I tried every free cross stitch pattern converter so you don't have to!

Рет қаралды 86,379

2 жыл бұрын

Looking for the best free cross stitch converter app? I gotchu! Fifteen pattern makers, three tests, let's do some science! We'll test colour accuracy, Pattern Keeper compatibility, general ease of use and transparency handling so hold onto your hats for some TRULY exciting stuff.
--------------
Find the full rankings and links to every tool featured in this video here: truthful-act-b62.notion.site/...
And check out Tom the watercolour man at / tomhavinganartattack
--------------
If you found this video helpful, please consider supporting the channel by buying me a cuppa over at ko-fi.com/thegiddystitcher
You can also find the free Halloween Biscornu cross stitch pattern there too! ko-fi.com/s/b2d98d4ca8
--------------
You can also find me at linksta.cc/@thegiddystitcher
And join our Discord community full of socially awkward crafters at / discord
--------------
#flosstube #crossstitch

Пікірлер: 184

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

This video idea seemed so simple, but omg. So. Many. Apps. Still, enjoy this in-depth look at a really niche thing that maybe one of you *if we're lucky* will actually find timely and relevant!

@alexlemaire8513 4 ай бұрын

With how advanced technology is nowadays, it's pretty frustrating how craft related tools all seem to be from 2009😂 Thank you for testing them out this is really helpful!

@TheGiddyStitcher 4 ай бұрын

Haha, yeah I feel that. You're very welcome!

@stitchingrunner 2 жыл бұрын

"Don't be gross..." Your sense of humor is the best!

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

Haha, well we all know what people are like!

@marie-low-stresslife7374 2 жыл бұрын

Just realized creating my cross-stitch designs in Procreate by manually drawing each cross was maybe not my best idea 😆 Should have checked what was out there! Thank you Michelle for the thorough analysis, it must have taken you ages to create this video! 🥰

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

You know, I've been using Procreate more to design lately as well although just for the pixel art part, I'm still using Photoshop to make the charts. Keep looking for a better alternative (quite thoroughly, as you can see!) but so far nothing yet. Still, if Procreate is wrong then we're wrong together :D

@bookwormbon482 Жыл бұрын

Excel for me 😂

@EnlightenedFlamingo Жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks for all your hard work!

@annmarieborman6670 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for all your research. And a big thank you to your friend for sharing his beautiful artwork.

@XatxiFly Жыл бұрын

A monumental effort and very helpful! I recognize the hugeness of this project and I appreciate you!

@user-wj7su6hg7d 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for the deep research!

@NightFiola 10 ай бұрын

Awesome job. Very useful review! Love it! Thank you!

@melaniewilliams8448 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so very much for doing this groundwork! Very much looking forward to stitching an image of my new nephew!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Happy to help! That sounds like a lovely project 😊

@crossstitchlover8265 2 жыл бұрын

Thank u for such a wonderful and helpful video for all the cross Stitch lover. ☺️ ❤️❤️

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks I'm glad you found it helpful!

@fourquarks Жыл бұрын

Thanks for making this! You've saved me hours of frustration and I'm going to check out the rest of your channel. :)

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Yay I'm glad you found it helpful! ☺️

@amandaheenan1928 8 ай бұрын

This is an amazing resource, thank you so much! I've tried floss cross and am very impressed at the quality and clarity of the pattern and ease of use in the design process. Wonderfully to have such a high quality, free to use resource. Thank you for signposting and testing ALL of them 🙂

@TheGiddyStitcher 8 ай бұрын

You're very welcome! Glad it was helpful

@user-pr7yd3js4q 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for this thorough review…very helpful!!

@user-lv8mv9pc2z 3 ай бұрын

This has explained so very much to me. Many thanks

@FearlessNimue Жыл бұрын

Thank you for running all this leg work for us! I want to make something for my Hubby and this video has helped take alot of the guess work out for me!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Yay! Happy to be of service 😄

@darlingthimblemoon4658 Ай бұрын

Thank you! I'm new to cross stitch and I was struggling so much trying to line up grid lines on Pattern Keeper!

