Needlework

Does anyone have any experience of using Photoshop to change an image into a cross-stitch/tapestry chart?

I'm thinking in terms of image resize, restrict number of colours etc, but I'm stuck on how to impose a grid on top of it all.

So if you've been there, done that, got the teeshirt I'd really welcome some guidance

Cheers

Richard Pattle wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of using Photoshop to change an image into a cross-stitch/tapestry chart?

I'm thinking in terms of image resize, restrict number of colours etc, but I'm stuck on how to impose a grid on top of it all.
So if you've been there, done that, got the teeshirt I'd really welcome some guidance

Enlarge your resized image using nearest neighbor mode so that each resulting square matches the size you want your stitches to be. For example resize by 1800 percent to get , 18x18 squares.

To impose a grid, create a new layer, fill it with a pattern containing a single 18x18 cross stitch, and set the layer to screen mode.

For an even more convincing effect, put a your image in a layer above a layer containing a cloth pattern, fill the image's layer mask with the cross stitch pattern (stitches white), and add a touch of drop shadow.

Duplicating something usually means duplicating its defects. For a more realistic effect, use a pattern with an array of slightly irregular cross stitches.
--

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net

"Mike Russell" wrote in message

Richard Pattle wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of using Photoshop to change an image into a cross-stitch/tapestry chart?

I'm thinking in terms of image resize, restrict number of colours etc, but I'm stuck on how to impose a grid on top of it all.
So if you've been there, done that, got the teeshirt I'd really welcome some guidance

Enlarge your resized image using nearest neighbor mode so that each resulting square matches the size you want your stitches to be. For

example

resize by 1800 percent to get , 18x18 squares.

To impose a grid, create a new layer, fill it with a pattern containing a single 18x18 cross stitch, and set the layer to screen mode.
For an even more convincing effect, put a your image in a layer above a layer containing a cloth pattern, fill the image's layer mask with the

cross

stitch pattern (stitches white), and add a touch of drop shadow.
Duplicating something usually means duplicating its defects. For a more realistic effect, use a pattern with an array of slightly irregular cross stitches.
--

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net

Mike, thanks for that and I'll certainly try it, but I'm not wanting to make my pictures _look_ like needlework, but to turn them into a chart that can be used as a pattern to stitch from.

I know there are commercial programs that can do this, but was wondering if anyone had tried it with photoshop

Regards

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 07:37:01 +0000 (UTC), "Richard Pattle" wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of using Photoshop to change an image into a cross-stitch/tapestry chart?

Is there a place on the WEB where the formats for these
charts are described?

And do you mean a paper chart or a "computer file" chart?

Unique and easy to use graphics programs
http://www.ransen.com

I've done this for my mother. It works with any photo, but it's better with a simpler one. Sometimes I delete or blur a busy background first. It takes some playing around, but it works.

Open a .jpg in Photoshop. Use the Pixelate, mosaic filter. Try 10-15. Now 'save for web' and in the save dialog window set as .gif and set your number of colours (try 64) Also, if you wish, delete some of the colours which are very close to one another, by clicking on them (or cltrl-click for many) in the colour table in the save dialog window and pulling them to the trash.
Save this and print. For the purchase of floss colours you can also do a screen shot of the resulting colour table and print it out.

You will need to play around a little to get the detail you need. Sometimes I do two images. One for most of the photo and another for finer detail of faces, etc. Sometimes I cut the result into two or four pieces and print them separately to make it easier to work. An experienced needleworker has no problem following the printout.

Let me know how it works out.

Diane

"Richard Pattle" wrote in message

Does anyone have any experience of using Photoshop to change an image into

a

cross-stitch/tapestry chart?

I'm thinking in terms of image resize, restrict number of colours etc, but I'm stuck on how to impose a grid on top of it all.

So if you've been there, done that, got the teeshirt I'd really welcome

some

guidance

Cheers

"O Ransen" wrote in message

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 07:37:01 +0000 (UTC), "Richard Pattle" wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of using Photoshop to change an image

into a

cross-stitch/tapestry chart?

Is there a place on the WEB where the formats for these
charts are described?

And do you mean a paper chart or a "computer file" chart?

Unique and easy to use graphics programs
http://www.ransen.com

The chart simply looks like a piece of graph paper with the squares coloured in to represent stitches.

I suspect the process should be to reduce the picture resolution to 12 DPI (represents the number of stiches to the inch) and then increase the pixel numbers without resampling (to maintain the 'blockiness'). Reduce the number of colours to the number of threads you want to use, and experiment with differnt dithering methods to see which is subjectively most 'satisfactory for a tapestry'. Edit background areas to increase simplicity if necessary.

Then I'd like to Superimpose a graph-paper like grid over the squares that represent stitches, and ideally to print a large block of each of the colours used at the side to aid thread matching.

Question is, how do I do all this?

"Richard Pattle" wrote:

turn them into a chart that can
be used as a pattern to stitch from.

Like with computer controlled stitching machines?
Those are so cool!

Imagine what could be done by half the people here with one of those ... :)

The Doormouse

--
The Doormouse cannot be reached by e-mail without her permission.

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 16:31:22 +0000 (UTC), "Richard Pattle" wrote:

"O Ransen" wrote in message

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 07:37:01 +0000 (UTC), "Richard Pattle" wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of using Photoshop to change an image

into a

cross-stitch/tapestry chart?

Is there a place on the WEB where the formats for these
charts are described?

And do you mean a paper chart or a "computer file" chart?

Unique and easy to use graphics programs
http://www.ransen.com

The chart simply looks like a piece of graph paper with the squares coloured in to represent stitches.

I suspect the process should be to reduce the picture resolution to 12 DPI (represents the number of stiches to the inch) and then increase the pixel numbers without resampling (to maintain the 'blockiness'). Reduce the number of colours to the number of threads you want to use, and experiment with differnt dithering methods to see which is subjectively most 'satisfactory for a tapestry'. Edit background areas to increase simplicity if necessary.
Then I'd like to Superimpose a graph-paper like grid over the squares that represent stitches, and ideally to print a large block of each of the colours used at the side to aid thread matching.

Question is, how do I do all this?

No luck in Google? I found lots of posts myself....
http://groups.google.com/groups?safe=off&ie=UTF-8&as _usubject=cross%20stitch%20software&lr=lang_en&num=3 0&hl=en

On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 16:37:07 GMT, The Doormouse
wrote:

"Richard Pattle" wrote:

turn them into a chart that can
be used as a pattern to stitch from.

Like with computer controlled stitching machines?
Those are so cool!

Imagine what could be done by half the people here with one of those ... :)

Yeah, we'd all be stitched up....

--

Hecate - The Real One

veni, vidi, reliqui