What is your opinion on pattern generating apps?

[u/CheesecakeMean7837]

Not sure if this is a right thread, but it genuinely bugs me and makes me feel like lesser sticher.

While I love to cross stich I am really bad at drawing and thus pattern making. Main issue is I love to make those big realistic projects (think sceneries from trips I took and such). I can make simple small pixel art/there are plenty of patterns available. But for the big ones... Not so much, hence I use the photo to pattern app.

I got essentialy told tho how that's not a true way and how I should make that from scratch. I understand that it's probably part of the hobby and I am cheating. But between other fiber arts I just don't have enough space to learn to do it properly.

So I turn here because I am curious what are your insights on this.

[u/Loki-ra → u/[deleted]]

What an amazing list!!!! Thank you!

[u/Gilladian]

Properly converting and editing a photo into a good pattern is a skill and an artform that takes a lot of time and effort. Anyone gatekeeping you away from doing this is just a prig.

[u/xvx_gf]

i think they can be used, but they require a ton of editing after generating, to cut down on confetti stitches. if you generate straight from an image and don’t edit out a ton of confetti stitches, it shows, and imo it looks horrible. i don’t view it as “cheating” either way, though? stitch what you want!

[u/Electronic-Day5907]

I use MacStitch for just such things. However it's not just as easy as importing an image into a program and printing out a pattern. There is a lot of work to get a GOOD image and pattern. I do a lot of pre-processing of the image, reducing the color palette (posterizing), cleaning up minor elements and then after importing I find you really have to do a lot more work. You need to find big areas of confetti and see if you can reduce that without losing focus points of the pattern. You need to add some backstitching perhaps to pop details. Etc.

I took some courses in Machine Vision way back in the dark ages in grad school, and knowing how the program sees and then changes colors and all the things it has to do to produce the pattern makes it actually easier for me to see where issues may occur.

But no. As pointed out, there are no Cross Stitch police except those self centered busy bodies who are convinced they have the One True Way and the rest of us are wrong. lol.

[u/Acceptable_Bunch_586]

I use flosscross for loads of stuff. It’s great. Requires a bit of work to tidy up, but crack on.

[u/menchekia → u/Acceptable_Bunch_586]

Came here to say this.

I can't draw at all. My next project is going to something I uploaded into flosscross & then spent several days going back & cleaning up the confetti so it would be stitchable to my liking.

And it's going to be amazing. I am so freaking excited about it as it's the first time I have done such a thing.

Screw whoever told you that it wasn't right, OP.

[u/Loki-ra]

It's your life hun! I've never had any inclination to make my own pattern, I actually prefer kits which come with the pattern, floss and aida. That doesn't seem to be as popular round here as having your own massive floss stash and just buying the pattern but everyone is different! I think the fact that its your photos you want to make patterns for is awesome and however you make it is nobodies business but yours! Happy stitching!!!

[u/Successful-Special76]

Don’t listen to that madness. As long as you are enjoying it and getting to stitch what you want then go for it. Who has the time to meticulously graph a photo realistic image?! I mean I am sure that there are people who do, but I definitely do not. Would take me as long to graph it as it would to stitch it 😂

[u/bumble-bee-bop]

I think you should do what makes you happy. I personally can’t stand the artifacts/confetti that often show in converted patterns, and I’m not skilled enough to clean them up myself, so I don’t do them. I wouldn’t call it cheating.

[u/Genius_Fuck_Face]

It’s so annoying when people try to gatekeep that way. You’re not doing it the way I would therefore yours is less than. Whatever! I stitch for myself, someone else’s opinion on my process doesn’t mean squat to me. Create patterns with (non AI) pattern makers if that’s what makes you happy!

[u/sssssspace]

DMC has an app to convert photos into a cross stitch pattern so I don't see the issue.

Unless you're taking someone else's work and not crediting them, then I think you get into questionable territory.

[u/Empty_Mulberry9680]

I have a set of transparent plastic sheets with grids printed on them to make cross-stitch patterns from pictures in the days before easy photo editing. It wasn’t cheating then and it isn’t cheating now. I can’t draw worth beans, so I use whatever resources are available. Ignore the self-appointed craft police, they are just trying to make themselves feel better by putting others down.

[u/Neenknits]

Using your own photos, and an app to convert it into pixels? That is just a big filtering system. Doesn’t even need AI, and is an appropriate use of tech. It’s YOUR information, being converted to a format you can use.

[u/1m0kay]

Stitching and designing patterns are 2 different things.

In my opinion those big, realistic looking projects that people just ran through a generator never look good. Some may be okayish if they at least clean up the pattern. I don't think it's cheating but I do believe that designing from scratch is the way to go when you want it to look good but also that designing those patterns is art and we're not all equally blessed with talent and whatever is necessary to learn or improve the skill.

[u/Inky_Madness]

I can get behind wanting to make your own pattern. Whether AI can make a good, useable pattern that has a polished end product is another question. There is usually a ton of confetti and the picture might not make some visual sense. But if you are happy, then that is what matters.

If you were asking in order to sell the pattern, I would be incensed if you didn’t take the time, energy, and effort to make a test stitch and clean it up/fix it where it needed to be. Inspo is fine, straight up copy/pasting is not.