Cinnaminn's Crafts: How To Make A Graph For A Pattern Using PC Stitch

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Back	*How To Make A Graph* by Cheryl (a.k.a. Cinnaminn or Cinn) Copyright © 2002.	Next

     I got PC Stitch 6.0+ from a seller at eBay in July 2002 and have been playing with it ever since. *L* It has taken some getting used to but I think I've finally caught onto the idea. *grin* Just check out my graphs for crocheting, cross-stitch, knitting, etc. and let me know if you think I've gotten the hang of them or not? *L*
     After having received more than 1 e-mail asking about how to make a graph, I thought it was time to try to write down the steps/process for what I do when making a graph to use for cross-stitch, crocheting, knitting, etc. Please remember that I'm definitely not an expert on doing it and am still learning how to do things.
     I have an IBM-PC compatible computer with Microsoft Internet Explorer so my tutorial will be geared towards those with the same thing. I do not have a Mac so if that is what you have/use, the following may not be of much use for you but hopefully you can pick up some useful information.
     For starters, it may be useful for you to have at least one or more of the following software programs:

Paint Shop Pro 5.0+ or higher (a.k.a. PSP):
(You can download the latest trial version of this program for free to use for 30 days if you don't already have it. I have both PSP 5.0 and 7.0+ but you only need to use one version of it, not both. *L*) It is not necessary to have this program especially if you already have/use IrfanView. Some people have told me that they have conflicts if they try to use both programs but I haven't had any myself as of yet, although that may be because I don't have either program designated to view any specific graphic file until I tell it to look at a certain one. I'm finding that I like to use IrfanView to resize and convert a file into grayscale before importing into PCS and then using PSP for resizing the finished graph and virtual stitched graph files that I make but that is all a matter of choice/preferences. I have also used MS Paint for converting the finished graphs at times depending on what programs I had available to me then.

IrfanView:
(This is a freeware graphic viewer for private, non-commercial use [that means at home] or for educational use [schools and universities] and for use in charity or humanitarian organizations. If you intend to use IrfanView at your place of business or for commercial purposes, you should register and purchase it.)

MS Paint:
(I think this comes with Window 98 and can be found on your computer if you look under/at Programs/Accessories/Paint in the Start menu.) This program can be used to convert any picture file from 1 type of file to another such as .gif into .bmp or vice versa. You will need to use either this program (or PSP, Irfan Viewer, or something similar) after you have made a graph in PC Stitch to convert the .bmp file into either a .jpg or .gif file especially if it is something that you will want to share with other people.

PC Stitch 6.0+ (a.k.a. PCS):
(If you don't already have or own the PC Stitch software, you can download a free PC Stitch Pattern Viewer to enable the same view and print functions. Download time are 23 minutes 28.8Kpbs, 15 minutes for 56K Kpbs, 7 minutes for 128Kpbs, 5 minutes for 280Kbps. Available for Windows 95, 98, 2000. For Macintosh, beta version only. You can also download the PC Stitch 6 evaluation version for free with no time limitation or expiration date. You will get the full version of the program but the Save feature is disabled in it and you can only print unmodified designs only.)
I have the 6.04 version of this program which I bought online from a seller at eBay which was a lot cheaper than buying it online direct or in a store. Click here to do a search at eBay for current auctions selling the PC Stitch software program.

I am writing this tutorial geared more for use with IrfanViewer and PC Stitch 6.0+ rather than PSP since the IrfanViewer is freeware and does not have a time expiration for using it. Both programs are good ones and I definitely do recommend purchasing PSP if you can afford it. I bought my copy of PSP online but only after I did some comparision shopping to get the best price on it. *L* It does pay to shop around. *S* You definitely can't beat the price if you find something you can use for free like with the IrfanViewer program.

Using IrfanViewer
Step 1 - Selecting A Graphic:
     Choose a photo or a graphic that you want to convert into a graph. For a graphic, it's much easier if you choose something simple and not too busy/fussy (i.e., too many details in it). I think coloring pages work very well for converting a graphic into a graph pattern. *S*
     Let's try this graphic for Scooby Doo that I found online somewhere along the way. *L*
     To save this graphic to your own computer/disk, right-click on the graphic and choose "Save Picture As" and after telling your computer where to save the file on your computer (make sure you remember where you saved it or you will have to do a search for it using the Find feature in the Start menu) and then click the okay button in the Save Picture box which should be similar to what is shown below.

Step 2 - Using IrfanViewer:
Now open up IrfanViewer and click on File/Open link (marked in the red square in the first graphic below) and open up the scooby2.gif file you just saved on your computer as shown below (marked in the red square in the second graphic below).

Now to save some time, I will be putting a link for other illustrations rather than displaying them on this page. The other illustrations/examples should open up in a new window for viewing. When done viewing the illustration, close the new window to return back to this page.

Step 3 - Preparing to Resize:
With the scooby2.gif file open in IrfanViewer, click on the Image link at the top of the window and select Information which should bring up this display box to tell you about the image you are viewing. Look at the size of the graphic in the display box below that is in the red box and it shows that the present size of the Scooby graphic is 505 x 626 pixels. This graphic can be made into a graph as is but it would result in a very big graph/pattern which is not what we're trying to do here. *L* Also look at the number of colors in the graphic as shown below in the area in the blue box.

Step 4 - Resizing:
We are now ready to resize the graphic to suit our purposes. *S* Click on the Image link again and this time, select the "Resize/Resample" option. You should get a box similar to this one. Now you have a choice to make about what size you would like the graphic to be. You can type in any number in either the width or height under the "Set New Size" section and it will fill in the number for the other box and automatically resize the graphic to keep it in the aspect ratio. Or you can choose to set the new size as a percentage of the original graphic. For this example, please type in 20 in the "Set new size as percentage of original" and then click the OK button. *S* The new size for the graphic should be 101 x 125 pixels. (For the graphs I've made so far, I usually try to have the height of a graph somewheres around 100-150 pixels.) Now click on the Image link on the tool bar again and select the "Convert to Greyscale" option. Please note that this option along with the "Decreasing Color Depth" is now available for use as it is showing up in the box now and is not grayed out as compared to earlier.
After converting the graphic to grayscale (2 colors), try clicking on the "Image" link in the tool bar again and select "Information" from the drop-down list and the information there should be similar to what is showing here.

Step 5 - Saving Your Work:
Now that you are done resizing and converting the graphic, you are ready to save your work. Click on "File" from the tool bar and choose the "Save As" option. You might like to give it a slightly different name so that if something happens to your work or you don't like the end result, you still have the original version of it to use again. I'll be calling mine "Scooby7" since I have already made six other Scooby graphs. Be sure to save the file as a .bmp one and nothing else. PC Stitch will import other types of files such as .jpg, .tif, and many others but it will not import .gif files unless you convert them before importing into PCS. You should see a "Save File As" box similar to this one. (And if you want an explanation as to what a .bmp file is, you can try this link for one.) Now you are ready to go onto the next step......Using PC Stitch! *S*

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Originally created 23 August 2002 and updated as of 26 March 2006.
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