Wednesday, February 17, 2016

PWS - How to Write a Quilt Pattern - Topic 6 - Computer Programs





Part VI – Computer Programs






Today I am going to take you through a list of some frequently employed file types and computer programs to use in your patterns. This is not an exhaustive list by any means but hopefully contains most of the commonly used programs and file types.

For this series, I will not be teaching how to actually use the programs to create illustrations and pattern layout, there are simply too many different programs to cover and covering just one of the programs would be an entire series unto itself. There are tons of resources online for each program. If you get stuck on how to get a particular program to do something, you can usually find the answer by simply googling it.

If you are a pattern designer, please add a comment below telling us which program you use, what do you use it for, and its pros and cons, thanks!


 A.    Types of Illustration and Photo Files

There are many types of image files (distinguishable by their suffix .jpg or .tiff, etc.).  In a lossless compression file type, every single bit of data that was originally in the file remains after the file is uncompressed.  These images tend to be clearier but have a larger file size.  A lossy compression file type reduces a file by permanently eliminating certain information, especially redundant information. This results in a much smaller file size.

Here are some of the common illustrations and photo file types:

.jpg - a very common illustration and photo file format. Almost universally accepted but is a lossy format because it does not save unnecessary details. Creates smaller file sizes.

.tiff - illustration and photo file format which is sometimes preferred over .jpg because it is a lossless image format, meaning it is supposed to exactly preserve all details of an image. File sizes tend to be larger than .jpg.

.gif - illustration and photo file format with a small file size, but only supports 256 colors.

.png - illustration and photo file format which is sometimes preferred over .jpg because it is a lossless image format, meaning it is supposed to exactly preserve all details of an image. File sizes tend to be larger than .jpg.

.eps or .svg - vector image (only illustrations not images), meaning that the illustrations are represented by mathematical equations instead of being pixel based like .jpg and .png. A vector image can be reduced to the size of a pencil eraser or enlarged to the size of a bus without any image distortion. Only certain programs can create and use .eps.


Above is a picture comparing a .jpg (pixel based) and an .eps (vector based). I enlarged the blocks by 2X and you can see how much clearer the vector based image is.


B.    Programs to Draw Illustrations


Pros
Cons
Microsoft PowerPoint
·   Already installed on most computers.
·   Very user friendly.
·   Plays well with other Microsoft products (Word and Publisher making it easy to move illustrations between programs.
·   Good basic graphics platform.
·   Block alignment can be difficult.
·   Does not support vector images.
Electric Quilt (EQ7)
·   One of the best programs for switching out all colors and fabrics within a design (ex. changing all of the blue blocks to green).
·   Use of Export tools can export the entire quilt or portions of the quilt as .jpg images.
·   Use of Export Marquee Selection tool produces low resolution images.
·   No way of creating piecing illustrations (such as how to make HST).
Inkscape
·   Free
·   Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl uses this program and has a number of tutorials.
·   Can create vector drawings.
·   Lacks some support and help files (because it is free).
·   Some people have difficulties loading and installing.
Microsoft Paint
·   Already installed on most computers.
·   Very user friendly.
·   Not easy to move pieces of the image around or edit them.
·   Does not support vector images.
Adobe Illustrator
·   Super powerful software for the most advanced professional illustrations.
·   Can create vector drawings.
·   Expensive ($20 per month, only available on the cloud not for purchase, so $240 each and every year).
·   Steep learning curve.
CorelDraw
·   Scaled down version of Adobe Illustrator which is able to do most the drawing that Adobe does for a fraction of the cost.
·   Can create vector drawings.
·   Very user friendly.
·  Contains a few annoying bugs.


A.   Programs to Edit Photographs

There are almost too many photo editing software packages to even list.  They range from the most basic all the way to professional programs. The most important thing is to find a program that you feel comfortable with. 

There are great photo editing software programs that are free or for purchase, on your computer and on the internet. Some photo editing software packages include Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo Paint, Picasa, and PicMonkey, along with a bunch of photo editing phone apps.


B.    Programs for Pattern Layout

Once you have your images, illustrations, and text, you will need to pick which program to use to pull everything together into the actual pattern file. Below are some common pattern layout programs.

