Embroidery Stitcher for Gimp-3.0

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16037

This plugin creates an Embroidery Effect on your opened image, or layer.
Works best with lots of colors.

No dialog, just run the filter and it creates the effect.

Image created in Gimp using Gimp Stable Diffusion (AI text to Image plugin for Gimp-2.10).
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21674

Results after running the filter on the open image.

Plugin can be found under Rod>Artistic>Embroidery Stitcher. You can change that menu location if you wish. I prefer to have all my newly installed filters under each creator's name.

Where to install -
Gimp-3.0/Plugins folder It is a scm filter but needs to be unzipped to your plugins folder to work.

Instructions to use -
Just select the layer your image is on and run the filter. Everything is automatic. The filter will keep the original image and create the effect layer above it. The GEGL FX are not saved.

Have fun!

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16037

Another tree house image

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16037

A meaty Cyborg

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16037

A witch image created in Gimp Diffusion.

Input image

Output after Embroidery Stitcher

contrast_ · **Joined:** Oct 31, 2020 **Posts:** 2012

I rewrote this plugin as non-destructive GEGL syntax

Notice how noise spread and edge neon are inside the hsv value composer, and hsv value's composer is set to 68%. I also added a `gegl:opacity` because I needed to match the legacy hsv value's blend mode that I don't like using.

Code: Select all

id=1 gimp:layer-mode layer-mode=hsv-value opacity=0.68 aux=[ ref=1  noise-spread amount-x=7 amount-y=7 seed=0 edge-neon radius=4.081 amount=0.080 
opacity value=1.3 ]

I can turn it into a plugin with sliders and blend modes other then hsv value.

contrast_ · **Joined:** Oct 31, 2020 **Posts:** 2012

I have an idea. Of course I could easily convert this plugin to GEGL but maybe it would be more fun if Rod made his first GEGL plugin this way with my help. I can guide him step by step on how to make a GEGL plugin.

We will keep the plugin simple It will feature just three sliders

Spread (for noise spread X and Y), Edge ( for edge-neon's radius) Intensity (for Opacity 1.3)

Spread can go from (1-10)
Edge can go from (2-10)
Opacity can go from (1 to 1.5)

I already started by listing all the nodes we will be using and I assigned them properties.

Code: Select all

GeglNode *input    = gegl_node_get_input_proxy (gegl, "input");

GeglNode *output   = gegl_node_get_output_proxy (gegl, "output");

GeglNode *hsvvalue = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gimp:layer-mode", "layer-mode", 40, "opacity", 0.68, NULL);

GeglNode *edge = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:edge-neon", "amount", 0.080,  NULL);

GeglNode *opacity = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:opacity", "value", 1.3,  NULL);

GeglNode *noise = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:noise-spread",   NULL);

and of course the title and description and op name area

Code: Select all

    "name",        "rod:embroidery-stitcher",
    "title",       _("Embroidery Stitcher"),
    "reference-hash", "3ro45trpjot4kl0n2odff",
    "description", _("Embroidery Stitcher"),
    "gimp:menu-path", "<Image>/Filters/Rod",
    "gimp:menu-label", _("Embroidery Stitcher..."),
}

#endif

Once again this plugin would be incredibly simple for me to make :geek

but if Rod wants he can manually attempt to complete it with my guidance and he will successfully make a GEGL plugin.

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16037

contrast_ wrote:

I have an idea. Of course I could easily convert this plugin to GEGL but maybe it would be more fun if Rod made his first GEGL this way with my help. I can guide him step by step on how to make a GEGL plugin.

We will keep the plugin simple It will feature just three sliders

Spread (for noise spread X and Y), Edge ( for edge-neon's radius) Intensity (for Opacity 1.3)

Spread can go from (1-10)
Edge can go from (2-10)
Opacity can go from (1 to 1.5)

I already started by listing all the nodes we will be using and I assigned them properties.

Code: Select all

GeglNode *input    = gegl_node_get_input_proxy (gegl, "input");

GeglNode *output   = gegl_node_get_output_proxy (gegl, "output");

GeglNode *hsvvalue = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gimp:layer-mode", "layer-mode", 40, "opacity", 0.68, NULL);

GeglNode *edge = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:edge-neon", "amount", 0.080,  NULL);

GeglNode *opacity = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:opacity", "value", 1.3,  NULL);

GeglNode *noise = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:noise-spread",   NULL);

and of course the title and description and op name area

Code: Select all

    "name",        "rod:embroidery-stitcher",
    "title",       _("Embroidery Stitcher"),
    "reference-hash", "3ro45trpjot4kl0n2odff",
    "description", _("Embroidery Stitcher"),
    "gimp:menu-path", "<Image>/Filters/Rod",
    "gimp:menu-label", _("Embroidery Stitcher..."),
}

#endif

Once again this plugin would be incredibly simple for me to make :geek

but if Rod wants he can manually attempt to complete it with my guidance and he will successfully make a GEGL plugin.

