The Sewing Place

Machine Talk => Embroidery Machines => Topic started by: Sewgorgeous on May 08, 2020, 22:17:53 PM

Title: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sewgorgeous on May 08, 2020, 22:17:53 PM
Can any of you lovely sewers help with some embroidery software questions? I am not sure how the embroidery software works to create a design, for example,  can you get a image from the internet and convert it to stitch out? Or can you only convert things that are from things like clip art that are already from the computer? Or does the software just have its own 'stock' of designs that you can only edit? My machine is a bernina 580 using EXP files if I was to buy software from say Janome  that converts to EXP files be ok to use or an extra headache?  Any help greatly appreciated  :loveit:
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Lyn-J on May 08, 2020, 22:40:16 PM
I use Bernina Software. You can import an image and let the software "fill" it in. You can create your own design from scratch or use an imported image for guidance. Another alternative is to edit bought designs. All you said and much more. You can download a trial version here (https://www.bernina.com/en-GB/Software-GB/Embroidery-Software/BERNINA-Embroidery-Software-8)
Not familiar with any of the others, so hoping someone else can chip in.
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sewgorgeous on May 09, 2020, 17:21:28 PM
Thank you Lyn-J it sound worth giving a try, thanks for the useful link  :D   I've not mastered my embroidery machine yet even though I have had a few years now, Its always stopping or jamming and I can never work out why then give up,  :thinking: only had a few successful attempts with it. 
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Iminei on May 10, 2020, 09:13:09 AM
There are lots of ethereal shops that sell designs you have to specify your software ... in your case EXP, in mine PES, and size of design before you buy from a drop down list.

Its then sent through the air to your laptop for you download, rename and select for your machine to stitch out. The files come with thread change lists or you can make up your own colours... Sorry if you know all this, not trying to teach you to suck eggs ..

As for downloading an image and stitching it out I dont know, I think you need some pretty expensive digitizing software for that ....
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Bodgeitandscarper on May 10, 2020, 11:25:37 AM
@Sewgorgeous I've never got into digitising, it all looks far to complicated, but I use Embrilliance for editing existing designs.

What sort of machine do you have?  Maybe we can help you with the problems if you tell us just what happens?  There's some knowledgeable folk on here - no, not me, I just bumble my way through it!
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: sewmuchmore on May 10, 2020, 18:06:42 PM
@Sewgorgeous I use PE Design 10 Design Centrre for digitising my own designs or alter preloaded designs, you can also design your own stitches. The Design 10 softwear itself has a wizard which does most of the hard work for you, down load a file, clipart, photo, picture or scan and the softwear will change it into an embroidery design. Sounds simple? Maybe not as easy as it sounds, you have to make sure the image is clear, no broken lines the right resolution etc. As @Iminei says it is a very expensive bit of kit so if you can get a free trial I would definitely go for that option first.
As @Bodgeitandscarper says tell us what you are struggling with and we will see if we can help.

Just a thought but have you seen the tutorials, here (https://www.bernina.com/en-GB/Machines-GB/Series-Overview/BERNINA-5-Series/BERNINA-580#!tutorials) for your machine,  8, 9,and 10 are for the embroidery unit.
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sewgorgeous on May 10, 2020, 21:11:51 PM
Thanks for your replies, @Iminei I have tried a few of the download ones in the past, but don't see many that I like, my son wanted to make  some T-shirts with words on to sell to his uni friends to get a bit of extra cash (hopefully) so he asked me to do some on my machine, but I can't find any style of writing that he liked, @sewmuchmore more - yes a free trial period is the best idea,  I have thought of getting software for a while but worried about it being to hard to work out how to use, are you glad you bought yours and do you find it hard to learn and was it worth the money? (worth it in the sense of the love of your hobby) I have seen the tutorials on the machine thanks for link  @Bodgeitandscarper  - I have a Bernina 580 at the moment it was just letters I wanted for now in a certain style but in general I would like to use the embroidery machine more than I do but never get inspired by the ones I see online (even though there is thousands of them  :D)
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Iminei on May 11, 2020, 08:46:26 AM
I use PE Design 10 Design ....  if you can get a free trial I would definitely go for that option first.

But beware PE Design Plus .. which comes as an extra with many machines ....

Sounds good yes?
Plus must mean MORE right?
No! ...  to the canny spin doctors of PE Design, PLUS means LITE
It sort of does some things but not half the features of the full fat version ...

If I want lettering I have used PEDP and the fonts they have
but the ones on Elvistoo are great too

  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sewgorgeous on May 12, 2020, 10:13:04 AM
Thats a lovely quilt @Iminei you obviously not having the same trouble as me with letters and needles breaks  :facepalm: thats helpful to know about the design plus, most of the software seems to be on windows and we have a macbook how annoying!
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: twopence on May 12, 2020, 10:15:36 AM
@Sewgorgeous Bernina’s toolbox software can be used on a Mac and can be bought in parts, some specifically for lettering.
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Celia on May 12, 2020, 17:44:21 PM
You could try https://www.premierplusembroidery.com/en this works well on a Mac.  It can be bought in lots of different levels but it is expensive.


Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Morgan on May 14, 2020, 01:09:51 AM

Two packages to consider. 
Both are tiered packages so you get only the level you will use and both have good customer and technical support 
Many people tend not to want to invest in the lessons to learn how to digitise embroidery designs as well as the full digitising software package and as a result they don't make the most of full digitising packages.
Learning to digitise is straight forward but it does take time effort and a lot of practice.  Most just need something that they can use to do some fairly basic editing and to add lettering to the designs they've bought.

The idea of auto digitising designs is appealing  but often the results are disappointing.  Although programmes are better than they used to be for auto digitising, manual digitising is the best way to create machine embroidery designs.

Wilcom Hatch 2.  A windows based package with a wysiwyg user friendly user interface.  It's an intuitive to use powerful programme.
Try the 30 day free trial.  You can try out the programme at each of the tier levels to see which level you need.


Embrilliance is the programme to choose if you prefer to use a Mac rather than Windows   it also runs on a PC.
If you just want to add lettering to a design  then the most economical way to do that is to get the free version of the programme called Embrilliance Express. There are a couple of You Tube videos on how to download and use the free version.  With this, you buy only the fonts you are going to use.  They are .bx  files and there are plenty to choose from. 
Embrilliance essentials is a basic editing level and the full programme is Embrilliance Stitch Artist.


Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: sewmuchmore on May 15, 2020, 18:51:08 PM
@Sewgorgeous Yes I am glad I got mine. The original basic version came free with my machine but then paid £350 for the upgrade which does so much more. The only disappointment, as @Iminei will vouch is that Brother support is pretty poor i.e non existent, so tutorials etc do not exist. I also found that if i wanted the instruction manual i would have to pay another £35 and wait 4 months for it to arrive from China. Needless to say i didn't bother and just learnt by doing (my preferred way of learning anyway).
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Lyn-J on May 15, 2020, 21:01:48 PM
@Sewgorgeous
Quote
Its always stopping or jamming and I can never work out why
Anything we can help with?
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Iminei on May 16, 2020, 08:19:50 AM
Yes I never quite understood why, in this age of online, brother have not released any tutorials whatsoever!!??!!

Janome are wonderful and have short online tuts for every kind of foot imaginable but Brothers sole attempt is to thank you for giving them huuuge amounts of money and show you how to thread the s**** thing and thats it!!!

There must be an opening here for someone to produce a series of decent tuts??!! not me, as I scarcely know what Im doing.
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sewgorgeous on May 16, 2020, 15:15:44 PM
Thanks for all your help and replies, I'm going to trial them before I buy  @Morgan thats a great idea to get training as I fear my brain would frazzle trying to teach myself, are there  many places that offer this do you know?  :D
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Wychall on May 19, 2020, 21:45:26 PM
I grabbed a photo from the internet, digitised it with Embrilliance Stitch Artist and stitched it out today. 8" by 9". First real digitising I have done so jump in there!

(https://img.techpowerup.org/200519/20200518-102905.jpg)
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Iminei on May 20, 2020, 08:16:11 AM
BLIMEY!!!!!

That's good!
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sewgorgeous on May 20, 2020, 08:21:29 AM
@Wychall - WOW thats amazing!!
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Morgan on May 26, 2020, 02:21:41 AM
Thanks for all your help and replies, I'm going to trial them before I buy  @Morgan thats a great idea to get training as I fear my brain would frazzle trying to teach myself, are there  many places that offer this do you know?  :D

There is an excellent 3 level online course.  It is John Deer's Digitizers Dream Course. 
If you buy Hatch through his website, you get some extra bits and pieces and I think they include the first level of the course. 
Even if paying full price without discounts, the course is well worth the money. 

If you have any of the other software packages tge course covers, I think you pay for sll three levels.
The course covers Embrilliance and Hatch among the 10 different packages.
It is a course about digitising and creating machine friendly designs whichever programme is used and not just which button to press.
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Addiscomber on May 26, 2020, 13:46:47 PM
Sorry - made a mistake.
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sewgorgeous on May 27, 2020, 09:21:51 AM
There is an excellent 3 level online course.  It is John Deer's Digitizers Dream Course. 
If you buy Hatch through his website, you get some extra bits and pieces and I think they include the first level of the course. 
Even if paying full price without discounts, the course is well worth the money. 

If you have any of the other software packages tge course covers, I think you pay for sll three levels.
The course covers Embrilliance and Hatch among the 10 different packages.
It is a course about digitising and creating machine friendly designs whichever programme is used and not just which button to press.

Thank you for the reply I shall have a look
Title: Re: Embroidery Software
Post by: Sara-S on June 24, 2020, 15:17:53 PM
I am using 2 related programs from the same company. The editor is called Sew What Pro. The digitizer (which allows you to convert images from the net into stitched patterns) is called Sew Art.  You can download free trial versions of each, that are good for 30 days.  The editor is good for resizing/reorienting images, adding text, etc.

I am still in the trial period, but like these well enough to pay for them, once the trial period ends.  Neither is overly costly.