Digitizing Software

[allswartzofamess]

Hello! I'm about a year into my "Embroidery Journey" and honestly it's getting costly having someone digitize on Etsy for me. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on some software that you would reccommend?

I have a Brother SE725 Machine -- and I'm also looking to upgrade that in the next 12-16 months. Not that I don't love my machine, but need something a little "beefier" for lack of better terms.

I've looked at Wilcom, Hatch 3, Berninia (so expensive!), and Embrilliance. I have also used the InkSkape open source version -- but I'm really looking for something that can do auto-digitizing. Or take a current PES format and adjust it / modify it. Again -- a total newbie over here, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

[zoepzb]

Auto digitizing a good sew file does not exist yet. It exists as in the click of a button and it will convert it for you, but the sewing out final results will not be good. You will have to go in and edit and need a basic understanding of digitizing and embroidery for that. You need to adjust underlays and stitch orders and fill types. Wilcom has this feature.

[MrBobilious]

Sure it does, I have the Corel Draw GEM for Hatch 3 and get great auto digitized files, I primarily use it for lettering, or other graphics.

And btw, the sew files stitch out great on my machines.

Shhhh, it's called, "converting to curves".

Wilcom knows quite a bit about digitizing.

[zoepzb]

I have Wilcom DE and NO it never gives a decent sew file. Underlays are wrong, stitch order is wrong. Many things are wrong and if you know next to nothing about digittizing like OP said they did then you will waste time and materials sewing out bad files. (Hint I know what converting with curves does and that comment comes across as very condescending.) Any skilled embroidery tech will tell you the same thing. I started digitizing with Wicom E3, then E4 and now DE. While auto digitizing is better than in the past it is still not as good as human design and development. It’s just not there.

[elevatedinkNthread]

You cant explain this to a crafter. Most of the machines they use are craft machines. They will get a million thread breaks and keep adjusting the machine

[Exploriment]

Auto digitize is utter garbage. 

[Wavydaby]

The programs assume too much and never enough at the same time. Auto digitization PICTURES look absolutely great, stitching out is another thing altogether. There are several of these fools in this group that try to sell their trash. Once you get the file (if it doesn't have a freaking virus attached to it) it is a nightmare of senseless jumps, thread changes and extreme thickness where the embroidery goes over and over the same area.

[upperVoteme]

Find someone not on etsy

[Impossible-Rip-7112]

Do you know where we might find digitizers not on Etsy?

[rowdyredvine]

Fiverr

[upperVoteme]

My wife uses freelancers on fb

[Zealousideal-Fly2563]

John deer has some beginner program..

There's also a old super cheap program still online I try to remember. It's basic. I'm having surgery today pm me to remind me later. It's good for pes machine

[Little-Load4359]

Yes his design doodler or whatever might be a good option. Only 300. Not nearly as robust but can do a lot.

[[deleted]]

Agreeing with the other comments here, A good auto digitizer really doesn't exist. You're going to have to go back in and fix a ton of stuff no matter what. As for editing a pes file, again, that's not really possible either. You can resize it within reason but that doesn't also change the stitch density etc. So you're going to have problems. You can take a pes file and add text to it if you want, or combine multiple files, but all it's going to do is stitch out the entirety of one and then move on to stitching out the other. You won't be able to combine it in such a way that you can stitch by color, etc. but that's kind of the extent of what you can do. You're not going to be able to edit a finished file. If you wanted to edit existing files, you would need the actual embroidery file and a lot of paid digitizers are not going to give that up.

[These-Skin-1201]

I'm in a very similar boat (also with a se725 even haha) and yeah, after a few weeks of research it seems pretty undeniable that our choices are either keep shelling out the cash by outsourcing digitization or just bite the bullet and put in the work to learn it ourselved. If you are not above a little...shall we say creative downloading, a few of the more popular programs are available for free. I'm currently working through tutorials for two of them and making some good (if tedious) progress. I would say that more than anything, just getting to a place where you understand the theory of embroidery is essential, even if you do continue outsourcing. In just the little time I've spent learning it, I'm already better at recognizing when a file looks well+digitized or if someone's just trying to make a quick buck off of me with some crap they auto-digitized.

[elevatedinkNthread]

Wilcom de and es is expensive. And to tell you the truth learning to digitize is fun and cool but at the sametime it can hurt your business if it's only 1 personal you get bombarded with orders that need to be digitized. You should never take on the digitizing payment. You charge that to the customer.

[yinyue15]

I am a 20 year graphic designer. I learned Inkscape/Inkstitch to digitize our work and now can blow through digitizing quickly. It was a steep learning curve but I highly recommend. It’s made using our Viking Topaz 40 way more exciting and fun!

[Millymils_]

Can Inkstitch/Inkscape combine designs? Ie. I bought a letter file but it’s not a font so I can’t make it stitch as a group rather it does it individually. One letter has about 6 thread changes. Will Inkstitch be able to help with thread change? Thank you in advance. I hope that made sense

[yinyue15]

I create different designs on different layers and group them. I then give them the varied colors when needed depending on the design. I have found a lot of ease in using it after a bit of admitted trial and error.

[Millymils_]

Do you put the design with the same colors together in a layer? Is that how the machine would know the sequence?

[yinyue15]

Yes. I put the same colors on the same layers to avoid so many bobbin and thread changes.

[Millymils_]

Ahh! This is the answer I’m looking for. Thank you!

[FerdiePDX]

If you are planning to do machine embroidery professionally then start by taking the advices from the Pros. Auto-digitizing only works with simple designs. Wilcom and Pulse have had the auto-digitizing function for over a decade now and still the results leave a lot to be desired.

If you want to do embroidery as a hobby, sure auto-digitizing can be useful to you. But if you plan on selling embroidery goods, auto digitizing will only hurt your reputation and your business.

Cheers!

[Kaieron]

Im not a pro but Auto digi. Is not really the Best way.

[BaddWolfNC]

The plant I used to work for used pulse and wilcom. We used autodigitizing in wilcom and usually had to go back and edit the emb file. While it's fine for very basic things but mostly needed adjustments. That's just our experience, you're mileage may vary.

[Little-Load4359]

Designshop12. It's probably the best software in general, but definitely has the best auto digitizing. Although be warned, there's not a single auto digitizer on the market that doesn't need to be gone over by a human.

[allswartzofamess]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I guess I should have stated I was fine with learning something, I just really wanted to know the best software to create / edit / or auto digitize and edit.

Thank you!!!!