To create your own, personal design, you can import an image and edit it as you like. In this article, we'll guide you through the steps to import an image.
Upload an image in JPEG file format. Pay attention to the size of the image as this influences the output. Too small, and the file will be pixelized when imported. If it is too large, you'll have to scale it down, distorting the image substantially.
1: Click on the "Import an image" button
This will prompt a pop-up menu.
2: In the menu select "Choose file" and choose your image
The image will be automatically reduced to 6 colors. If you want to keep the draw thread in the feeder and not remove it, we recommend reducing the colors to a maximum of 5. The draw thread feeder will be added later when we add the start sequence.
3: Choose your settings
- Resizing options
There are different ways to resize your image. Let's say the image you're using is 15 cm by 17 cm with 72 pixels per inch. This means your image is 425 pixels by 482 pixels. The needle beds have 252 needles, so your image has to be sized down to a width of 252 pixels or less.
- Preserve aspect (W): The width of the image is set to 252 and the image is resized using this width.
- Preserve aspect (H): If you have a tall thin image, you want to preserve as much of the detail in the height, so it will make it as tall as it can and then fit it into 252 accordingly. This means your image may be knitted on less than 252 needles.
- One Pixel/Stitch: Each pixel in your image will translate to one stitch in the canvas. You may have designed your image exactly as you want it to be knit. In this case, use this option to create a piece with the exact same amount of stitches as pixels in your image. This option is only suitable for images that are no wider than 252 pixels. Big files can sometimes produce a very large sample (too big for the machine) so bear this in mind when preparing your JPEG or PNG. In case your image is wider than 252 pixels, you will receive a message when you click submit saying that "Your image has been resized to 252 stitches wide" as this is the maximum amount of needles the needle beds have.
- Fit: If you have set your panel to be a certain size and want the image to fit onto the panel, use this option. Your image will not affect the dimensions of the existing canvas. You must click to paste where in the canvas you would like your image to be placed.
- Preserve aspect (W): The width of the image is set to 252 and the image is resized using this width.
- Color options
- Grayscale/Color: Choose if you want to include colors or if you want a grayscale image.
- Colors: You can use up to six colors in a design. When you upload an image with a lot of colors, such as a picture, the software will reduce the number of colors to 6. Move the Colors slider to adjust the number of colors you want your image to have once imported into the canvas.
- Brightness and Contrast: These bars can be used to adjust your image view accordingly, to help translate your image better into knitted stitches in the design.
- Pick a different color: Your image has been converted to a reduced amount of colors, but two of the colors are very similar. Reassign colors to help visuality, or to match your yarns. You can also select the yarn colors in correlation with the colors of your yarn feeders when creating your graphic design. Once the image has been imported it will still be possible to reassign colors.
- Grayscale/Color: Choose if you want to include colors or if you want a grayscale image.
After you have chosen all settings that you need, click 'Submit'. The pop-up menu closes and you can now place your image on the panel. If you selected settings that make the image wider and higher than your panel was, the panel is rescaled and the image is automatically placed.