Extract text from Lithography and microscopy files (STITCH)
To convert STITCH Data files to another format, you need MetaXpress or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Scientific Imaging Data" file type, you need software like MetaXpress or a similar tool.
The .stitch file is a specialized data container primarily used as a lithography pattern design file by Heidelberg Instruments SmartPrint systems, or as microscopy image stitch data generated by Molecular Devices MetaXpress software. Under the hood, these files are often structured as standard ZIP archives containing image tiles and XML metadata used to reconstruct high-resolution, multi-field microscope scans.
As a proprietary format, .stitch files are notoriously difficult to handle outside of their native, expensive lab environments. They cannot be opened by standard image viewers, web browsers, or basic graphic editors. Users face strict vendor lock-in, typically requiring specialized scientific software like MetaXpress or OME-compatible tools provided by the Open Microscopy Environment to view or analyze the multi-layered data. Because of this, users frequently need to convert .stitch to standard image formats like TIFF, PNG, or JPEG for academic publication, sharing with peers, or use in general-purpose image analysis software like ImageJ.
However, flattening a stitched multi-layer file into a basic JPG will strip out the original spatial metadata and quantitative pixel depth. Furthermore, because this is a highly specific, closed format, standard online image converters will fail to process it. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible using convert.guru. If our analysis detects the supported underlying ZIP structure or embedded TIFF images, viewing or extracting the internal content may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your STITCH file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted STITCHLY, PNG, PDF and PNZ files.
If you want to convert STITCH file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use MetaXpress or similar software from the "Microscopy & Lithography Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to STITCH, try MetaXpress or another comparable tool in the "Microscopy & Lithography Data" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our STITCH converter.