@pollywells3603 Жыл бұрын

I, for one, really appreciate you doing the work on this one....saved me hours! I only do my own designs so this was right up my alley 😉

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Always happy to hear that I've helped someone out! I don't know what possessed me to embark on this particular adventure but I'm glad it did 😆

@laurasinkins Жыл бұрын

Michelle thank you SO much for this! It's exactly what I needed. And I absolutely LOVE your video style. #goals

@Tsitsi414 Жыл бұрын

Wow, this was good and thank you for the effort and sense of humor 🤩

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'm glad it managed to be at least a bit entertaining 😄

@annettmeier413 4 ай бұрын

So glad I found you, like yesterday, and I already watched so many awesome videos. This one has it all, humour, awkwardness, cross stitching and notion. Love it. I just paid for one month of stitch fiddle to try it, but I will also look into floss cross. Thank you so much

@TheGiddyStitcher 4 ай бұрын

Oh if you like awkwardness then for once I can confidently claim this is the channel for you! Welcome to the gang

@Magicnaners 2 жыл бұрын

The nice thing about Floss Cross being browser based is that it technically also works on mobile, or at least it worked on my iPad. The interface clearly isn't intended for touch input and importing files can be a little finicky but it works well enough if you only have access to a mobile device.

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

That's a really good point! Browser based means you can get at it from just about anywhere, even if it's not the smoothest experience. And honestly after seeing some of those actual mobile apps, that might be the way to go 😅

@maggyfrog 3 ай бұрын

it's still only max 300x300 stitch count. i don't understand how they haven't yet made a version that's up to 1000x1000 or larger.

@zionzachery8251 Жыл бұрын

How have l not allready been following you?! 😮 ❤

@mv3887 11 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this video!! I have so many of my own photos I'd love to cross stitch and this is a huge help

@TheGiddyStitcher 11 ай бұрын

Yay! Happy stitching! 😄

@Bubblestheghost Жыл бұрын

I’ve been trying to workout a design with paper and pencil for hours now, and I finally gave up and googled best app for pattern design. Floss Cross it is! Thank you so much!!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

No worries, I hope it helps! Been there myself, haha 😅

@conniehendrix6695 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this in depth research. I did end up choosing Floss Cross, it was perfect for my application.

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Woohoo! Happy to help 🥰

@Jaggerto Жыл бұрын

Thank you for doing this.

@indoorgirlgoescamping6592 Жыл бұрын

OMG thank you for this! your top pick (not giving any spoilers) is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Much appreciated.

@kcfield601 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your time and energy into this. Greatly appreciated. I would love to do a piece of art my daughter did and put it to cross stitch. It was a mural on a wall called Freak Alley. She got commissioned to do it. It is a goat pirate and a clipper ship. Thanks again.

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Well that sounds epic I have to say! Glad the video was helpful and I hope one day you'll come back and share this amazing cross stitch project!

@heidilange-herzog1892 4 ай бұрын

I recently installed the Stitchly app on my iPhone and omg the options! The UI is beautiful and easy to navigate. Soooo many options from a simple design to super beyond reasonable elaborate, very customizable like photo filters changing the look of the photo. Super cool. I chose a few photos and put several things to the max at first, out of curiosity, and they were incredibly difficult. So many colors and stitches that I would never ever finish them in this lifetime LOL You do have to pay either $35 per year or a one time payment, I can’t remember. Regardless, I have at least a year to create some insane patterns. Just thought I’d throw that out there. Have a wonderful day stitching!! Xoxo Btw- Great video!!

@Patrice11300 3 ай бұрын

I’ve used Stitchly for one project and am currently trying it again for another and it seems like the patterns are too pixilated. I’ve been trying to get a pattern with enough detail and the color count only gives you up to 50 colors then Max, which in my case was 219 colors and after another adjustment bumped it up to 319 colors! I’ve stitched Artesy Patterns that look incredibly realistic and detailed with 90 colors. I’ll keep looking for a pattern converter and test some of the higher rated ones from this video.

@ElizzaBeast 9 ай бұрын

I would like to say that when I was into diamond painting pixel-stitch was great for getting an idea of how a picture would look if you wanted to order a custom diamond painting… it would give you at least an idea of what size would give you the best result Because the larger the finished product the better the details would show up… so obviously the same would be true of cross stitch

@al-aveeshama9129 Жыл бұрын

You’ve earned my subscription and my love 😍

@jools3489 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant research thanks.

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

Happy to help! :)

@winternightmarecrochet 2 жыл бұрын

Never thought of it before, but now that you mentioned it, I totally want to stitch an x-ray XD Also very surprised that some of them were compatible with pattern keeper. That is a must, I have to say! These days, it's way easier to keep track of a pattern that way.

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I don't think I could do a decent sized pattern without it. I'm still trying to find a way for nobodies like me to make compatible patterns and also have them be pretty, but it's a lot more complicated than it sounds! 😭

@marliegirl9114 Жыл бұрын

Outstanding!

