A validation report that shows 'Color 1, Color 2, Color 3' instead of named thread colors usually means the file format you uploaded doesn't carry color information natively. The fix depends on which format you used.
DST and EXP have no embedded colors
Tajima DST and Melco EXP files do not carry thread color information in the file itself. The format only stores stitch coordinates and machine commands. Color sequence comes from a companion file (.EDR for DST, .INF for EXP) that lives alongside the stitch file.
Fix: upload the companion file
- Find the .EDR (for DST) or .INF (for EXP) file that came with the design. It has the same base name as the stitch file — design.dst + design.edr, design.exp + design.inf.
- On the project page, click Add file and upload the companion. ValidStitch detects the match and re-runs validation with the colors merged in.
- If you don't have the companion, set the thread chart on the project (Brother / Madeira / Isacord) — ValidStitch maps numeric indices to the chart's closest matches and flags any that are ambiguous.
PES, JEF, VP3 have embedded colors
If you uploaded a PES, JEF, or VP3 and the colors are still missing, the embedded palette in the file is empty or corrupt. This sometimes happens when the file was edited in a tool that didn't preserve the palette. Re-export from the source tool with palette preservation enabled, or fall back to setting the project thread chart manually.
Once the companion file or thread chart is in place, re-run validation — the color list populates and the setup-sheet generator will use named threads instead of indices.