Continue your learning from Units 1 & 2!

Now that you’ve completed units 1 and 2, you’ll want to continue your mastery of Generations. As with previous units, we’ll work in Generations and we’ll also enhance our understanding of the full embroidery/digitizing process.

Largest Unit to Date!

This third installment features over 200 pages and 9 videos for an hour and 45 minutes of total viewing time, plus custom images, fabric backgrounds, modified thread library, and the option to have your final project personally evaluated.

A partial list of unit objectives includes:

• Understanding the difference between the two main types of graphics formats, their advantages and disadvantages, and which to use in Generations™ and when.
• How to identify elements in artwork that might cause problems during digitizing or embroidering.
• How to scan and adjust images in Generations™.
• How to optimize a vector image for auto-digitizing before inserting.
• Obtaining a basic understanding of design, color, and composition.
• How to prepare an image for digitizing (resolution, colors, size, removing excess details, posterizing).
• How to work with thread libraries including making custom catalogs and installing a new catalog.
• How, when, and why to create custom hoops.

Do File Formats Feel Like Alphabet Soup?

File formats have confused many embroiderers: exp, dst, csd, hus, cnd, pcs, pes, sew, jef, vip, vp3, xxx. Yes, it’s easily alphabet soup!

What’s a native format” What’s a foreign format? What’s the difference between the files your machines sews and the ones your software makes? How do you convert? When should you convert?

Find out why it’s so important to save your work as a Generations (.gen) file. Find out why you want to purchase .gen files whenever possible!

Art is the Heart of the Embroidery Design

Whether you auto-digitize or manual punch, embroidery starts with the art. Learn about copyrights, where to find art, how to clean it up and prepare it for embroidery. Don’t fret if you don’t have a degree in art, because I do and I’ll lead you through a short course on color and design, graphics formats, and how to select and enhance your images for digitizing.

You don’t have to be an artist to create great embroidery but understanding basic design and color theory can go a long way towards a professional looking end-product.

Scanning Images

Scanning is an easy way to get hand drawn or printed images into your computer. Learn how to scan into Generations and how to clean up your artwork using just Generations.

Focus on View Preferences: Custom Hoops & Backgrounds

We’ll spend a fair amount of time investigating the View Preferences tabs. We’ll enable the ability to edit artwork using other programs during the insert image process. We’ll make and use custom hoops and fabric backgrounds.

Color & Thread Libraries

We’ll look at how color is handled in Generations including working with thread libraries, how to add and delete threads, how to create a custom thread library, and when not to use a library at all!

Unit Requirements & Prerequisites

• Same as unit 1:
  • Generations embroidery software version 1.6 to perform the exercises
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files (free, installed on most computers)
  • Apple Quicktime to view the supplementary training videos (free, download from apple.com)
• Successful completion of previous units
• Purchase of Unit 1 if you wish to have your projects personally evaluated

Unit 3 Free Shipping!*

Related posts:

1. Unit 2: ABCs of Keyboard Lettering
2. Unit 1: Getting Started with Generations

Tags: digitizing, education, Generations, Learn to Digitize, training

This entry was posted on Friday, June 18th, 2010 at 11:19 am and is filed under Course Content. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.