@ZERO-0- Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I have been using pic2pat but it doesn't allow you to enter specific sizes, so it kept blending the edges of everything and inventing colours that aren't supposed to be there. flosscross worked perfectly.

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Hooray! Yeah Pic2Pat is weird with the fixed sizes, I do wonder what the idea was behind that. Still, if you happen to fit into one of them it's a good converter. So glad I could help you find something more suitable!

@dada8366 Жыл бұрын

I've been using FlossCross for a while now and it's been so uncomplicated (so far only used it for pixel art). It even works well on my tablet browser and that's a plus because I get to use my stylus. I do not have an issue with Pattern Keeper compatibility. I use Anchor and not DMC, so I have to enter my colours manually on Pattern Keeper for all patterns anyway. This was a great video! Thank you

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

You're so welcome, I'm glad it could help people out. I was honestly quite shocked at how far ahead of everything else FlossCross is in terms of intuitive UI. Really great app 👍

@Chevalali Жыл бұрын

Thankyou. Very helpful.

@suzannemichelle6828 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for all your hard work on this: it gives, not simply a comparison, but HOW to compare and what points are important! E.g., transparency, sizing, ease of understanding the tool. I had no idea what I wanted to look for (I want to do a cross-stitch of Positano, Italy ... but cannot find a decent one on line - but I do have my _own_ photos! BUT how to proceed?) ... and I know how hard translating can be from thing 1 to thing 2. I did come to appreciate: for pixelated / pixel-able artwork, if I want transparency ... best to just make that all a weird color, and then ignore it!

@TheGiddyStitcher 4 ай бұрын

Absolutely, it's the only workaround I found that worked consistently! Wonder if transparency is some kind of technical challenge, or if the people building these things just never thought it would be needed 🤔

@alyhuis1637 Ай бұрын

Missed Crosti in your test. Gonna check FlossCross and Blend Threads. Thanks for making this vid.

@evasco1979 Жыл бұрын

I do latch hook and locker hook and I found this video a lifesaver, thank you so much! I rarely subscribe to a YT channel, but I subscribe to this one a few minutes into your video. I want to transfer the image of a dreamcatcher into a rug, I'll make the dreamcatcher completely black and the background extremely colorful. Wish me luck!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Oh thank you so much! 🥰 Latch hooking is on my crafty wishlist and it's only just clicked for me that designs will be basically pixel art the same as cross stitch! Gears are spinning, haha. Your design sounds amazing, I'd love to see when it's done!

@Lannachi Жыл бұрын

For pictures, have you tried using something like live trace in illustrator first where you can select the number of colours at this step before importing the picture into a converter? I'm getting read to tackle my first pattern from a picture and I'm not sure how well that would work, and I'll do a few tests on it, but I also feel like it might reduce the confetti effect that going straight from picture to pattern tends to give. EDIT - I tried both in FlossCross tonight and I prefer the standard import, at least for this particular picture I'm working on.

@pasqualetttto Жыл бұрын

I just wanna say you possibly changed my life. I've been a cross stitcher for a while now and I''ve always prefered stitching my own designs and maybe one day sell them. But I had no idea where to start. Since I found your video I started testing FlossCross and up until now I've created a couple of designs and I'm already getting some sales on my etsy shop. You have no idea how grateful I'm for this video! Really, thank you so much!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Ah this is amazing! You're so welcome and congratulations! I think YT will flag you for spam if you leave a link but feel free to share your shop name at least so I can go stalk your designs 😁

@janet5551 Жыл бұрын

Can I ask when you sell your designs made on Floss cross do you just leave the floss cross branding and links on the PDF?

@pasqualetttto Жыл бұрын

@@janet5551 No, I make a new document on Illustrator and create a new pdf with my brand and everything, I just copy the chart generated.

@janet5551 Жыл бұрын

@@pasqualetttto Thank you, for your reply. I am having problems copying the chart to be able to make my own PDF

@fizzylemonleaf 28 күн бұрын

I just like to listen to your voice while I stitch :)

@ovisergiu Жыл бұрын

This is one of the videos I would think doing it, you and me think almost the same. I thought I am the only one thinking of trying all those free converters and do such a video, but I also lack time. What stopped me doing what you did in this video (very proffesional by the way!) was the thing I did not hear in the video (or maybe I missed it?): there is no guarantee that what you see on the screen will look great when stitched since all these converters have their own interpretation for every DMC thread (a.k.a. RGB values for every color/thread). I have spent years trying to reach a level of accuracy when it comes to that and I have seen great mock-ups looking just awful when stitched. Do tell me you're trying to do a video for the non-free/paid software. I could help, we can collaborate. Thank you for sharing this huge and amazing work!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! I agree, it's difficult to trust the previews and know they'll be colour-accurate. For the conversion ranking I had to assume they were, because the alternative would be to stitch them all up and check and...um....nope! 😂But that said, some of these tools are hugely popular so if they were way off we'd have heard a lot of complaints about them by now. If I was actually embarking on a big project I'd probably stitch up just a little representative block to make sure it was looking right before buying hundreds of threads, a bit like a gauge swatch in knitting. Better to be safe than sorry and all that! Honestly I'd love to do a version with the paid ones but some of them are very pricey so it's not possible for me at the moment. But if you take it on I'd absolutely love to see the results!

