Pictures are converted to black and white using the Monochrome Threshold in the ExpressDesign Wizard. The objective is to end up with a black and white line drawing, that can be traced using only one color. If there are large solid areas that cannot be removed with the Monochrome Threshold, it may be best to edit the picture before loading it so that the solid areas are removed.
If a picture does not have its own outlines, use Find Outlines on the Outline Finder and Expander page. This works best with clearly defined color areas with sharp edges.
Pictures that have gradual color changes, such as photographs or previously scanned pictures saved in JPEG format, may not have strong color boundaries that can be detected by Find Outlines.
When editing or creating a picture for Express Trace, check how the outlines are connected to each other and, where possible, look for unobtrusive places to connect outlines. When the outlines are more connected, there will be fewer movement stitches in the final embroidery and the embroidery will also stitch out more efficiently. Also, for smaller embroideries, adding connections between outlines will be less noticeable and will also prevent small sections of stitches that might be less secure.