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.