@marymary5494 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. 👌💕

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

You're very welcome, hope it was helpful 🙂

@tealkerberus748 11 ай бұрын

Exactly what I needed to see today, thank you! Now all I need is someone who can tell me the best choice of fabric type, stitch size, and thread type/brand for tent stitch washable seat covers that are going to need to be washed routinely and I don't want them to wear out too soon... How hard is it for *anyone* on the internet to mention durability in embroidery that isn't on denim?

@caddelworth Жыл бұрын

In fairness to _Stitch Fiddle_ it can "do" crochet and knitting patterns as well as cross-stitch; so if you're a "multi-crafter" as it were, and considering purchasing a "pro/premium" version of something, those capabilities might influence your decision, given it's a kind of three-in-one program for a single fee. (Full disclosure: we've only used _SF_ for cross-stitch patterns, so _caveat emptor_ I guess!) Loved this video: you have a great presentation style and your video editing is top-notch!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I've actually been fiddling (no pun intended) with its crochet capabilities lately as well. Great for simple designs but it just doesn't go as in depth on any one craft as the dedicated apps do. Still it's very handy to have multiple crafts handled in one place if the features are enough for what you're doing.

@maryannjohnson5410 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting video. Not sure I want to attempt something like that, but a special picture some day. Many years ago I somehow got a picture of my parents into a cross stitch chart and stitched it for them. We didn't have a computer so I must have sent a picture to a company and had them do the chart. I don't remember though.

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I was mostly just curious because often you see someone stitching a big project on Flosstube, IG, Reddit and they're like "I used a converter" and suddenly I was overcome with the need to know how well that actually works! Lots of places seem to offer conversion on Etsy but I assume (or hope, anyway) they're not just not just running it through one of these freebies. Maybe one day when I'm rich I can compare the paid ones too 😆 It might be nice to stitch up a photo of me and Dave one day, although at my stitching speed I think it would take about 20 years so on second thoughts maybe I should get started...

@etaminepatterns 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much❤

@hezvandermeij 29 күн бұрын

Seeing this video is making my crafty and beginner-programmer fingers itch to make a better option haha

@estelat8133 3 ай бұрын

Great video! Would love to know what you use!

@forsomenotreally Жыл бұрын

I've used Pic2Pat for a long time> I never knew that there were more out there for free. Thanks for the in depth look into these programs

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

No worries! It was a cool experiment to see all their different strengths and weaknesses, glad you found it interesting 🙂

@lissa8393 2 жыл бұрын

thank you this helps

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome and happy stitching!

@dawsie Жыл бұрын

I have PCStitch have been using this for 🙀over 20 years now it use to be free 25 years ago but as it improved it was worth buying.

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Ooooh interesting, I had no idea it used to be free! I've tried the free trial but was informed by support that patterns made in it wouldn't be compatible with Pattern Keeper, that said it was a while back so maybe that's changed now too. Might have to give it another look sometime.

@BigKernelSandy 3 ай бұрын

What's the best one for converting an image to a pattern with more than 50 colors?

@tntori5079 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic video! I actually stumbled into FlossCross in a pinch for a conversion and had no clue how many were out there or about much of this side of stitching. It was just the first website I googled that I liked the look of. Found this video and thought I'd see how FlossCross really stood up. So glad it scored well XD - but thanks for all your work this was a fantastic video!!!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I am only too happy to confirm your bias 😆

@DragonRiderShiru 8 ай бұрын

I actually have ecanvas pro and I like it.

@lailam.3878 Жыл бұрын

I tested many apps and found that CStitch is the best that worked for me, very confusing at first time but once we get hand of it it amazing, I've done now hundreds of patterns with it and getting 5 stars on those from the stitchers that buy it, basically what I loved about it is I can control everything, the size of the pattern, the number of colors, I can replace a color with another, I can manually edit the stitches, I can control the symbols and make the background transparent (by removing the symbol on it)... It worths the try, just upload a simple image and take time to play with it and try all the possible options there.

