Open and organize PES and DST designs on a Mac
Revision v1 · Satinsmith 1.0.0 (9) · Free

Mac walkthrough: Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later.
Windows: the PES/DST examples can be inspected in software that supports those formats; Satinsmith does not run on Windows.
There are no .ssdesign files in this library pack. Future .ssdesign exercises require Satinsmith.
No signup, paid assets or embroidery machine is required.

1. Unzip and keep the sample folder
Download the files below, then double-click the ZIP in Finder. Keep the extracted folder somewhere convenient. Satinsmith indexes files where they are; it does not move them into a hidden library.

2. Add the folder to Satinsmith
Open Satinsmith and choose Add Folder in the library sidebar. Choose the extracted Samples folder and allow access when macOS asks. Wait for four design cards: Leaf.pes, Leaf.dst, Star.pes and Star.dst.

3. Find and inspect the leaf
Type Leaf in the library search field. Select Leaf.pes and inspect its size, stitch count and color count. Clear the search to see all four designs again. PES and DST copies of the same motif are intentional format comparisons.

4. Watch the design draw
Double-click Leaf.pes to open it. Use stitch playback to follow the outline and vein, and zoom to inspect the stitches. Open Leaf.dst as well. DST does not preserve the original thread RGB colors, so a different preview color does not mean the geometry changed.

5. Organize without changing stitches
Return to the library and select Leaf.pes. In the Inspector, enter practice in Add tag and press Return; give it a star rating if useful. Choose the practice tag in the sidebar to find it again. Tags and ratings organize the library; they do not rewrite the source machine file.

6. Check your result
Clear the tag and text filters. You should see four designs, be able to open both file formats, and find the tagged leaf again. No editing, export or paid plan is needed for this lesson. Keep the sample folder in place so the library can continue to find it.

Leaf: 32 × 48 mm. Star: 45.6 × 43.4 mm. Coordinates are in tenths of a millimetre.
PES carries the selected thread color; DST does not preserve it. These simple running-stitch outlines are for learning file handling.
No physical sew-out has been performed. Do not treat the samples as validated production embroidery.
Troubleshooting: unzip first; add Samples, not the ZIP; clear search/tag filters; keep the watched folder in place.
Written lesson: https://satinsmith.tempore.net/learn/library-basics/