Wonderful! You go ahead and write it Beaver.

I am going on vacation soon.
I am really interested in writing SCHEME that keeps the FX though.

And i will figure that out and re-write all of my filters.

Thanks though for the offer. :hi5

MareroQ · **Posted:** Sun Jul 06, 2025 11:15 am **(#8)**

Waiting for the GEGL version...

This is a translation of Rod's Embroidery-stitcher_RD.scm to plugin py. The initial output of the py plugin should be scm compatible.

In menu: Filters ➤ Artistic ➤ Embroidery effect

contrast_ · **Joined:** Oct 31, 2020 **Posts:** 2012

I don't have a personal interest in making a "noise spreaded edge detect", its a very simple thing indeed but without a personal interest and already 160+ plugins I was hoping someone else could do it.

Put simply, I'm gambling someone else will learn to make a GEGL plugin through this, most of the code needed is already in this thread.

contrast_ · **Joined:** Oct 31, 2020 **Posts:** 2012

Below are Embroidery Stitcher's properties being listed and referenced

Remember, "noise" is defined as gegl:noise-spread

Code: Select all

property_int    (spread, _("Spread"), 5)
    description (_("Spread amount"))
    value_range (1, 10)
    ui_meta     ("unit", "pixel-distance")
    ui_meta     ("axis", "x")


property_seed (seed, _("Random seed"), rand)

and the redirect for the properties

Code: Select all

  gegl_operation_meta_redirect (operation, "spread", noise, "amount-x");
  gegl_operation_meta_redirect (operation, "spread", noise, "amount-y");
  gegl_operation_meta_redirect (operation, "seed", noise, "seed");

You are even more closer to a complete GEGL Plugin if you can figure out how to complete it. You need to add a property for edge neon's radius `edge-neon radius=` and `gegl:opacity value=`

contrast_ · **Joined:** Oct 31, 2020 **Posts:** 2012

Here is the definition based GEGL Graph for Embroidery Stitcher. This will work regardless of what order the three lines are in.

Code: Select all

            gegl_node_link_many (input, hsvvalue, output, NULL);
            gegl_node_link_many (input, edge, noise, opacity,  NULL);
            gegl_node_connect (hsvvalue, "aux", opacity, "output");

What's going on here?

HSV VALUE is connecting to the final node which is gegl:opacity
Which means "gegl:edge-neon, gegl:noise-spread and gegl:opacity
are all inside HSV VALUE. GIMP is not capable of putting multiple filters in the same blend mode
but GEGL is. The node input unironically is being used as an output being put inside the HSV VALUE blend mode.
Think of input as a node that is connecting the start of the graph to the blend mode. It is both the `id` and the `ref`
as seen here.

Code: Select all

id=input gimp:layer-mode layer-mode=hsv-value opacity=0.68 aux=[ ref=input  noise-spread amount-x=7 amount-y=7 seed=0 edge-neon radius=4.081 amount=0.080
opacity value=1.3 ]

GEGL calls the blend mode HSV VALUE an aux because other nodes can be put inside it.

Almost all "gegl_node_link/connect" areas begins with "input" and ends with "output" with the only exceptions being filters like gegl:cell-noise, gegl:color, or gegl:spiral and other render filters do not need inputs. This filter is not an exception. All filters need gegl output.

Examples of very simple defined GEGL Graphs calling just one node

the render filter exception without input is

Code: Select all

GeglNode *output   = gegl_node_get_output_proxy (gegl, "output");

GeglNode *cellnoise = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:cell-noise",  NULL);

            gegl_node_link_many (cellnoise, output, NULL);

But the rule for non render filters is

Code: Select all

GeglNode *input    = gegl_node_get_input_proxy (gegl, "input");

GeglNode *output   = gegl_node_get_output_proxy (gegl, "output");

GeglNode *gaus = gegl_node_new_child (gegl, "operation", "gegl:gaussian-blur", "std-dev-x", 3.0, "std-dev-y", 3.0,  NULL);

            gegl_node_link_many (input, gaus, output, NULL);

Nidhogg · **Posted:** Sat Aug 23, 2025 2:20 am **(#12)**

Thanks for the update Rod and MareroQ, the cyborg looks nice.
I was always chasing a plugin that would create realistic machine embroidery. All the plugins/actions looked too sleek or weird somehow. Usually the problem seemed to be that the thread does not travel like it would on real embroidery done by machine. When I had time to consume I used ofnuts path tools (zig-zag), stroked the path and applied effects to make it thread-like. But this is good for quick results.

Maybe Super Intelligence will overcome Embroidery Digitizer in future?