JPG to PES
Turn JPG into a stitch-ready PES file for Brother and Baby Lock — free, in the browser, nothing to install.
Convert now — no account neededWhat to know about starting from JPG
JPEG throws away detail to save space, and it does it worst exactly where embroidery cares most: hard edges. Zoom into a JPEG logo and the boundary between two flat colours is a fringe of in-between pixels.
JPG to PES specifically
This pairing stacks two separate colour problems, which is why a JPEG logo so often exports with threads you never chose. First the JPEG's compression leaves a fringe of in-between pixels along every edge, and those read as additional colours. Then PES snaps whatever colours survive to Brother's thread chart. Cut the colour count down hard before exporting — a two-colour logo should convert as two colours, not eleven.
How to convert JPG to PES
- Upload your JPG. Those fringe pixels read as extra colours, so cut the colour count down hard — a two-colour logo should convert as two colours, not eleven. If you can get the original PNG, SVG or PDF from whoever made the logo, use that instead; it is the single biggest quality difference available to you.
- Set the finished size. Work in millimetres and set it before you judge anything else — every decision about detail depends on how big the design will be. Detail that survives at 150mm disappears at 60mm.
- Reduce the colours. Each colour is a thread change on the machine. Pick the fewest that still read as your artwork.
- Check the preview, then export as PES. The stitch preview plays the design in the order the machine will sew it, so you can catch problems before there is thread in the hoop.
About the PES format
PES is the native format for Brother and Baby Lock. PES stores your thread colours, so the machine shows the design in colour and prompts for each one by name. It also encodes most jumps as a cut, so expect a few more trims on the back than the same design in DST.
What makes the difference to the result
Digitizing is not tracing. The converter decides how each region gets filled, which direction the stitches run, where the underlay goes and how much to compensate for the fabric pulling the design in as it sews. Those decisions are what separate a design that stitches cleanly from one that puckers, gaps at the edges or takes twice as long as it should.
- Size before everything. A shape narrower than about 1.2mm cannot be stitched as its own satin column; it has to be widened or dropped.
- Fewer colours, better result. Every extra colour is a thread change, a trim and a chance for registration to drift.
- Flat beats subtle. Gradients, glows and soft shadows have no equivalent in thread and become banding.
- Check the stitch order. The simulator plays it back so you can see the sequence before you sew it.
Already have the vector?
If whoever designed the artwork can send you the SVG, AI, EPS or PDF, use that instead. Converting from vector skips the whole business of inferring edges from pixels, and the difference is visible in the finished stitch-out. See SVG to embroidery.
Common questions
My JPG logo exported to PES with the wrong colours — why?
Two roundings compounded. The JPEG's edge fringing invents in-between colours, then PES matches every surviving colour to the nearest thread in Brother's chart. Cut the colour count to what the logo really has before exporting and both problems mostly disappear.
Why did my JPG convert with more colours than it has?
JPEG compression leaves a fringe of blended pixels along every hard edge, and those fringe pixels read as extra colours. It is why a two-colour logo can offer eleven. Reduce the colour count manually, or get the original PNG, SVG or PDF from whoever made the artwork.
Will my exact colours survive as PES?
Approximately. PES stores an index into Brother's thread chart rather than an RGB value, so each colour is matched to the nearest thread Brother sells. For an exact brand match, choose your thread from the chart first and design to it.
Why does my PES have more thread trims than the DST?
The PEC block inside a PES file leans on trim-jumps rather than uncut jumps for travel between shapes. It is how the format handles moves, not a fault in the design, but it does mean a few more ends to clip on the back.
Can I open a PES file on a machine that is not a Brother?
Not natively. Most other brands need the design re-encoded to their own format first, which is a re-encode rather than a re-digitize — the stitches are already decided and only the container changes.
Related converters
Already have an embroidery file in the wrong format? That is a different job — no digitizing needed, just a re-encode. Use the embroidery file converter. Working with text rather than artwork? Browse the embroidery fonts.