The Sewing Place

Embroidery software - thoughts please

Tiggy

Embroidery software - thoughts please
« on: August 18, 2019, 10:21:18 AM »
I have a Pfaff embroidery machine which I bought from my relatively local supplier.  I would like some software to play with and am currently running the free version of the Pfaff software which seems quite user friendly.  I can buy the software from my local shop, and get all the support I need but the most basic package is £400 ish.  To get the next stage, It goes up to £755!

I could use Embrilliance, but I learn best from having somebody showing me what to do and answering questions, I wouldn't get that if I bought Embrilliance, which costs a fraction of the Pfaff software - aprox £130.  I've tried the demo version and it is so limited that I can't really play with it.  I've watched some of the YouTube videos with Lindee Goodall.

I've tried the demo version of Embird and couldn't get away with that at all, despite it being another reasonably priced package.
Pfaff Creative 4.5 ,  Babylock Gloria
Janome 3800QE

Morgan

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2019, 10:16:43 AM »
Embrilliance Stitchart and Embird are the economy model packages. 
The core of both these programmes is the basic view and limited stitch file editing package ie. Embrilliance Essentials or Embird basic.   Then to build on that you get more advanced modules which enable you digitise artwork and create your own designs.  You can also add other features for example in Embird you can add a Photostitch plug in and a Fonts plug in.
If you are familiar with vector based drawing programmes then you will find working with either Embird or Embrilliance quite straight forward.  If you are not then it just takes a little bit longer to get used to them.  Often you can get the modules for these programmes in bundles which can work out a little cheaper than buying them separately.

The free version of Embrillinace Express is very useful if all you want to do basic adding lettering to existing designs.  There are some free fonts (.BX format files are what you need for this one) around and you can buy all sorts of others - the nice thing is you buy only the fonts you want which can work out very economical.  For example if you chose to get Embird basic and Embird Studio for digitising but don't want to buy the Font engine plug in for Embird you could get Embrilliance Express for free and a couple of fonts if you want to add lettering.

For a full on digitising package then I recommend strongly Wilcom Hatch.    It is more expensive than the economy packages above but it has a very user-friendly user WYSIWYG interface and it's packed full of all sorts of tools and features.  You can buy Hatch in modules and build them up as you learn more or like the others you can buy the full package from the outset.  You can also buy Wilcom Hatch on a monthly payment plan.

Bottom line with any digitising package - we invest in the expensive machines, we invest in the expensive software and then we don't bother to invest in the education that enables us to make the most of the equipment and software we have.  Often people tend to get locked into the idea of just watching a few videos to learn how to operate the programme and that the programme does all the work of digitising the artwork  That's not the reality.  Learning to digitise decent quality embroidery designs involves a lot more than learning which button to press.  It also involves investing time in practising and consolidating the knowledge and understanding to develop a competent level of expertise. 
By way of comparison - you can learn how to operate a sewing machine but that doesn't teach you how to sew, or you can learn how to operate a car but you still need to learn how to drive, read the road, understand and deal with hazards, navigate and get the feel of appropriate speed and develop your own safety sense.
Machine embroidery, digitising designs and learning how to digitise does involve spending money and time if you want to make the most of your kit.

If you are interested in learning how to digitise and want to do a course then I recommend that you look at John Deer's The Digitising Dream Course - it has 3 levels.
You can get the course for Embrilliance StitchArtist and also Wilcom Hatch (but not Embird).    https://www.digitizingmadeeasy.com/e-classroom/digitizing/ 
In the meantime, if you join this facebook group, you'll pick up a flavour of people's experience with the course and also Hatch.  There's another group for Stitchartist. 

I use 4 different embroidery programmes including the 3 above.  If I could have only one it would be Wilcom Hatch.



Tiggy

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2019, 12:23:28 PM »
That is really useful, thankyou very much for your help.   <3
Pfaff Creative 4.5 ,  Babylock Gloria
Janome 3800QE

Celia

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2019, 17:27:05 PM »
Just adding my experience, I think it depends on how much time and effort you want to put in to designing your own embroideries.
 I have taught a lot of people software and have discovered that only a very small number of people really want to do the full digitising although a lot of us have thought it is what we want, so do please sit down and think about how much you want to use this.
I do love the Pfaff software having said that, but do make certain that your dealer will give good tuition backup if you decide to go that way.

Bodgeitandscarper

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2019, 19:15:41 PM »
I've got Embrilliance Essentials, which is great for tweaking bought designs, I've just tried a free trial of Hatch to use the auto-digitise feature, which worked reasonably well, but it's $499 for that module. 
I don't think I can be bothered to learn properly how to digitise, and the software is sooo expensive...

Norma

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2019, 18:10:04 PM »
Just adding my experience, I think it depends on how much time and effort you want to put in to designing your own embroideries.
 I have taught a lot of people software and have discovered that only a very small number of people really want to do the full digitising although a lot of us have thought it is what we want, so do please sit down and think about how much you want to use this.
I do love the Pfaff software having said that, but do make certain that your dealer will give good tuition backup if you decide to go that way.

