Free Cross Stitch Pattern Maker
Upload a picture and convert it into a cross stitch chart with DMC thread colors, stitch counts per color and a downloadable pattern image.
Last reviewed September 15, 2026 · How these figures are calculated
Drop a photo here or click to upload
JPG, PNG or WebP · processed on your device
Portraits, pets, simple landscapes and illustrations with clear shapes convert best.
How to turn a picture into a cross stitch pattern
Upload your photo
Drag and drop or select an image. It is processed on your device and never sent to a server.
Set size and colors
More stitches give more detail but a larger piece. More colors look closer to the photo but need more skeins.
Convert and download
You get a grid chart, a DMC color list with stitch counts and skein estimates, and a PNG to print.
Tips for a better pattern
- → Start at about 80 stitches wide and 8 colors, then increase both if detail is missing.
- → Crop tightly and brighten dark photos before uploading; shadows turn into large areas of near-black.
- → The fabric count setting changes the finished size, not the chart. Not sure which to pick? Aida counts explained compares 11, 14, 16 and 18-count.
- → Colors are grouped from a random starting point, so converting again can give a slightly different palette.
- → Screen colors differ from floss. Check the DMC numbers against real skeins before buying a full set.
- → Print the PNG at 100% scale. New to reading charts? The how to cross stitch guide covers it step by step.
How the conversion works
Three things happen in order, and knowing which one is responsible for a disappointing result tells you what to change.
Sampling down to the stitch grid
The photo is redrawn at the stitch width you chose. An 80-stitch-wide pattern is an 80-pixel-wide image, whatever the original resolution. Anything finer than one square, an eye highlight or a thin branch, is averaged into its neighbours and gone. Uploading a larger file does not help; cropping closer does, because it spends more of the grid on the subject.
Clustering the colors
The colors in the sampled image are grouped into the number of shades you allowed, using k-means clustering: each group settles on the average color of the pixels nearest it, repeated until the groups stop moving. The starting points are chosen at random, which is why converting the same photo twice can produce a slightly different palette. If one run gives a better result than another, keep it.
Matching each group to a thread
Every group is then matched to the closest shade in a set of DMC stranded cotton colors, and no shade is used twice. The comparison weights green most heavily and blue least, because that is roughly how sensitive the eye is to differences in each, so matches look closer than a plain numeric comparison would give. Where the photo contains a color the set cannot reach, a vivid turquoise or a deep purple, the match is the nearest available rather than an exact one.
Choosing the stitch count and the number of colors
These two settings decide how big the piece is, how long it takes and what it costs. Both trade detail against effort, but in different currencies: stitches cost time, colors cost money and thread changes.
| Subject | Stitches wide | Colors | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo or simple silhouette | 60–80 | 4–6 | Flat areas of color, no shading to reproduce |
| Pet or single object | 80–120 | 8–12 | Needs fur or texture but only one focal point |
| Landscape | 120–180 | 12–20 | Skies and foliage shade gradually and band badly with too few colors |
| Face or portrait | 150–250 | 20–30 | Skin tones sit close together; too few colors reads as blotches |
Work upward rather than down. Convert at the low end first, look at it at arm’s length rather than zoomed in, and raise the setting that is actually failing. Banding in a sky means more colors; a face that has lost its expression means more stitches.
What this tool does not do
Worth knowing before you plan a piece around the output:
- No backstitch. The chart is full cross stitches only. Outlines that would sharpen a subject have to be added by you.
- No fractional stitches. Every square is a whole stitch, so curves come out stepped rather than smooth.
- No blending or tweeding. Each square is one thread, not two strands of different colors used together.
- Screen colors are not floss colors. A monitor is backlit and cotton is not. Check the DMC numbers against real skeins, or against a printed shade card, before buying twenty of them.
- Nothing is uploaded. The conversion runs in your browser, which also means the pattern is not saved anywhere: download the PNG and the color list before you close the tab.
After you have your pattern
Work out your fabric size
Enter the pattern width and height in stitches to see how much Aida to cut, including the border.
Fabric calculator →Plan your skeins
The color list shows skeins per color. The skein calculator adds cost and a buffer for larger backgrounds.
Skein calculator →Pick a hoop
Find the hoop your fabric can grip and how many stitches fit inside each size.
Hoop size calculator →Estimate stitching time
Use the total stitch count to get hours and a finish date at your speed.
Time calculator →