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

CStitch worked so well at converting the bird painting I was a bit surprised it struggled so much with the photo! That's ultimately what dragged it down in the overall ranking, but of course every tool is going to have its strengths and weaknesses. It definitely wasn't the most intuitive to use but if I was doing more conversions of paintings and similar it seems like it would be worth the learning curve because it really did an almost perfect conversion on that one. Plus, you can't really argue with free! Thanks for the comment, definitely interesting to see what real pattern sellers are using 🙂

@lailam.3878 Жыл бұрын

@@TheGiddyStitcher To be honest I never tried complicated images like photos on it and I'm not expecting it to be working for those like you said, but regarding generating less detailed patterns from simple cliparts, geometric images, font letters etc does a good job for a free app. One of the negative points I can say is it doesn't have the feature to add backstitching, so maybe considering adding it with photoshop or any photo editing tool to add it, or using PCStitch which is not a free tool and looks to be more complete tool from what I saw in their trial, I'm thinking about giving it a try, checking your video "How I design my own cross stitch patterns from scratch - and you can too!" thanks!

@janet5551 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this, Ill look into CStitch, when you create the PDF to sell does it have branding on it and if so do you just leave it there and sell it as is?

@user-tb8ku2bk3j 8 ай бұрын

Merhaba verdiğiniz bilgiler için çok teşekkür ederim. İplik uzunluğunu diş ipi uzunlugu hesaplayan bi site var mı denedim bulamıyorum

@heatherwilmoth3278 11 ай бұрын

@TheGiddyStitcher which one can make stamped crosstitch ?!

@elizabethgross-caraballo9311 10 ай бұрын

U got ur self a new subscriber 😊 😊

@TheGiddyStitcher 10 ай бұрын

Aw thank you and welcome!

@AshlieBerry 7 ай бұрын

So whats is the best one ?

@julieimirie3149 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for all your work. I am trying Flosscross and ...nothing happens! I have uploaded the image, sized it, and picked the pallette - and when I go to export the PDF it's blank!! Can you help?

@MelHLind3373 2 жыл бұрын

I love Stitchly for making patterns. It’s an app and I use it on my ipad. I have not tried pixel but it works really well on others! No limits that I am aware of and it’s FREE! ( or it was )

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

Ooh I do have an iPad but somehow all my trawling for recommendations didn't even uncover a single mention of that one! Gonna try it this weekend, FOR SCIENCE! 👩‍🔬

@hobbyhopper3143 Жыл бұрын

I’m having the WORST time figuring out how to use Stitchly and am getting no help from the developers. There’s no help. Just “tips” that are no help. Any suggestions as to how I can learn more? I actually paid for this virtual doorstop.

@rechelleroseremegio-jacint5978 10 ай бұрын

Hi! I'm looking for a website/app that can convert a specific color of thread to a special like metalic or beads. Do you have any suggestion. Looking forward. Thank you. ❤

@fatimahalatas3450 Жыл бұрын

How about the pay app, which one is best?? Thanks 🙏🙏🙏

@WendyHall-md8ej Жыл бұрын

Awesome video! I enjoyed looking over the various programs you suggested. The problem I have is that lines on my picture are showing up as cross-stitch instead of a back stitch. I tried an app on my iPad that said it does backstitch, but no luck as of yet. Thoughts? Thank you!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Honestly I'm not sure an app exists that could tell what's supposed to be backstitched from a picture (I could very well be wrong though if anyone else wants to chime in!). Mostly when they have backstitch "support" it'll be when you're creating your own design rather than converting an image. Depending on how complex it is though you can always have the image converted and then make manual adjustments and add the backstitch from there.

@buttercupcoffee5972 3 ай бұрын

The blank space. In the design that doesnt get any thread(or floss)

@checkma8s Жыл бұрын

Are there cross stitch maker that can make stitch lines.. i dont know how

@user-tb8ku2bk3j 8 ай бұрын

Merhaba. Verdiğiniz bilgiler için teşekkür ederim dilinizi bilmesem de anladım. 14 sayi kumaş için Kullanilan ip uzunluğunu nasil hesapliyorsunuz hesapliyorsunuz. Çok merak ediyorum.simdiden tesekkurler

@Spamhard 4 ай бұрын

This was really useful, thanks! I've just started attempting pattern making myself. I draw up my pixel art in aseprite first, but I'm struggling to work out whats best for transferring over pixel art. I'm happy to pay for a program as I want to sell these patterns on etsy. Loads of folk were recommending me WinStich, but I was pretty disappointed to find that the conversion of totally solid colours of pixel art were weirdly being artifaced/made spotty when put into winstitch. Can't understand why, and it seems stupid to have to hand tweak it all when the original piece was already a clean lined, solid coloured pixel art. Sort of at a loss atm on what else I can use or do... Don't mind uysing floss cross in the interim but I'd love a relaible program i can just slap my pixel art into.

