Opening files

Which files Lilo can open, how to open them and what happens to an embroidery file you open.

Lilo opens three kinds of files.

Pictures: PNG, JPG, WEBP, SVG#

Open a picture to digitize it. Use Digitize a picture… on Home, Open image… in the left panel, or drop the file on the canvas. Read Turn a picture into stitches.

SVG files are drawings. They trace more cleanly than photos.

Lilo projects: .lilo#

A .lilo file is a full project: shapes, settings, reference images and version history. Open with Open… on Home or ⌘O. Double-clicking a .lilo file opens it in Lilo. Read Projects and autosave.

Embroidery files#

Lilo reads PES, DST, JEF, VP3, EXP, XXX, U01, PEC, HUS, VIP and TBF, and writes those plus G-code (a stitch path for CNC and plotter tools, write only). Use the converter to change a file's format, or press Open in editor there to bring the stitches into the editor.

A file that has already been stitched has fixed needle points. Lilo shows them as Manual stitch shapes. You can move, resize and re-colour them, but you cannot change a fill's pattern, because the pattern is gone.

When a file will not open#

Check the ending. Lilo does not read every format. See File formats.
Very large files may be slow. Close other windows.
If a file is damaged, try the original from where you got it.

Where projects live#

New projects save to Documents, then Lilo. Home shows the most recent ones as cards with a thumbnail.