Does ANYONE digitize? Or is it all just a myth?

[Trista36]

Does anyone out there digitize at all??? That was the big reason I bought my machine, but I just cant get the hang of the digitizing. I have a Husqvarna and have spent no end of time trying to scan in my pictures to come up with nada. In fact, is the whole machine embroidery thing a crock? The pictures in the brochures look so good, but I have yet to be able to produce so much as a napkin which resembles those works of art. ALSO, and this is my final part of the rant, where are some cool designs?? There seems to be no end to the teddy bears and baby stuff, but nothing that is similar to say the Sublime Stiching patterns...ahhhh, perhaps I am destined to embroider curtains by hand...

[Tanza]

digitising is an art that takes a lot of time and patience to perfect.

What program are you using?

most auto punch programs, as in scan the image and the program digitises for you,will give you undesirable results.

you really want to manual punch your design, tell each stitch where to go, that way you get the result you want.

tell me your program and we'll see if I can't help you.

 

[Yarn or Fabric]

I've done two designs so far and had great success.  I think that it's a knack - and patience - a lot of patience needed to do it. It just clicked for me - but then I must have been in the right frame of mind - and I also followed a tutorial that really got me jump started.

I enjoyed digitizing.  I am looking forward to doing more with it - especially applique.  I want to make up some great applique designs for a bunch of things!

Don't give up on the machine embroidery - there are an increasing number of not so cute and cuddly designs out there - and those of us (me included) that intend to bring more to the market.

You can use any design out there as long as you can convert it - and there is software out there to do that.  I think that it is probably your auto digitizing program - they do stink.  People are not happy with it.  If you want, download a free trial of Embird and do a few tutorials.  I can get some links for you - that will get you going for sure!

[Craft Addict]

I digitize (when I'm not being lazy).  I digitize tattoo art.  It's definitely something you need to practice.  I have a Husqvarna as well.  Did you do the tutorial that comes with the disk?  I found the manual with the step by step pictures to be very helpful.  When you scan in your own design, you have to make sure that each section is colored in.

[Trista36]

I am feeling much more zen having read all your replies. I think you are all right, I need to chill and focus. Spend more time getting the skills. I'm using the 3D Professional program. I might have gone over-board with the Professional, as I am not. ANY tips are appreciated, in the meantime, i am going to go back to the manual and try the tutorial with a bit more patience.
I look forward to seeing some cool patterns though!!

[my2boys]

I was nervous at first, i don't know maybe not nervous but not sure if i'd like it. I'm glad i tried it b/c i do alot now. I'm still learning but i love sharing my designs. If you just try it you never know. I use thredworks for now b/c i didn't want to spend alot of $$ & not like digitizing.

[guldikr]

I use Palette 5.0 and Embird.  I draw my designs using Illustrator then move into Photoshop to make the line art.  Then I digitize it in Palette and Embird.  These are both awesome programs.
Kelli

[StephaniePrice]

I digitize every day and LOVE it. It just takes time to figure out, and after that, you're on a roll

[smarmyclothes]

I would love if someone could post some links to helpful tutorials or sites with info about digitizing, because I am LOST!

[Yarn or Fabric]

Add your links to Embird digitizing tutorials!

here are some that I know of!

Embird4beginners@yahoogroups.com - has mini tutorials every other month or so

There are some here as well - but I have not tried them yet..
http://www.editingwizardry.com/embirdtutorials.html
http://bdzines.com/

I'll edit and add more later - I have a few more but need to run!

[pixeegrl]

Thanks for the links craftydeb. Was looking for some help with Embird! After paying for the program they also want you to pay for the tutorials!
Craft Addict I love your Mike Ness avatar!!!!

[paroper]

Of all the programs out there, you are most likely to be able to find free advice on Embird.  It is a very popular program. 

There are wonderful digitized designs out there...in every catagory you might want....

Zundtdesign.com  Wonderful heavy laces and light weight laces..done by a man.

http://www.advanced-embroidery-designs.com/   from fine lace to old master's (paintings)

http://www.bfc-creations.com/   AMAZING designs

Hatchedinafrica.com   Wide range of excellent designs

http://www.abc-embroidery-designs.com/

EMblibrary.com  (most everyone knows about this one)

Check with Secrets of Embroidery.  They are a clearing house of different designers. 

There is also a new Urban design company that was founded by one of the designers at EL...be on the lookout for it.  Their designs are much more modern

embroideryonline.co m  A wide mixture of all kinds of designs...many commercial quality.

[Cya]

I create all my designs myself and digitize them. Don't give up, it's definitely worth it!
It helps if you start with something very simple and work your way from there.

[sewnutzz]

Have you taken any of the classes offered by your Viking dealer?  You should have a number of free classes (well, not so free since you paid a premium for your machine and software...) available to you, not to mention a dealer who should be able to help you with your digitizing questions.  Attend the shop's embroidery club, get to really know your machine and the software. 

I found that there was a huge learning curve in learning how to digitize....have been learning how to for years now, still learning new stuff.  Use the tutorial that came with your digitizing software.  Go over it step by step.  Practice, practice, practice.  Remember, you did not go to school knowing how to write in cursive (and probably were not so good at printing), the same is true for digitizing.  It takes instruction, practice, messing up, figuring out where you messed up, then doing it again.

