Chart software?

I recommend highly Pattern Maker Pro. I have tried all the others, but that was some time ago. In their price range, at the time, none held a candle to PM.

The best th> I am thinking about getting a software package for making cross stitch

-- Jim Cripwell. From Canada. Land of the Key Bird. This creature of doom flies over the frozen tundra in winter, shrieking its dreaded call; "Key, Key, Key, Key rist but it's cold!!"

Hi Jim,

O.K. Now you're making my little brain work. :) You say one pixel per stitch? Given that one pixel IS one stitch on any given chart....(isn't it?) what other way is there? I HATE having to do math before supper! lol

Maureen > I completely agree with Dianne's suggestion. I am not sure if you

It's true that a stitch is one pixel. However, Jim was talking about converting photographs to cross stitch patterns. It's not as simple as putting a digitised picture into a conversion program and stitching the resulting chart as-is. There's an art to conversion.

Given the pixel count of most photographs, a one to one conversion will result in a fairly large chart.

-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net WIP: Water Lilies, Rose Trio, Emperor's Coat II, Carousel Most recently Finished: Romance, Halloween Circle, Always be a Wildflower Stitching log:

A pixel is the unit of display on a video screen, which can be of varying sizes depending on the resolution of the screen. How many pixels are used displaying a photograph depends on the resolution and size of the image and the resolution of the display. Independent of either of those, you can choose to take a large and detailed photo and turn it into a pattern with few stitches (i.e., turn many pixels into few stitches) or take a small or not detailed photo and turn it into a pattern with many stitches (i.e., turn few pixels into many stitches). Either of those can produce unanticipated results. Adjusting the resolution and size of the photograph as displayed until doing a 1 to 1 conversion will result in the finished size you want will make for a more predictable (and probably better) conversion, as the software will not have to figure out how to turn one pixel of information into multiple stitches or multiple pixels (likely of different colors) into one stitch.

Best wishes, Ericka

NOW I UNDERSTAND!!!! :))))))))))))))))))))))))) Thank you.

Maureen > Maureen >

Hi Becky, I have been using the Professional Version of Pattern Maker (by Hobbyware) for several years and I'm very happy with it. I use it mostly for needlepoint, but I've done some Xstitch too and I think it is great. You can even design your own stitches thru the Specialty Stitch option. It has tons of colors for many brands of thread. It is easy to import a picture direct from your scanner & turn it into a chart. Granted, you have to mess with it some or you get WAY to many colors, but it works. Updates are generally free and really add good stuff. New versions you have to pay for, but again they really add a lot of new stuff. Once I emailed the company with a bunch of questions and had answers in a day or two! Very responsive & nice.

Good luck, Liz

You are absolutely correct. However, what happens is that people see a lovely picture, with lots of detail, and think how beautiful it would be as a counted cross stitch pattern. If you convert their picture at one pixel per stitch, the result would be a pattern with over a million stitches, and you could not fit it onto a piece of fabric 5 feet wide. So to get a pattern that is worthwhile stitching, the approach I am suggesting is that you **start** with a picture at one pixel per stitch. First work out how many stitches you are prepared to make. Get a picture with that many pixels. Then take a good look at it, and think whether such a picture is worthwhile stitching. Most of the time it isn't. I am just seeing this sort of thing at our Guild. We have a nice logo, and next meeting I am taking my laptop and Pattern Maker to our meeting. I have heard rumours, like "Jim can turn our logo into a nice pattern". My gut feel is that, as a pattern, out logo is quite unsuitable.

-- Jim Cripwell. From Canada. Land of the Key Bird. This creature of doom flies over the frozen tundra in winter, shrieking its dreaded call; "Key, Key, Key, Key rist but it's cold!!"

Thanks, Jim, now it's clear.

Becky

Hi Becky :O))

Been working with PMP for a while now - and it's perfect software ! It's very true about the one pixel stuff ... got loads of patterns to prove it too. Nowadays I make my own stuff by creating pixelpaintings which I convert with PMP - and I can tell yah: works like a dream Pattern Maker Pro. Here's my page on the how to's :

backwards there's also FREE download stuff from PMP so you can see the results of the 1 pixel theory ;O)) Good luck ... and in case yah need some more help .. just hollor !!