PES is the embroidery file format used by Brother and Baby Lock machines. If you have a logo, drawing, or photo you want stitched out, here’s exactly how to turn it into a PES file for free using click-stitch.
What you need before you start
- An image file — PNG, JPG, or SVG.
- A rough idea of your final embroidered size (in inches or millimeters).
- A few minutes — no software to install.
Step 1: Choose the right source image
Bold shapes, clear edges, and a limited color palette digitize the most cleanly. Busy photos with gradients and fine detail tend to produce noisy, overly dense stitching. If your source has a background you don’t want stitched, a PNG with transparency (or a photo you can background-remove) works best.
Step 2: Upload and remove the background (if needed)
Upload your image, then choose to keep the original or remove the background. Background removal isolates your subject so only the design itself gets digitized — see our background removal guide for when this step matters most.
Step 3: Pick your thread colors
Click areas of the image to assign thread colors. Free accounts support up to 4 colors; Premium removes that limit for designs that need a wider palette.
Step 4: Set your output size
Set the finished width and height in inches or millimeters. Smaller designs need simpler shapes to stay clean — if a design looks too busy at small sizes, reduce the color count or raise the minimum fill-shape size.
Step 5: Export as PES
Once you're happy with the preview, export your file as PES. click-stitch also lets you export the same design as DST, JEF, EXP, VP3, or XXX if you need other formats later — see the full format converter guide for every pairing.
Free vs Premium PES conversions
Free accounts get 3 conversions per day, up to 4 colors, and up to 3-inch output. Premium unlocks 15 conversions per day, unlimited colors, sizing up to 12 inches, and the guided Wizard for step-by-step help on more complex designs.
Want the full walkthrough with screenshots of every step? See the click-stitch tutorial.