JPG → JEF converter
Convert JPG to JEF embroidery files
Turn your JPG picture into a ready-to-stitch JEF file for Janome, Elna, or Kenmore machines. StitchMyPic digitizes it the way a person would, with satin borders, tatami fills, underlay and an optimized stitch order, and shows you every stitch before you download.
- Free stitch preview
- 1 credit per download
- PES, DST, JEF and EXP in one ZIP
Free preview · no account needed
Drop your JPG – see it as JEF stitches
No account needed for the preview: your picture is digitized right here in your browser. You only use a credit when you download.
Machine files:.PES.DST.JEF.EXP
What a picture looks like once it's stitched
Drag the handle to compare the original artwork with the stitch simulation StitchMyPic shows you before you download.
Round Hilltop Roasters coffee badge with mountains, a rising sun and a coffee cup
How to convert JPG to JEF
- 1Drop your JPG into the tool above. Use the largest, least-compressed version you have.
- 2Set the stitched width in millimetres or inches for your hoop, then check the stitch preview, stitch count and sewing time.
- 3Check the colours: JEF stores them from the Janome thread chart, so your machine's screen shows the matching thread for each stop.
- 4Download the ZIP (PES, DST, JEF and EXP), unzip it and copy the JEF file to your machine.
Preparing your JPG for embroidery
JPG photos and scans are compressed. Compression leaves faint halos and blocky noise around edges, and the background is part of the picture rather than transparent. When StitchMyPic reduces the picture to thread colours it folds those in-between shades back into your main colours, and the background removal in the editor takes out a plain backdrop, so stray specks don't turn into extra colour stops.
- Use the largest, highest-quality version you have: every re-save adds compression noise.
- If the same logo exists as PNG or SVG, use that instead.
- For photos: crop tightly, remove the background, raise the contrast and aim for 4–6 colours.
What you get in the JEF file
JEF is Janome's home embroidery format, also used by Elna and by Kenmore machines built by Janome. Like PES it stores thread colours as Janome palette colours, so the machine shows sensible colours on screen, and its header records a hoop code that Janome machines and software use to suggest the right hoop; StitchMyPic sets it from the design size. Each move is limited to 12.7 mm, and longer moves are split automatically.
| Created by | Janome |
|---|---|
| Read by | Janome, Elna, Kenmore (Janome-built) |
| Thread colours stored | Yes, as entries in the Janome thread palette |
| Stitch precision | 0.1 mm |
| Longest single move | 12.7 mm; longer moves are split automatically |
| Also in the file | Hoop code that suggests the hoop to use |
JPG to JEF: common questions
Is the JPG to JEF converter free?
The preview is free and needs no account: drop your JPG above and you see the stitches, stitch count and sewing time. Downloading uses one credit, from $2.58 per design, and new accounts get one free credit. The ZIP contains JEF plus the other three formats.
Will the white background of my JPG be stitched?
A JPG can't be transparent, so its background is part of the picture. Remove it with the background removal in the editor, or leave that colour out of the design. Otherwise it becomes a large fill that adds thousands of stitches and stiffens the fabric.
What is the hoop code in a JEF file?
The JEF header records which hoop the design is meant for, and Janome machines and software use it to suggest a hoop. StitchMyPic sets it from the design size. You can still sew the design in any hoop whose sewing field is large enough.
Will the JEF file work on my machine?
JEF is native to Janome and is also read by Elna and Janome-built Kenmore embroidery machines. Copy it to a FAT32 USB stick; if it doesn't show up, several Janome models only look inside the folder they create on the stick.
How big should I stitch my design?
Most logos and badges look best 70–120 mm wide. Keep capital letters at least 6 mm tall and lines at least 1 mm wide at the final size, and leave 5–10 mm between the design and the edge of your hoop's sewing field. The editor warns you if the design doesn't fit.