Adobe InDesign
·   Super powerful software for the most advanced professional layouts.
·   Expensive $$$.
·   Steep learning curve.
Corel Draw
·   Scaled down version of Adobe InDesign which is able to do most the layout that Adobe does.
·   Professional layouts.
·   Smaller learning curve.
Microsoft PowerPoint

·   Plays well with all of the other Microsoft programs.
·   It is a little tough to shift elements from one page to another.
Microsoft Word

·   Plays well with all of the other Microsoft programs.
·   Sometimes difficult to move illustrations throughout the document.
·   More limited in text and illustration layout.
Microsoft Publisher
·   Plays well with all of the other Microsoft programs.
·   (If you have the Microsoft Office Suite you might already have this and not even know it).
·   Does not support vector images.



C.    My Preferred Computer Programs

When I first started writing quilt patterns, I used Microsoft PowerPoint to make my illustrations and put the pattern together in Microsoft Word. As I continued pattern writing I wanted my patterns to have a certain look and layout which was difficult or impossible to do in Word.

I now do almost everything within the Corel suite of programs. I use Corel Draw to draw out my illustrations and lay out the pattern. I edit my pictures within Corel Photo Paint (which comes with Corel Draw and is very well integrated with Draw).

I have found Corel Draw to give me freedom and power to create professional looking patterns while being cost effective and pretty intuitive to use. Corel Draw has the added bonus of being able to import and export vector files so I can resize illustrations (like my logo) and maintain their crispness.

I am very comfortable creating my own illustrations and text, but I felt that I needed some help on the overall design and lay out of the pattern.  I have involved several graphic designers to help me with the design aspect of my quilt patterns. Most recently, I had Lindsie from Design by Lindsie {http://designbylindsie.com/} create a new master pattern layout template for my patterns adding columns and better headings that I now use to create all of my patterns.


D.   PDFs

No matter what program you use to create your pattern, you will most likely need to convert your file into a .pdf (portable document format). This is the format most digital patterns are sold in and a common format for printing.

The program that you use for creating the pattern file (be it Adobe, Word, Corel) most likely contains a built in .pdf writer. You can also use a program like Adobe Acrobat or other free pdf writers (like Cute PDF) to create your .pdf file. 

Converting the file to a .pdf is usually as simple as selecting Export as a .pdf or printing and selecting a .pdf conversion software as the printer.

Tomorrow we are going to have our guest designers talking about the programs they use to create their patterns and on Friday, Christa is going to be talking about hiring a graphic designer.



24 comments:

  1. Great round up! When I'm on my mac or ipad I like Touchdraw too - its fun and easy to manipulate shapes. Lily's quilts has a few tutorials on it.

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    1. Agreed! TouchDraw is inexpensive (I think about $10) and tablet-based. I do struggle sometimes with exporting files I can open in more robust software like Adobe Illustrator.

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    2. I have never tried Touchdraw, I actually won a copy but it turns out it did not run on my old, first-generation ipad. That is a good addition to the programs list, thanks!

      Cheryl

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  2. I use EQ7 and my laptop's screen-capture software and write my patterns in Word. I use text boxes a lot to help with placement of elements on a page. For example, I screen capture a quilt's side border from EQ, insert a long skinny text box in Word, paste the jpg screen capture into the box, and resize the box to fit the quilt illustration. When I'm done with everything, I change all the text boxes to No Outline. I used this method for the manuscript of my book and it worked well for me.

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  3. Great post but, unfortunately for this topic, I work on a Mac. Will there be an Apple product look at this subject? Thanks a bunch!

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    1. When I have worked with my designer (who uses a Mac) she was able to use a Windows emulator for mac to run the Microsoft suite of products as well as Corel Draw. She also uses Adobe Illustrator for Mac. I believe that file types are the same between Windows and a Mac, and I know that there are pdf converters and EQ7 for Macs too.

      I do not have experience on a Mac, but hopefully this helps and maybe some other commenters can give some insight.