Good luck,
SewNutzz (who was about to toss all the embroidery stuff over the weekend because the design she was working on just did not want to do right....arrrrrrrrh hhhhh!)

[FiberDogs]

Does anyone use Master Works?

Its pricey - its hurts - but my dealer digitized a naughty librarian drawing for me and it looked fab.

Hubby downloaded Embird for me, but we ditched it because it was super buggy on my machine - and the tutorials online seemed buggy too - anyone have similar experience?

[stitchesbyteresa]

I've purchased several designs from

http://www.glennharris.com.au/

and I have also requested certain designs and he would make them really quick.  If you look at his pages, it will inspire you to keep trying.  He does amazing work.  He's in austraila, but has paypal set up for americans.  I make my own designs, but I mostly prefer making applique designs as they are much faster and it doesnt take a long time to create the design from scratch.

Teresa

[lowree]

I have to jump in here on this thread! lol.. I digitize too, but like someone earlier said, it's not something you are going to learn over night. It does take time to learn the tecniques and to learn your program. I see many ppl who digitize use embird.. I tried that but then purchased the PE Designs (by Brother). I am sure if i stuck w/ embird i may have picked the program up easier, but i went online and found forums w/ the Brother software and found a person that litterally walked me step by step on how to operate PE Designs.

So i've been using this ever since and i love it. The key to any home digitizing is that your 'picture' that you are digitizing to have very clean, crisp lines. Specially if you are new to the world of digitizing. When i first started to digitize, i was picking pictures that were very complex with tiny tiny details.. well that's a big no no.. in order to learn you have to start small and then move on from there.

Starting small allows you to make your mistakes, then learn from them. When you start off with a very intense, intricate design, you then have no clue what you are messing up on, in turn it makes you very frustrated and then you give up. Take a small basic picture that might have one or 2 colors, learn how to place them, call the stitches that you want, your density ......stitch it out......you then can learn from the basic and move forward... next design you do, you then attempt maybe one w/ more lines and 3 colors.. then so on and so on..

I thought oh boy.......i now got the software i can digitize.......well, it doesnt' work that way.. start small and basic and learn to grow from there.

 

[madeupnorth]

where are some cool designs?? There seems to be no end to the teddy bears and baby stuff, but nothing that is similar to say the Sublime Stiching patterns

Bit late to the game here, but ... http://www.urbanthreads.com.

[Cheesamaburger]

I have used the 3D and 4D.  I have a Designer SE.  Yes, I went overboard. 

It takes some practice before you can get something good.  I've found that the image you use has to be really simple, and it has to be only one color.  It may look like it's only one color to you, but when you zoom in on it, it's really many shades.  I think it's bitmap images that have the least color variation?  I spend at least a half hour editing images so that they have just a couple of colors.  Then, I can use the 3D or 4D digitizer and it works much better. 

The software you have has tutorials that come with it.  You really need to look on your machine for the tutorial files and DO them, if you haven't yet.  I haven't even done all of mine yet, but after I did some of them then the whole process started to work for me. 

[amarok]

i have the 4D and am so jealous. you say there are good tutorials? WHERE? the manual (with the tutorials) that came with the program all show me how to do something to a design that already exists. i actually don't want to know about that, i only want to know how to MAKE something. i've read through the tutorials and made some of the practice thingies on there but they REALLY don't help me. i'm quite sad and angry about this. and i bought the program from helsinki and live in kotka - so there's a 130km drive if i want to go and learn. before i bought the program we went over the basics with the person who sold me this. she always helps me when i have any questions. but i really really would love it if i could go to a course somewhere were they would teach me how to make my own designs from scratch. preferably from my own pictures. i'm thinking that one day i should go to helsinki and bug the person who sold me the program for a whole day! maybe i'd learn. it's just that i have a very iffy memory, so i really should go like every day for a few weeks so that i wouldn't get too much information at one go and would remember the things afrerwards.

[animegirlie]

I use Palette 5.0 and Embird.  I draw my designs using Illustrator then move into Photoshop to make the line art.  Then I digitize it in Palette and Embird.  These are both awesome programs.
Kelli

what makes it necessary to use 4 different design programs? I am looking at the different machines and software available at the moment and am sort of confused about the whole thing. 

anyone know anything about this software? http://embroideryi2.com/

[missblackpepper]

I use Palette 5.0 and Embird.  I draw my designs using Illustrator then move into Photoshop to make the line art.  Then I digitize it in Palette and Embird.  These are both awesome programs.
Kelli

what makes it necessary to use 4 different design programs? I am looking at the different machines and software available at the moment and am sort of confused about the whole thing. 

anyone know anything about this software? http://embroideryi2.com/

I'm just as curious about this - has anybody used the Embroidery i2Pro thingie?

[animegirlie]

I use Palette 5.0 and Embird.  I draw my designs using Illustrator then move into Photoshop to make the line art.  Then I digitize it in Palette and Embird.  These are both awesome programs.
Kelli

what makes it necessary to use 4 different design programs? I am looking at the different machines and software available at the moment and am sort of confused about the whole thing. 

anyone know anything about this software? http://embroideryi2.com/

I'm just as curious about this - has anybody used the Embroidery i2Pro thingie?

The site doesn't have much info on the machine format it outputs, I was hoping someone around here had at least seen it