In the second step you set the size of the pattern and fine-tune the image with the filters. The preview updates as you go: try things without fear, nothing is final.
The size in stitches
The size is measured in stitches (each stitch, one cross). To know the size on fabric, divide by the count: 140 stitches on 14-count Aida come to about 25 cm. Small 60-100, medium 100-200, large 200+.
The size is handled with three sliders: the width and the height in stitches, and the aida you are going to stitch on. Move any of them and Puntotek recalculates on the fly how big the finished piece will be, so you can find the real measurement before converting anything.
They work in two ways: dragging the strip of little arrows along the bottom edge, which covers a wide range in one gesture, or with the two arrows, which go up and down one at a time once you are close to the measurement. The same sliders as in the loom.
It is worth settling the size before wrestling with the filters: the fewer stitches the pattern has, the less detail fits, and some adjustments that look fine at a large size disappear at a small one.
The adjustments, one by one
x1 / x2
The same button as in the loom: it decides whether each stitch will cover one square of the fabric or two. It matters here because it changes the real size shown while you move the sliders, without touching the number of stitches in the pattern.
- Stitch x1: Each stitch, one square. The measurement given by the stitch count and the aida you chose.
- Stitch x2: Each stitch, two squares. The same stitches, but the finished piece measures twice as much.
Black and white
Turns the image into greyscale.
Sepia
Applies the classic sepia tone of an old photograph.
Mirror
Flips the image horizontally.
Contrast
Pulls the tones of the image apart or together. Raising it before reducing colours usually gives a cleaner pattern, because the areas are better separated; lowering it saves very harsh photos, where the shadows swallow the detail. This button 
has a counter.
- More contrast: Separates lights and darks. Edges stand out and the drawing gains strength.
- Less contrast: Brings the tones closer together. Useful if the photo comes out burnt or with very black shadows.
Brightness
Raises or lowers the light of the whole image. It is the first thing to look at when the photo comes out dull or too pale: if the detail cannot be seen here, it will not appear in the stitches either. This button has a counter.
- Lighten: Raises the overall brightness. Rescues the dark areas.
- Darken: Lowers the overall brightness. Recovers the detail in burnt areas.
Sharpen
Brings out the edges and the detail of the image. This button has a counter.
Remove noise
Smooths grain and speckles: fewer stray stitches in the final pattern. This button has a counter.
Dithering
Applies a dot pattern (dithering) to simulate gradients with few colours.
Skin protector
Protects skin tones during the adjustments and the conversion: ideal for portraits, it keeps faces from losing their natural colour.
Group whites and blacks
Near-white tones become pure white and near-black ones pure black: it cleans up the extremes of the image and saves unnecessary colours in the palette.
Automatic adjustment 1
Applies a ready-made combination of adjustments: a good starting point in one tap.
Automatic adjustment 2
A second automatic combination, with a different character. Try both and keep whichever suits your image best.
Saturation
Intensifies the colours of the image. This button has a counter.
Apply the reduction
Converts the image to the chosen size in stitches (with bilinear interpolation, smooth and faithful). This is the key step: from here on the adjustments work on the image already at pattern size.
Next
Move on to Step 3 once the image looks right.
Close / Help
Two simple buttons: leave the importer, or open this help page when you need a reminder of a step.
- Close the importer: Leaves the importer without importing anything.
- Open help: Opens the explanation for the current screen.
The counter on each button
The little number
Almost all of these adjustments can be applied several times, and each pass adds to the previous one. So you do not lose count, a little number showing how many times you have applied it appears on the button. From nine on it stops counting and shows a +, which is its way of telling you that you have laid it on thick enough there.
The little numbers are also the recipe of the automatic adjustments: when you press Automatic 1 or Automatic 2, the counters spread across the buttons and show you which effects it applied and how many times each. It is the best way to learn what each combination does — look at them, then repeat by hand whatever you liked.
← Step 1: loading the image Next: Step 3 — colour reduction →