In this video, we use the Color Sequence window in Forte Digitizing 3 to make a design more production friendly by reducing 29 color changes down to five. In the color sequence bar, each box represents a color change. We click the Color Sequence icon to open the window, then move matching colors together so they are grouped in sequence. After arranging the green, gray, white, teal, and pink sections into color groups, we click Apply and OK. Although the colors are now grouped together, the design still shows 29 color changes.
To combine each grouped section into a single color change, we press the Alt key and click the first color in each group. We repeat this for the green, gray, white, teal, and pink groups until the design is reduced to just five color changes. Once the design is complete, we select the entire design by clicking and dragging with Select Object, pressing Ctrl+A, or choosing Select Entire Design from the Edit menu. We then click the Center Design icon to center the design in the work area.
Next, we save the design with a new name so we do not overwrite the stock design file. We go to File, Save As, enter a new name, and save the file as an FES so we can return later to make changes. The file can also be added to the design database by clicking Add to Design Database. In the Design Summary window, we can review file details such as the name, category, creator, modified date, customer name, price, stitch count, colors, size, and thread color list with stock numbers. After clicking Save Changes and Close, the design is added to the database, where we can find it under the General category and open it back into the work area.
After reducing your design to cleaner color stops, stitch it out with dependable Madeira thread.