Iminei

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2019, 05:44:50 AM »
Now I must preface this post with an apology ... I do not mean to offend anyone and I have written this with a certain amount of my tongue in my cheek and it would help me certainly, if you could read it as such ...

Maybe I just naturally have a suspicious mind (which was an excellent song by Elvis)

So here goes ....

As I've recently exhumed Elvis from his body bag, I read this thread and the John Deer link with great interest because when I first got Elvis this was exactly what I thought I wanted to do ... digitise.

Elvis came with PES Plus ... which sounds like the full banana right ??? But is in fact the LITE version of the software  (great marketing yeah?) and the full version retailed for ££££ ... but I've got on with it quite well for the limited work I've done but find the attached 'design library' pretty infantile and HOW MUCH DISNEY?????

Why include soooo many Disney designs?? Because if you do go on and maybe sell things made using them, Disney (so Im told) will find you and are demon litigators ...

Anyhow back to my post ...

So I clicked on the link to the course and read carefully but what raises my suspicions, apart from the pic of this guy who looks like a complete con artist (sorry but he does) is that apparently ....

In the 1990’s-2000s John owned & ran one of North America’s largest commercial digitizing house, where he did the digitizing for many large corporations including: Disney, Coco-Cola, GM, the NFL, & the NBA.


Now you would think that someone who has done such great work at that level in the industry would be especially punctilious, precise ... even maybe a perfectionist or at least on the ball enough to know how to spell the name of one of the worlds top companies ??

This is just me nit picking here, but if I was looking to spend such a hefty amount of money that sort of thing concerns me.

Is this course really designed by the man in the photo or is the pic of a Man at C&A model ???

Or is John Deer .... if he really is the designer of this course because lets face it, how easy would it be to sell an online course to an audience which will almost certainly be made up of a high majority of woman, many of whom will be of a certain age, by spearheading it with a good looking man? Of course he cant be too young so lets give him the Steve Martin hair to suggest age and experience but the flawless looks of someone much younger  .....  really some gruff old 70 year old Mountain man from the Rockies with a ZZ Top beard and one leg???

So @Morgan @Celia  is John Deer for real ???

PS Isn't John Deer an American tractor company?

PPS .... I have just googled John Deer ... specifically without the 'e' on the end of Deer which is the tractor company ...
and Ive scrolled through 10 pages of tractors not one mention of this digitising design guru ???

Really ....  does John Deer 'The Worlds Most Awarded Digitizer' really exist or is it Joan Deer ???
Mnnnnnnnn the plot thickens!
« Last Edit: September 21, 2019, 06:27:01 AM by Iminei »
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

Celia

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2019, 08:16:15 AM »
Sorry @Iminei I have never heard of him but as I have mainly worked with HusqvarnaViking and Pfaff software and that is not one he supports that might be why.  I also use a Mac computer out of choice but have worked with the windows one too.

If you are thinking of going down that road  and buying the full version of software do look very carefully at where you buy it, as support is hard to find in a lot of places.


Ohsewsimple

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2019, 12:10:01 PM »
@Iminei John Deer is well known in the industry.  He’s been around for years.  I think he has something to do with Hatch software.  Morgan would know more  about that.   I use a Mac so can’t use this one.   And it’s so expensive I wouldn’t anyway.   I originally thought I might digitise designs.  But quite honestly there are now so many good ones around, I’d rather be sewing.   I’m quite happy to edit and customise if needed.  But yes, JD is real! :)

Morgan

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2019, 15:30:11 PM »
@Iminei , yes he is for real, the digitising, help, lessons and support are very good and it is a family business.

There are different departments eg. Adorable Ideas/Ultimate Stash (for Designs) Digitizing Made Easy/Embroidery Legacy for digitizing, education & buying software .

The digitising course (3 modules) is offered for several different software packages -


[/size]Hatch, Floriani, DIME, Embrillinace Stitch Artist, Perla, Janome, Bernina, PE Design, PrePalette and Designers Gallery Creator

[/size]
[/size]They have a YouTube Channel with hundreds of free videos (it's a business so there's always the marketing talk in it somewhere but the subject matter is usually informative and helpful)[/size]It's helpful that often the information shared in the videos is about digitising and embroidery and not only about which button to press to operate the programme.


This is Embroidery Legacy on Facebook

 This is the facebook group for Hatch - https://www.facebook.com/groups/HatchFacts/



Iminei

Re: Embroidery software - thoughts please
« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2019, 08:45:36 AM »
WOW! Hes real!!!

Thanks for the replies and thank you for not taking offence, it just seems a lil too good to be true!

No, Im not considering any courses; I am using Elvis (or have done lately) a bit but never enough to justify that sort of cost ... tho' if anyone wanted to come and give me a 121 on all things Elvis, I wouldnt say no.  ;)
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again