@TheGiddyStitcher 4 ай бұрын

I'm actually going through this exact same frustration with WinStitch right now! Currently talking to friends who have been using it a lot longer and fiddling with a lot of settings and I'll report back if I find anything. The way it just invents random in-between colours and blurs lines is absolutely infuriating!

@Spamhard 4 ай бұрын

@@TheGiddyStitcher I seem to have found a semi-working solution for pixel art once i found the 'clip art' function. I've been going to convert image > image import wizard > then at the 3rd question of "how many thread colours" there's a drop down box that says photo. I changed that to "clip art", and it seems to stop a lot of the fuzz. Only tried it a few times so I can't say for sure if it's stopped thge issue entirely but it's promising! If you don't mind me asking, what program do you usually use folr sellling patterns? Everyone I asked seems to have totally different answers and it's giving me decision paralysis :P

@Idesignrezint 7 ай бұрын

Can I use this for duplicate stitch designs

@elyusmechanicalengineering8898 5 ай бұрын

I didn't make a mistake customizing my patterns and choosing Floss Cross.

@taylorceleste1006 7 ай бұрын

I want to cross stitch ny cousin's ultrasound photo and I have no idea how to make sure it's the right size for a 6in hoop 😅😅 I'm giving myself a headache lmao

@allisonjae3152 Жыл бұрын

The free programs don't do everything I want , so I broke and bought a program: PC Stitch and I'm very happy with it.

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Definitely fair! I've tried the free trial but was advised by their customer support that it doesn't do Pattern Keeper, which is a shame. There's a tool out there for everyone though and I'm glad you found yours 😊

@deborahkirkland5886 Жыл бұрын

Wow, that must have been exhausting. I was tired just listening. Thank you! I have a specific situation: I do miniature cross stitch on 28 ct fabric (with double magnification: I wear a magnifier headset and a lighted magnifier stand). I mount the finished work in jewelry blanks that only allow 30 squares horizontally and vertically maximum. It sounds quite limited, but one can get an amazing amount of detail for small objects such as a single flower with about 10 colors. I've only tried pixelstitch that has a limit of 22 ct fabric. Do programs usually require one to enter the fabric count? What program do you think might accommodate these requirements? Should I create the pattern manually since it's so small? It's still hundreds of stitches. Thanks

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Apologies for tiring you with my relentless science! 😅 Some of the tools did ask for a fabric count and size rather than the stitch count, I think Pic2Pat was one of the offenders off the top of my head but there might have been more. This seems strange to me, since a 100 stitch wide pattern is the same pattern regardless of what fabric you stitch it on! In your case Pixel-Stitch should work fine, if it's the calculated dimensions / thread usage that are throwing you off you could choose 14ct and then just half the numbers it spits out. I'm quite ill today so I hope that makes sense but if not I apologise for that too, haha!

@ruthkaylor1361 Ай бұрын

The bird/birb is so cute! Would you sell that pattern? He is absolutely adorable!❤

@clszabo1s Жыл бұрын

Absolutely loved this video and it even gave me the courage to make my own pattern on FlossCross! I love it, buuuuuut...........how do you get the pattern chart to fit on one page instead of 9?!?!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Yay I'm glad I could help! So, FlossCross is actually one of the only ones that lets you reduce the size of the grid (and I get you, I use my patterns digitally so much prefer to zoom into one page than hunt around on multiple). When you go to export your pattern to PDF, scroll down the settings and you'll find one called "pattern symbol size (mm)". Basically the smaller the value here, the more of your chart will be on one page, so obviously it depends on how big your pattern is whether you'd be able to get it to all fit and still be usable but it's worth doing a bit of experimentation :)

@clszabo1s Жыл бұрын

@@TheGiddyStitcher Thanks so much! Can't wait to give it a go! Christmas is going to be so much easier from now on lol!

