Process images

The auto-digitizing tools provide everything necessary to automatically digitize shapes in electronic artwork without manual input methods. Even if your artwork looks ready to stitch when inserted into the software, however, it will need to be image-processed before conversion. The software will not let you apply automatic digitizing without it. It is important to use the correct preparation method for your image...

Image typePreparation
Non-outlined images
  • Reduce colors to a specified number
  • Reduce each block to a single color
  • Remove anti-aliasing, noise and dithering
  • Remove colors smaller than a specified area.
Outlined images
  • Adjust outline contrast
  • Blend each outlined block into a single color
  • Remove anti-aliasing, noise and dithering
  • Sharpens outlines.

Depending on the quality of the scanned image, you may need to touch it up manually before processing in your software You would normally do this in order to eliminate backgrounds, flood-fill solid areas with color, or add outlines, close gaps, or reinforce outlines. See also Edit artwork.


Use Artwork > Prepare Artwork for Embroidery to prepare bitmap images for automatic digitizing by reducing colors, removing image ‘noise’, and sharpening outlines.

Prepare artwork for auto-digitizing

Use the Prepare Artwork tool to prepare electronic artwork for automatic digitizing. The tool automatically reduces color blocks in bitmap images to a single color, removing anti-aliasing and noise. Let the software reduce the color count automatically or specify a precise number. The latter is useful if you want to match design colors to an exact number of thread colors.

  • Scan or import the image to use.
  • Select the image and click the Prepare Artwork icon. The image appears in both ‘before’ and ‘after’ preview panels.
  • Check the number of colors in the processed bitmap. The software suggests a color count and shows a preview of the resulting image. If there appear to be too many, the image probably contains noise.
  • First try adjusting the color count up or down to match the number of threads you wish to use.
  • The Embroidery Detail setting affects the area used to generate embroidery objects. While it doesn’t affect the image, it does affect the embroidery result by filtering out smaller areas of color.

    FineGenerally results in more detail and a greater number of embroidery objects.
    CoarseGenerally results in slightly less detail but reduces the number of embroidery objects. It is useful for ‘noisy’ images with lots of small areas. It works especially well with JPG files which are inherently more noisy.
  • Click Zoom In to view the image more closely. In addition to the zoom buttons, you can use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. You can also click and drag the image to pan it within the preview panel.
  • If necessary, manually locate and merge like colors:
    • Holding the <Ctrl> key, click like-colors in the color palette to select.
    • Click and hold the Locate button to preview.
    • Click Merge to merge all like colors into a single composite color.
  • Experiment with settings to obtain the best result.