1. Load Photo START Screen
	First step is to load your picture to the program. Necessary tools for this task are available on START screen – the first screen that appears when program starts. The buttons on the START toolbar allow to import photos from graphic file (LOAD PICTURE button), Clipboard (PASTE button) or scan/acquire photos from scanners, digital camera or other TWAIN device (USE SCANNER, USE CAMERA, and TWAIN buttons). Notes: 1. PM Stitch Creator 2.0 imports graphic files of following formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG, DIB, RLE, PCD, PCX, TGA 2. You can let program know what device to use when acquiring photos from scanner or camera using menu Options->TWAIN
	2. Edit Photo /optional/ PICTURE Screen
	After your photo is loaded the program automatically switches to PICTURE screen. Here you can edit your picture - crop, rotate, adjust image colors automatically and apply one of eight most common image processing filters. You may well skip this step and use external image editor (see ‘Other products from STOIK Software) to make necessary edits to your photo. To finish image editing click SETTINGS button on left toolbar or run menu Picture->Finish image editing.
	3. Define Design Settings SETTINGS Screen
	Once you have clicked Settings button you proceed to the next screen. Here your photo will be converted to stitch design according to setting you define. It is recommended that you proceed from left to right along the Settings toolbar. Click COLORS to choose floss brand and number of colors to be used for converting photo into stitch design. Click CANVAS to choose type of canvas. Click SIZE to define size of stitchwork. Click STITCH TYPE to choose type of default stitch which will be used for automatic conversion of photo to stitch design. Click DISPLAY button and choose in what form the stitch design shall be represented on screen (e.g. symbol chart of stitch pattern) – once you have made your choice the program will convert your photo into stitch design project.
	4. Edit And Modify Your Design STITCH Screen
	While on the STITCH screen you can edit and modify the stitch design project. This screen can also be used to create stitch design from scratch. The functions available on STITCH screen are analogous to those found in paint programs – in the same way you can draw, paint, apply text, erase, copy and paste fragments, but with needle and thread instead of pen and paint. SELECT – this button will show selection palette with different tools to make selection on stitch pattern. Selections and be used to fill regions with threads of particular color and to insert fragments. TEXT – click to apply text to pattern. INSERT PICTURE – inserts picture from graphic file into current selection (picture will be converted to thread colors used in current pattern). If you click this button with CTRL key pressed, you can insert another stitch project into selection. DRAW – click to draw with pen, line, rectangle, ellipse, backstitch. This button is also used to define pen size. CLEAR – is used to erase stitches, threads, backstitches, and to clear selection from stitches. FILL – click to fill selection with thread of current type and color and to change color of thread. Note that the active type and color stitch can be changed using buttons on the left toolbar. STITCH INFO – click on this button to get info about any stitch and thread in the design. DISPLAY – switches display mode of stitch design (stitch patter, symbol chart, color blocks, blocks and symbols) Note: there are additional functions in addition to above tools, such as Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo available through context menu and program menu Edit.
	5.Save, Export, And Print FINISH Screen
	Click the FINISH button on the left toolbar to proceed to the last step of program workflow – FINISH screen, where you can save and print your design. SAVE button will save project into .CSE file for future use. You can share this file by sending it by email or posting for download, in this case it is recommended that before saving you run menu Picture->Remove Picture From Project command to reduce size of .CSE file. PRINT button will offer you choice of print output – stitch patter, symbol chart, color blocks, color blocks and symbols, color key (material list).

PRINT SETUP – click to choose printer and to define how the pattern will be printed. Here you can choose the scaling of printed pattern by changing the number of pages (from 1 to 10 x 10) that will be used to print the design PRINT PREVIEW – allows you to preview the output of print EXIT – closes the program. Note that the program has additional export options: you can print the stitch pattern and color key directly into graphic file using menu File->Print->Print to file… commands.

That’s all, your stitch design project is finished. We hope you will enjoy working with the program.

©2002, STOIK Imaging