PNG to PES & DST: How to Make Embroidery Files from a PNG
Getting from a flat PNG to a stitch file is a two-stage job. Veclify handles the first stage — a clean, simplified vector — and free embroidery software handles the digitising.
Veclify does not export PES or DST
We output SVG, DXF, EPS, PDF, and PNG — no proprietary stitch formats. To get PES or DST you convert the SVG or DXF in embroidery software such as Ink/Stitch (a free Inkscape extension) or your machine's own package, for example Brother PE-Design. Anyone promising a one-click PNG-to-PES button is skipping the digitising step that actually determines stitch quality.
Step 1 — get a clean vector from your PNG
Upload the PNG to Veclify and trace it into a clean SVG. Simplify paths and reduce colors so the embroidery reads well at stitch scale.
Drag an image here, or click to select
Supports PNG / JPG / WEBP / GIF / BMP, max 20MB
Free tracing, no sign-up. Export the result as SVG or DXF for the next step.
- Cut the palette down to the thread colours you actually own
- Delete hairline details thinner than about 1.5 mm
- Merge near-identical shades into a single fill region
- Close every path so fills do not leak at stitch-out
What a digitiser wants to receive
Move your mouse across either image — a 4x magnifier appears on both sides.
Embroidery software needs closed, simplified shapes — not a pixel grid it has to guess at.
Step 2 — convert SVG/DXF to PES or DST
Open the SVG in Inkscape with the free Ink/Stitch extension and export PES (Brother) or DST (Tajima). This step happens in embroidery software, not in Veclify. Ink/Stitch is where you assign fill and satin stitch types, set underlay, and order the colour changes.
Brother, Babylock, Bernina (home machines)
Exported from: Ink/Stitch or PE-Design
Tajima and most commercial multi-heads
Exported from: Ink/Stitch or Wilcom
Janome, Melco, Husqvarna Viking
Exported from: Your machine's own software
What does not survive the needle
- Gradients — thread cannot blend the way pixels do
- Tiny lettering under roughly 5 mm cap height
- Photographic sources with hundreds of colours
- Long unsupported satin runs that pucker fabric
Embroidery file questions
No. Veclify exports SVG, DXF, EPS, PDF, and PNG. Convert the SVG/DXF to PES or DST in free embroidery software like Ink/Stitch.
Related craft workflows
For embroidery
Embroidery machines read PES or DST, not PNG or SVG — and Veclify does not export those formats directly. What it does is turn your PNG or SVG into a clean, single-color-ready vector you can hand to free embroidery software.
Upload your artwork, trace it into editable SVG paths, then open that SVG in a free tool like Ink/Stitch (Inkscape) to generate the PES or DST file your machine actually stitches.
Why trace before embroidery
An embroidery file needs clean, stitchable paths — not a photo. Tracing your PNG into SVG gives you the simplified, recolorable artwork that embroidery software expects as its starting point.
The honest workflow
Veclify produces the vector; it does not emit PES/DST. Export the traced SVG and convert it in free embroidery software (Ink/Stitch, or similar) to get your machine-ready PES or DST file.