@BootSplootBoogie Жыл бұрын

Glad I found this video, somehow I never thought there'd be programs that make cross stitch patterns. I just haphazardly sketch a pattern on grid paper and grab thread I think looks good together 😬😬no color or anything. Easy enough for simple patterns but a pain for anything beyond a few basic blocks, would not recommend my method lmao

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Nothing wrong with good old graph paper! Although I don't think I'd want to try it that way with an actual photograph conversion haha 😅 There are all kinds of apps and tools for designing from scratch rather than converting, maybe I'll have to do a comparison of those too 🤔

@jailoliaj Жыл бұрын

@@TheGiddyStitcher I would really love to see that! I wonder if you did it? I’ll go look at your channel. I found this video because I’m trying to find one which has some pre-made images that I can add my own designs to.

@char_char_realslo Жыл бұрын

I currently use flosscross and I really like it. But now I have seen little bits of information on pcstitch, winstitch, and mini stitch. But I can't seem to find any helpful information. Do you know about them? Or willing to try them?

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

I'll be honest with you, I've never actually heard of Mini Stitch! PCStitch and WinStitch are probably the two most popular paid softwares though, I've used their trial versions and found them to be a bit dated and clunky but usable. If you're looking to upgrade from the free options I'd probably recommend WinStitch more out of the two of them, just for its Pattern Keeper support, but you can always download the demo and see.

@debbygranberg2626 Ай бұрын

I'm looking for a conversion app that will allow me to edit the results on a pixel by pixel basis. Background: I want to make the logo of my grandson's school. Basically a circle with some letters in the center. The chart produced from the apps I've tried (a) have random splotches of color outside the circle and (b) produce at best a .pdf which I can't then edit.

@TheGiddyStitcher Ай бұрын

It's been a while so I can't remember for sure which other ones let you do this, but I do know for sure FlossCross will. You'll go through the normal conversion steps and then it puts you into an editor view where you can add new colours, draw and erase, etc etc. It might be worth experimenting a bit with the conversion settings first to get the cleanest version of the chart possible, and then you won't need to do as much manual editing. Hope that helps!

@phylliciao.1295 Жыл бұрын

I would like to create a pattern from scratch (text in the middle, boarder, maybe a flower or two). Do you have any recommendations?

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Hi! So, good question. It's been a while and I was more focused on the pattern conversion capabilities but I do remember some of the tools mentioned in this video will support designing from scratch. Off the top of my head, FlossCross and Stitch Fiddle definitely both do. That said if you're looking for more advanced features or things like built in fonts you might need to look at paid options, but WinStitch and PC Stitch both have free trials so you can see if they're suitable before buying anything. Hope that helps, good luck!

@ChillyCherryx Жыл бұрын

Hey! I'm about to start my first project and made the pattern with FlossCross. A quick question crossed (haha crossed) my mind here: Do you know if the colors are accurate? I don't want to order the floss and work on the project just to find out that the colors are completely off..

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Honestly I wish I could give you a more certain answer but that's the trouble with all of these converters whether they're free or paid. I will say that, in general anecdotal evidence from Reddit etc, FlossCross seems to be reviewed favourably in terms of colour accuracy (as does Pic2Pat). It's probably worth stitching up just a little example swatch from what it gives you, to see if you're happy with the result. Best of luck!

@patriciatreslove4449 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing with me, because this is something I really want/need, you are covering many topics which are way out of my pay grade.

@melissagibson6027 Жыл бұрын

I’m so glad I found you!

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Ah that's so sweet, thank you! 🥰

@selvalakshmis537 6 ай бұрын

Hi, What is the purpose of the symbols used in the pdf? Is it to differentiate the color?

@buttercupcoffee5972 3 ай бұрын

Yep. Specially if there are similar coloura.

@upittman1 Жыл бұрын

Great job. Can you do one for the paid apps?

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

I would love to but it might have to wait until I either make a lot more money or convince them all to give me a free license 😅

@upittman1 Жыл бұрын

@@TheGiddyStitcher well if you every get to do it, it'll be epic :)

@CoderzF1 Жыл бұрын

in programming, if you dont check the actual opacity value of the color, the software will see that color as black unfortunately. I would really like to write an app for doing things like this, but I only know the very basics of cross stitching

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Once every six months or so I get a bee in my bonnet about coding something up, but the biggest challenge would be creating Pattern Keeper compatible PDFs. I'm a dev but not the kind that's ever had to worry about PDFs before or has any clue how they work, so if you can make a tool that has that feature you'll blow the rest of them out of the water!

@andrewsmith2591 Жыл бұрын

I realise this video is now almost a year old but wanted to ask if you have found any programs which allow the use of combined colours?

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Hi! Sorry I completely missed this question 🤦‍♀️ From memory (clue's in the name I suppose) this was the selling point for Blend Threads. It scored really highly for conversion accuracy but the complete lack of Pattern Keeper support sadly let it down, so depends on your priorities there.

