I'm new to this forum. I'm picking up cross-stitch after nearly 30 years away, having last done it as a wee boy with my Mother.
I'm trying to learn charting for myself, as I am planning a huge cross-stitch project, and will require about 20 or more custom charts. I don't have the kind of cheese that most companies want for the high-quality detailed charts that I will require, like HAED-their charts are some of the loveliest and most detailed that I've ever come across.
Can anyone recommend the BEST software or technique for creating photorealistic charts? The stitching will be done on 25 ct Lugana so that are extremely detailed, with at least 75 colours for each.
Would a charting software do this, or is Photoshop better? (I've checked online for photoshop tutorials, and followed along with one using a photo of my granny. She ended up looking like Wreck-it Ralph. Square and chunky)
Thanks so much for your help,
Snaps
Charting Software and techniques
Moderators: rcperryls, Rose, karen4bells, Serinde, Alex
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karen4bells
- Posts: 21817
- Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:53 pm
- Location: Florida
Re: Charting Software and techniques
Hello and welcome to the forums, Snaps!!
As for the software and techniques question---one of our forum members has a free software charting program and you can read about it on this thread
http://crossstitchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=26159
Hope that will help you and again, welcome to the forum
As for the software and techniques question---one of our forum members has a free software charting program and you can read about it on this thread
http://crossstitchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=26159
Hope that will help you and again, welcome to the forum
Work in Progress
Dimensions Passion Flower Angel
Tempting Tangles Welcome SAL
Various small designs
Dimensions Passion Flower Angel
Tempting Tangles Welcome SAL
Various small designs
Re: Charting Software and techniques
Hi Karen,
I just tried to download and run that. I couldn't get it to open properly.
I am using 7-zip, as my winzip trial is over (I never knew that they had started requiring you to purchase it!!).
I asked Richard for help.
Thanks for answering so promptly!!
Snaps
I just tried to download and run that. I couldn't get it to open properly.
I am using 7-zip, as my winzip trial is over (I never knew that they had started requiring you to purchase it!!).
I asked Richard for help.
Thanks for answering so promptly!!
Snaps
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karen4bells
- Posts: 21817
- Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:53 pm
- Location: Florida
Re: Charting Software and techniques
Glad I could at least point you in the right direction and I hope that Richard will be able to help you---it could take a while as he is in UK and they are a few hours ahead of us here in the USsnappyboy wrote:Hi Karen,
I just tried to download and run that. I couldn't get it to open properly.
I am using 7-zip, as my winzip trial is over (I never knew that they had started requiring you to purchase it!!).
I asked Richard for help.
Thanks for answering so promptly!!
Snaps
Work in Progress
Dimensions Passion Flower Angel
Tempting Tangles Welcome SAL
Various small designs
Dimensions Passion Flower Angel
Tempting Tangles Welcome SAL
Various small designs
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richardandtracy
- Posts: 5448
- Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 4:27 pm
- Location: Kent, UK
- Contact:
Re: Charting Software and techniques
Sorry for not contributing earlier, I have only just seen this, I tend to go off line of a weekend to concentrate on persecuting the family.
My program comes in a zip file. Windows XP and later are all able to create/open standard zip files in Windows File Explorer. Open the zip file as if it were a directory and then drag and drop all the files into a non-zipped directory. The program to run is 'BlendThreads.exe'. The program has a 3Mb help file accessible through the program or by double clicking on 'backstitch.chm'. If that doesn't fully work, I used to use 'Zip Central' http://zipcentral.en.softonic.com/downl ... SWH-1776.2 which was programmed in the same programming environment as I use, and I don't think it has changed a great deal since I used it a few years ago.
As for number of colours, in my program you select the number of 'Colour Space Divisions', which sets an upper limit on the possible number of colours, and then the actual number of colours will be less than that. The maximum possible number of colours is 'The cube of (Colour Space Divisions + 1)'. So, if the colour space division number is 4, the maximum possible colours will be 125. In practice, dependant on the picture, I've had between 4 and 30 colours come from a picture where the colour space divisions is 4. The program limits you to a maximum of 100 for the colour space divisions, which ends up as a maximum of over a million colours.
If you use blending, I must advise that the program only has 600 symbols programmed in, so that is the practical limit to the number of colours. I have converted a 450 x 300 picture aiming for the highest possible number of colours (using 100 for the 'colour space divisions' along with blending and dithering) and came out with over 8000 colours in the converted image, however I am NOT going to go to the effort of programming in that number of symbols. The program draws them as lines and filled areas at an appropriate scale, unlike most charting programs, instead of using special fonts. This means there is no chance of the font file being lost, but makes it more difficult for me as the programmer.
If you cannot get on with my program in the end, I used to use Ryijy Stitch Designer before I wrote my own program. Ryijy does not blend colours or use dithering, but it is possible to get a higher colour count picture with care. it's here: http://ryijy-stitch-designer.software.informer.com/
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Richard.
My program comes in a zip file. Windows XP and later are all able to create/open standard zip files in Windows File Explorer. Open the zip file as if it were a directory and then drag and drop all the files into a non-zipped directory. The program to run is 'BlendThreads.exe'. The program has a 3Mb help file accessible through the program or by double clicking on 'backstitch.chm'. If that doesn't fully work, I used to use 'Zip Central' http://zipcentral.en.softonic.com/downl ... SWH-1776.2 which was programmed in the same programming environment as I use, and I don't think it has changed a great deal since I used it a few years ago.
As for number of colours, in my program you select the number of 'Colour Space Divisions', which sets an upper limit on the possible number of colours, and then the actual number of colours will be less than that. The maximum possible number of colours is 'The cube of (Colour Space Divisions + 1)'. So, if the colour space division number is 4, the maximum possible colours will be 125. In practice, dependant on the picture, I've had between 4 and 30 colours come from a picture where the colour space divisions is 4. The program limits you to a maximum of 100 for the colour space divisions, which ends up as a maximum of over a million colours.
If you use blending, I must advise that the program only has 600 symbols programmed in, so that is the practical limit to the number of colours. I have converted a 450 x 300 picture aiming for the highest possible number of colours (using 100 for the 'colour space divisions' along with blending and dithering) and came out with over 8000 colours in the converted image, however I am NOT going to go to the effort of programming in that number of symbols. The program draws them as lines and filled areas at an appropriate scale, unlike most charting programs, instead of using special fonts. This means there is no chance of the font file being lost, but makes it more difficult for me as the programmer.
If you cannot get on with my program in the end, I used to use Ryijy Stitch Designer before I wrote my own program. Ryijy does not blend colours or use dithering, but it is possible to get a higher colour count picture with care. it's here: http://ryijy-stitch-designer.software.informer.com/
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Richard.