How do I turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern?

Press From photo and choose a picture. Set how many stitches wide the chart should be (the height follows the photo's shape, up to 300) and how many colours, from 2 to 40, then press Make chart. Each stitch takes an average colour from its patch of the photo, the chart is reduced to at most that many colours, and transparent pixels stay unstitched. The colours arrive named Colour 1, Colour 2 and so on, most used first, ready for you to rename after your threads.

Does it use DMC or other brand thread colours?

No. There is no thread maker's colour list built in, so nothing here claims to match a numbered shade. Every colour in the key is a name, an RGB hex value and a symbol that you set, so you can type your own thread names and adjust each RGB until it looks like your floss. A screen cannot show exactly how a thread will look, so compare each colour with the real skein.

How are stitches counted when a chart prints on several pages?

The counts come from the chart itself, one for each stitched square, never from the pages. Where pages meet, the PDF can repeat 0 to 3 rows and columns so you can line the pages up, and those squares print twice, but the key still counts each once. A 60 x 40 chart on Letter paper at 16 pt cells prints 2,480 squares over 2 pages, 80 of them twice, and the key totals 2,400.

What size will my finished cross stitch be?

The stitch count divided by the fabric's stitches to the inch. Choose 11, 14, 16, 18 or 22 under Print and export and the stitched size is shown in inches and centimetres, and printed on the key page: a 60 x 40 chart on 14-count Aida is 4.3 x 2.9 in. To work out the fabric to cut with a border, use the cross stitch fabric calculator.

Can I make a chart without a mouse?

Yes. Focus the chart and the arrow keys move a cursor square by square (Shift moves 10), Space or Enter paints, fills, picks or erases there, P, F, I and E switch tools, and Ctrl+Z undoes. On a phone the arrow buttons under the chart do the same, and the zoom goes up to 44 pixels a square. The whole chart is also written out under the tool as rows of symbols, for a screen reader or for pasting.

How do I save a pattern and keep working on it later?

This browser keeps your latest chart and print settings when it allows storage, and Start over forgets them. To keep a copy of your own, download the project .json and open it here later: it holds the title, the key and every row of symbols. The PDF and PNG downloads are for printing and sharing.

Is my photo uploaded or saved anywhere?

No. The photo is decoded and reduced to colours in your browser and is never sent anywhere or stored. Only the chart made from it and your print settings are remembered, in this browser when it allows storage, until you replace the chart or press Start over.

Cross Stitch Pattern Maker

Draw a counted cross stitch chart on a blank grid up to 300 x 300 stitches, or reduce a photo to the number of colours you choose, up to 40, then paint, fill, pick and erase with a mouse, a finger or the keyboard. The key is yours: every colour's name, RGB value and symbol can be set by you, with no thread maker's list behind them, and each colour shows its exact stitch count. The PDF splits a large chart into numbered pages that can repeat up to three rows and columns where they meet, and the key still counts every stitch once. It all runs in your browser, and the photo is never uploaded.

Start a chart

A blank grid, a photo reduced to the colours you choose, or a project file you saved here.

From photoOpen project .json

Chart: none yet
Colours: none yet
Stitches: 0
Unstitched cells: 0

Chart

Title

WidthHeightstitches, up to 300 each way

From photoOpen project .json

A new chart keeps the colours in your key. Resizing keeps the stitches from the top-left corner. This browser keeps your latest chart for next time if it allows storage; save the project .json to keep a copy of your own.

Print and export

Paper

Cell size

Rows and columns repeated where pages meet

Style

Fabric, stitches to the inch

At 12 pt a Letter page holds 43 x 54 stitches. Start a chart to see its pages.

Chart as text

The key, then every row of the chart as symbols with a full stop for fabric: the whole chart in words, for a screen reader or for pasting.

No chart yet.

10 x 10 chart, all red#FF0000, symbol X
100 stitches of red
Same chart, one cell painted blue#0000FF, symbol O
red 99, blue 1, total still 100
60 x 40 chart on 2 print pagesLetter, 16 pt cells: 32 columns a page, 2 columns repeated
2,480 cells printed, 80 of them twice; the key totals 2,400

Accuracy. Stitch counts are exact for the chart as drawn, and a cell repeated where printed pages overlap is still counted once. Colours are the RGB values you pick or that a photo is reduced to, not a thread maker's shade card, so match each one against real thread; the screen cannot show how it will look stitched on your fabric. Charts go up to 300 x 300 stitches, and imported photos stay in your browser.

Common questions

How do I turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern?: Press From photo and choose a picture. Set how many stitches wide the chart should be (the height follows the photo's shape, up to 300) and how many colours, from 2 to 40, then press Make chart. Each stitch takes an average colour from its patch of the photo, the chart is reduced to at most that many colours, and transparent pixels stay unstitched. The colours arrive named Colour 1, Colour 2 and so on, most used first, ready for you to rename after your threads.
Does it use DMC or other brand thread colours?: No. There is no thread maker's colour list built in, so nothing here claims to match a numbered shade. Every colour in the key is a name, an RGB hex value and a symbol that you set, so you can type your own thread names and adjust each RGB until it looks like your floss. A screen cannot show exactly how a thread will look, so compare each colour with the real skein.
How are stitches counted when a chart prints on several pages?: The counts come from the chart itself, one for each stitched square, never from the pages. Where pages meet, the PDF can repeat 0 to 3 rows and columns so you can line the pages up, and those squares print twice, but the key still counts each once. A 60 x 40 chart on Letter paper at 16 pt cells prints 2,480 squares over 2 pages, 80 of them twice, and the key totals 2,400.
What size will my finished cross stitch be?: The stitch count divided by the fabric's stitches to the inch. Choose 11, 14, 16, 18 or 22 under Print and export and the stitched size is shown in inches and centimetres, and printed on the key page: a 60 x 40 chart on 14-count Aida is 4.3 x 2.9 in. To work out the fabric to cut with a border, use the cross stitch fabric calculator.
Can I make a chart without a mouse?: Yes. Focus the chart and the arrow keys move a cursor square by square (Shift moves 10), Space or Enter paints, fills, picks or erases there, P, F, I and E switch tools, and Ctrl+Z undoes. On a phone the arrow buttons under the chart do the same, and the zoom goes up to 44 pixels a square. The whole chart is also written out under the tool as rows of symbols, for a screen reader or for pasting.
How do I save a pattern and keep working on it later?: This browser keeps your latest chart and print settings when it allows storage, and Start over forgets them. To keep a copy of your own, download the project .json and open it here later: it holds the title, the key and every row of symbols. The PDF and PNG downloads are for printing and sharing.
Is my photo uploaded or saved anywhere?: No. The photo is decoded and reduced to colours in your browser and is never sent anywhere or stored. Only the chart made from it and your print settings are remembered, in this browser when it allows storage, until you replace the chart or press Start over.

Stitch counts are exact for the chart as drawn, and a cell repeated where printed pages overlap is still counted once. Colours are the RGB values you pick or that a photo is reduced to, not a thread maker's shade card, so match each one against real thread; the screen cannot show how it will look stitched on your fabric. Charts go up to 300 x 300 stitches, and imported photos stay in your browser.