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| Computer
Assisted Design |
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I was really
excited when I first saw an advertisement in a stitching
magazine for a charting program. According to the ad, this
program would produce a counted cross-stitch chart using DMC,
Anchor or J&P threads from any photograph or design. Just a
short step to my own needlepoint designs or so I thought.
There were
several programs on the market so I bought the first one I
found. It was inexpensive and I decided I would try it and
determine which parts of the program were most important to me
before upgrading to the most suitable program.
It's
true. The program could do what it said it could. However,
what wasn't said could fill volumes.
These programs
give you the option of either drawing the chart freehand or
using an image to create a chart that can then be manipulated as
you wish. So, I opened a fresh canvas and started fiddling. This
was really useful in learning the program but lacking in
artistic ability, I quickly moved on to using preset
images.
My first
problem how to get the pictures into my computer to feed into
the program. The obvious answer was to use clip art
or photographs already on disk. So I bought a CD
containing 4000 photographs. There were lots and lots of
uninteresting photos but this did work well for trying the
program. Since I wasn't particularly interested in spending
weeks stitching a giraffe or hot air balloon, I looked for
another answer.
The practical
answer for me was to buy a scanner. They're inexpensive, easy to
use and they make any photograph or picture you find available.
I also own a digital camera but this isn't really my favourite
method. These cameras can be fairly expensive and the
photographs you get rely heavily on your ability as a
photographer. Why not use shots taken by a professional
photographer.
The second
thing you get with a scanner is some sort of photo editing
software. This allows you to manipulate the photo, prior
to attempting to chart it. Many of the charting programs have
some photo editing ability but I prefer to use a program
specifically written for this.
But enough talk
for now. Why don't you try it for yourself?
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| Getting
Started |
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If
you've read the foregoing, you'll already be aware of what you
need to get started. I consider these the bare
essentials:
- a software program
purchased or downloaded (see below)
- a method of entering
photos/designs into your computer
- a printer to print the
charts
Keep in mind that this is a
learning process. Except for the brilliant few, your first
attempts will probably be disappointing (mine certainly were).
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| Downloading
a Program |
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There
are a variety of charting software programs available.
Most bill themselves as 'cross-stitch' charting programs. This
is because they contain only floss palettes NOT needlepoint
yarn palettes. But with a little imagination, these can certainly be
used to generate needlepoint designs.
It's probably a good idea to
try one or more before you purchase the software so try
downloading them. The trial versions of these
programs are usually the entire program with the Save and/or
Print functions disabled. These programs take time to
download so I have noted the size of file where possible.
The first program I purchased
is still the one I use most. It is PCStitch and a trial
version is available at www.pcstitch.com
(6 megs).
A needlepoint program called Stitch 2000 is available at www.ilsoft.co.uk.
Stitch 2000 has colour palettes for most of the usual
needlepoint wools - Appleton, DMC, Anchor, Paternayan etc. as
well as the floss palettes. The downside of this trial
version is that in addition to disabling the Save and Print
functions, it only displays a small portion of the
pattern. This makes it very difficult to compare this
program with others.
Other programs are available
at www.digistitch.com
and at www.hobbyware.com
to name a few. If you're looking for others, try the ads
in Stitcher's World, Classic Stitches, Needlework or any
of the cross stitch magazines. I would suggest that you start with one
program and become familiar with it before starting your
comparison.
For the sake of discussion, I
will be using PCStitch5.
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| First
Attempt |
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Almost all
these programs work in a similar manner. We'll run quickly
through the process and then go back and discuss the steps.
Open the
program and use File - Import. The next screen asks you to
choose the image to import. Your choices are Disk File
(already in your computer), Scanner (to be scanned at this
time) or Clipboard. I strongly recommend that the image
be already in your computer for reasons discussed below.
Assuming it is, Browse allows you to choose the file. Click on
it and then click on Next.
The next
screen allows you to Crop the image, which means to use only a
portion of the image. Let's skip this for now.
The next
screen asks for the pattern size. Your first choice is
whether you want the pattern size to be inches or stitches.
Let's choose stitches. Then choose a width of 150 (stitches).
Ignore the cloth count for now.
The next
screen asks you to choose a palette - which means what thread
should it use. It also asks for a maximum number of
colours. Choose 30. Ignore the colour adjustments
for now. Click on finish and it will chart your image and display
it in colour. You'll only be looking at the top
left portion of the design so go to Tool Bar where it says
100% and change this to To Fit.
So what do you think?
Do you like what you see? If not, why not?
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| Fine
Tuning the Import |
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Once you've
chosen the image, there are two kinds of questions being asked
during the importing process. The first are questions
about the image being imported (the input). The second
are about the chart (the output).
While you are
importing, you will be given any number of ways to alter the
image. You can crop it, change the colours, remove the
colour entirely, brighten or blur the image etc. While
charting programs do these things fairly well, why not use a
program designed specifically for this purpose. Any photo
editing program i.e. Adobe Photoshop, is much better and
easier to use for editing the image prior to importing it. All
scanners come with an editing program so if you have a
scanner, you already have an editing program.
I always edit
my images before I try and import them. This separates
the process into two manageable pieces. If something goes
wrong or I don't like the output, I can import the image again
quickly. For example, I can chart the image in 15
colours, then in 25 colours, then in 35 colours within a
minute or so because I don't have to do the photo editing each
time.
The second
type of question determines what the chart will be like. These
are questions like: which floss palette to use, how many
stitches (or inches) wide should the chart be, how many
colours should be used. Obviously, the more stitches in the
chart, the finer the detail and likewise with the number of
colours. However, no one wants a pattern that is 1000 stitches
wide using 100 colours. So, you'll have to learn to use
your own judgment about this, through trial and error. Like
everything else, this is a learning process and you
can't expect spectacular results the first time.
The one other
question asked about your output is what count of canvas you
want. This question is asked because the program will
calculate the amount of floss needed to complete the
design. All of these programs do. If you intend to
use a tapestry yarn to work the design as a needlepoint, this
isn't very helpful. The program does, however, also provide
the numbers of stitches to be worked in each colour and this
can be used as a guide. |
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