Have you heard of or tried Beadographer? Beadographer is a web-based bead pattern design tool. If you currently draw your beadwork patterns by hand on bead graph paper and are looking to do this on your computer or I-Pad instead, beadographer can help you do that.
There are several advantages to using bead design applications over designing on paper. I like that bead programs give a more realistic representation of my project. Most create the bead grids based on the size and type of beads you specify and provide the approximate finished size of the project. They also have libraries of the different bead colors for different manufacturers, so you're not limited to marker or pencil colors - and you can even get an idea of how different bead finishes will look.
Prior to Beadographer, I used BeadTool 4, but there are a few features of Beadographer that I think really make it stand out, so I'll make sure to tell you those. Before I get there, I'll start with the basic info.
Beadographer is accessed from your web browser and does not require any installation on your computer or I-Pad. They recommend using the Chrome browser.
You can use beadographer for free or pay an annual subscription fee (currently $6.99) that provides additional capabilities such as saving your bead palettes and designs. The free version allows you to use all the tools and take a picture of your design, but you can't save it, edit it, or export it.
Using Beadographer, you can design bead patterns for seed beads, cylinder beads or plastic fuse beads. I'll focus on using it for beadwork, not fuse beads.
It can be used to make patterns for several different popular bead stitches and techniques such as loom, brick, peyote, herringbone, and right angle weave as well as some variations of these techniques such as a triangle, warped square, peyote star, huichol, and a medallion shape. And it also does grids for 2-drop and 3-drop versions of peyote and brick stitch.
The bead shapes are squared off for cylinder beads (left) and curved edges for round beads (right). I like that I can switch between different types and sizes of beads to get an idea of how it looks as well as the finished size of a design. I don't think you can use multiple different types of beads or sizes in one design (but wouldn't that be fun!).
This is a design for an initial 'L' in loom or square stitch that I recently made.
I am still relatively new to using Beadographer, so I will update this review periodically as I use different features. I subscribed, so I am able to save and edit my designs. Note that this is not a sponsored post, nor are there any affiliate links. It's just a cool tool that you might want to check out.
Getting started with Beadographer is easy - there is a very helpful user guide as well as a YouTube video to teach you all the basics plus more advanced tasks. The program was recently updated to store your bead designs in the cloud, so the videos and documentation may not look exactly like the screens right now - but the tools haven't really changed that much. The biggest change I've noticed is how the projects are saved (which is much better now). The YouTube video link above has been updated for the current version of Beadographer - so that's good news!
I have a new I-Pad, and I really like that Beadographer works on it, including using my I-Pencil. (BeadTool doesn't run on an I-Pad) That means I can select a bead grid style and use the pencil to select bead colors and draw them in - just like you might do on paper. For me, it's a big help to visualize colors and design layouts.
Beadtool4 Christopher still illegally has my patterns locked up and blocks any attempt to get him to fix or refund my product. Legit took my licensing away after I asked for a refund or product fixed with proof it does not work. No one has helped me reach out to him but defend him instead. Makes me sad no one in this circle helps others anymore.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your problems with BeadTool4. Whenever I design use software, I try to back up my files frequently to my computer and export them in common formats (like .pdf) so if I lose access to the software, I will still have my work. I hate to defend BeadTool4 because I understand how difficult it is to lose access to your work, but whenever I have had problems, their responses have been quick and helpful. I'm sorry your experience has not been as good.
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