know enough through trial and error to keep away from badly digitized designs. Especially ones with no under lay stitching.
that's what makes this such a great community of friends through shared experience xx
261163✽
by
basketkase
18 Apr 2016
+1✽
I so agree with all of what has been said here........I am self taught, so appreciate the craft so much.....I have dabbled with ITH, but leave it to the experts......I get confused easily with instructions and get more frustration than pleasure from them.......I love unique designs and buy most of my artwork now.......this is a good craft for someone who bores easily, as with every design you make there are enough differences to keep one interested and challenged.......I always wanted to paint and now I can only I use stitches rather than paint.....