@andrewsmith2591 Жыл бұрын

@@TheGiddyStitcher Thanks for taking the time to reply

@christopherchatman1833 Жыл бұрын

So to make the picture look as close as possible it pixel stitch?

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

In the tests I ran, that was definitely the case, it scored very very highly on both images whereas most other tools did much better on one than the other. That said and especially depending on the type of image you're converting, it might be worth running it through Pic2Pat and FlossCross too because they only take a couple minutes to use and that way you can get a better idea of which one works with your particular image. Best of luck!

@rhiannabaggs 5 ай бұрын

What about the best paid software?

@mibelloaleman 5 ай бұрын

What is transparency? Thanks. 🤔

@Babzzarella Жыл бұрын

Do you have any recommendation for converting to blackwork? Any advice much appreciated

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Honestly wish I did but sadly I've not come across anything like that. Blackwork seems to really complicate things. Sorry I can't be more help!

@Babzzarella Жыл бұрын

@@TheGiddyStitcher Aah shame but thank you for replying :)

@zulanova1209 Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure what's going on. I'm using a floss cross pattern into pattern keeper but all the colors are so much darker and it's ruined the image! I'm scared to start stitching now... And I wonder, which one isn't showing the color correctly, Floss cross, Pattern keeper, or both?? If anyone knows help would be greatly appreciated

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Oh no, sorry you're having trouble! It's hard to give any real recommendations without seeing the pattern but one thing you could check is whether it looks the same in the raw PDF you got from FlossCross, as it does in the Pattern Keeper preview? If it's darker than expected in the original PDF then it seems more likely a problem with FlossCross itself, which is surprising since it gets good reviews on colour accuracy. If that is the problem, maybe one of the others on this list will handle your specific image more accurately. Good luck!

@christinehausner5072 10 ай бұрын

One thing I've noticed in the past is there is no backstitching on any of these? I just worry that the detail will be lost without it. Thanks!

@TheGiddyStitcher 10 ай бұрын

It's definitely an issue, and it's not limited to just free tools like these either. Thankfully a lot of these will let you manually add backstitch in after converting a pic, but I don't think there exists a tool that can detect and convert it automatically. Not to mention, of course Pattern Keeper can't handle backstitch either. Clearly scientific research into cross stitch technologies needs more funding! 😅

@christinehausner5256 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your reply. I think it would be pretty hard to do backstitch yourself also unless you actually create patterns for a living. I think a lot of them do a good job of transferring the pattern over. I guess it remains to be seen how actually detailed you want it. There is a painting that I really love that I would love to transfer over and it probably would be fine without some kind of backstitching definition but it would be interesting to see it with it too. Thanks for the reply!

@hobbyhopper3143 Жыл бұрын

All I want to do is modify an existing design. By that I mean add text to a design I purchased. I’m not interested in copyright infringement and I think there are few designers who would mind my doing something like adding “Happy Birthday, John” above a pattern for balloons. Do you have a suggestion for either a Windows desktop program or an iPad app that would let me accomplish that?

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Hello! That is definitely a totally reasonable change to make. It's not something I've done before myself, however I looked into it and found that there are a lot of browser-based tools for charting your own cross stitch text. All of them have different features so it'll depend on what exactly you need, but stitchpoint.com/eng/tool/alph/cross-stitch-writer.php has a decent selection of fonts. Other than that a google search for "cross stitch text generator" should give you a few different options to try out. Hope that helps!

@hobbyhopper3143 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your quick response.

@Egyptiandragon Жыл бұрын

thank you so much for you efforts! you definitely gave me some leads, but please consider slowing your speech and transition down a bit in the future

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback! Sometimes I think I worry about taking up too much of everyone's time. But if things are worth saying, they're certainly worth saying clearly even if it is slightly slower. Hope you found the converter for you! :)

@KristisCorner 2 жыл бұрын

SCIENCE!

@TheGiddyStitcher 2 жыл бұрын

SCIEEEENNNNCEEEE!

@lisaboban Жыл бұрын

I think this proves what I've always thought...none of this software is particularly good.

@TheGiddyStitcher Жыл бұрын

A lot of them were disappointing, for sure. But given that they're free, some of them were pretty decent.. FlossCross and Pixel-Stitch are both quite modern, but some of the older ones put out great quality conversions they just require a bit of a learning curve to use. So depends on your needs, I suppose. Although I will say of the paid tools I've tried, usability is not much better. So maybe this is an industry ripe for disruption in general! 😅