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    2. I am a Mac girl and use Adobe Illustrator and InDesign extensively. Microsoft Office is also available for Mac (though there are a few differences between Mac and Windows versions), although Microsoft does not include Publisher in Office for Mac. PDF creation is more inherent in Mac applications than it has been in Windows traditionally. File types are interchangeable. Rarely are there issues today with changing from platform to platform. I occasionally run Windows on my Mac, but really only to use Sure Cuts A Lot with my electronic cutter.

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  4. Another interesting post thankyou... for my work I use EQ7 and Word as that is what I have and can understand... I'm interested in exploring other possibilities, particularly for the writing up of patterns and the illustrative aspect.

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  5. That is a very nice collection of software in your post. Sadly mac users don't have that many choices.

    -Soma

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    1. Publisher is the only option listed not available in a Mac OS version.

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  6. Lots of very good information. I'm most comfortable with Publisher. I've got a couple of very simple patterns on my blog that were put together that way.

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  7. Excellent post! I've enjoyed them all, but feel like I have some expertise to share here. I do a fair amount of graphic design work in my day job. I would add as a Con to the Publisher box that many printshops do not recognize Publisher as a professional software platform and will not work with files created in it for large-volume printing. If your pattern publishing needs expand beyond what can be done at home or at a copy shop, a printshop may not be able to work with a file created in Publisher whether the original .pub file or an exported .pdf. It isn't designed to export a file with the details their offset printers require.

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  8. A very helpful post, Cheryl. Thank you so much!

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  9. Cheryl, explanations of the file extensions and pros and cons of the programs were so helpful! What a great post! Thank you!

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  10. I think these are all very informative posts. I too am on a MAC and I can see by many of the comments that there are a lot of options. I feel it's all a bit beyond my capabilities at this point but still interesting for the future when I might have more time to try more of this out.

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  11. Thanks for the software comparisons! I've played around in Paint and Inkscape (Paint is ok for quick'n'dirty representations of quite geometric blocks, Inkscape is what I used to design a foundation-pieced block), but I had no idea that Yvonne had a tutorial for using Inkscape for block design - definitely checking that out stat! :)

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  12. When re-formatting my pattern for the Quilter's Planner I had a crash course in Inkscape to create the vector images Stephanie needed. Her graphic designer said the files I sent weren't really vector, so I was all confused. I'm sure it was my lack of knowledge and something I did on my end, and I haven't tried Inkscape again. This post makes me want to revisit that program. Right now I use the shape drawing tools within Word to draw the graphics needed in my patterns but I'm ready to move to a program that will create the file types that stay crisp and clean no matter the printed size. Thanks so much for this roundup of information. It is very helpful.

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  13. One point that you missed...You CAN export a meta file of a block with EQ7. If you paste the file into MSWord you can then explode the block, add arrows, text, etc. to create piecing diagrams. You can't do an entire quilt just a block. I have a tutorial here
    http://funthreads.blogspot.com/2013/11/eq7-exporting-tutorial.html

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    1. Very cool tutorial, thanks for adding this!!

      Cheryl

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  14. I design all my patterns in Serif PagePlus. It's very affordable and offers more than InDesign.

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  15. I'm a graphics designer and in my opinion, Adobe Illustrator is a fantastic program for making quilt patterns. I love that I'm able to simulate cuts, to easily add or subtract seam allowances, add fabric patterns to my designs and then quickly create repeats. I make every quilt twice, once in Illustrator and then with my sewing machine and I've found that it helps me get accurate measurements and avoid mistakes. Another thing I like is that sometimes designing the quilt just in Illustrator is enough to satisfy my urge for making something new. That helps limiting the number of WIPs to usually no more than two or three.

    Granted, it's neither cheap nor easy to learn but having tried out all the other programs you mentioned, there's nothing better.

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  16. Some of this was completely new to me Cheryl. I had never even heard of vector images but my what a difference. When I first started out I would get so frustrated because I didn't realize .jpeg compressed the files and I would lose all my clean colors as soon as I closed the file. It took me awhile to catch on, LOL. Now I tend to blend features from Paint, EQ, and Adobe Elements when designing.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!