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

Press From photo and choose a PNG, JPEG, WebP or GIF. Set the width in stitches (the height follows the picture’s shape, up to 300) and 2 to 40 colours, then press Make chart. Each cell samples its patch of the image and the palette is reduced to at most the chosen count. Sampled cells below half opacity become unstitched fabric. The key lists Colour 1, Colour 2 and so on, ready to rename after your threads. GIF input is treated as one still frame. Use a simple, well-cropped picture and inspect the chart before printing.

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.

How do I download a printable cross stitch PDF with symbols?

Under Print and export, choose Letter or A4, the cell size, and Symbols and colour or Symbols only. Press PDF to download the chart pages and colour key with exact stitch counts. Large charts are tiled, with 0 to 3 repeated rows and columns where pages meet. PNG saves the whole chart and key as one image. Project .json is the editable backup; it is not an installer or a commercial pattern-file format.

Can I generate cross stitch text, names or an alphabet?

There is no type-a-name generator or built-in alphabet library. You can paint letters on a blank grid or import a picture containing your own lettering and reduce it to a chart. Symbols in the colour key identify thread colours; they do not automatically draw those letters as a design. Check spacing and readability at the finished stitch count.

Does it support backstitch, fractional stitches or blended threads?

This chart stores full square cross stitches, with one colour-key entry per cell. It has no backstitch paths, half or quarter stitches, or thread-blending model. You may name an entry after your own thread combination, but the tool does not calculate strand mixtures or match them to DMC or other branded floss numbers.

Can I make a family portrait or a stamped cross stitch pattern?

You can convert your own family photograph or draw a design on the grid. There is no character library that automatically assembles family members. The downloads are counted charts to read while stitching; the tool does not create a physical stamped fabric, transfer ink or a print-at-fabric-scale production file.

Can I use the chart maker on a Mac, iPad or Android device?

Use this page in a current browser without installing pattern-making software. Choose a saved photo, create a chart and download the PDF or project file. Touch controls and the on-screen arrow buttons support editing; a larger screen helps with detailed designs. Browser storage is local to that browser, so save the project .json before moving between devices.

Can I use a cross stitch grid for crochet?

The picture grid may be a useful reference, but these counts represent full cross stitches. They do not generate crochet stitches, gauge, shaping or yarn requirements. For a filet mesh or C2C block chart with its own working order, use Crochet Chart Maker. Review the technique and dimensions before adapting a design.

Cross Stitch Pattern Maker

Make a free counted cross stitch chart from a photo or a blank grid, up to 300 x 300 stitches. Reduce a photo to 2–40 colours, then paint, fill, pick or erase cells and give each colour your own name, RGB value and symbol. Download a printable PDF, a PNG chart or an editable project file. Stitch counts come from the chart itself, so overlapping print pages never double-count them. Your photo stays in this browser.

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 PNG, JPEG, WebP or GIF. Set the width in stitches (the height follows the picture’s shape, up to 300) and 2 to 40 colours, then press Make chart. Each cell samples its patch of the image and the palette is reduced to at most the chosen count. Sampled cells below half opacity become unstitched fabric. The key lists Colour 1, Colour 2 and so on, ready to rename after your threads. GIF input is treated as one still frame. Use a simple, well-cropped picture and inspect the chart before printing.
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.
How do I download a printable cross stitch PDF with symbols?: Under Print and export, choose Letter or A4, the cell size, and Symbols and colour or Symbols only. Press PDF to download the chart pages and colour key with exact stitch counts. Large charts are tiled, with 0 to 3 repeated rows and columns where pages meet. PNG saves the whole chart and key as one image. Project .json is the editable backup; it is not an installer or a commercial pattern-file format.
Can I generate cross stitch text, names or an alphabet?: There is no type-a-name generator or built-in alphabet library. You can paint letters on a blank grid or import a picture containing your own lettering and reduce it to a chart. Symbols in the colour key identify thread colours; they do not automatically draw those letters as a design. Check spacing and readability at the finished stitch count.
Does it support backstitch, fractional stitches or blended threads?: This chart stores full square cross stitches, with one colour-key entry per cell. It has no backstitch paths, half or quarter stitches, or thread-blending model. You may name an entry after your own thread combination, but the tool does not calculate strand mixtures or match them to DMC or other branded floss numbers.
Can I make a family portrait or a stamped cross stitch pattern?: You can convert your own family photograph or draw a design on the grid. There is no character library that automatically assembles family members. The downloads are counted charts to read while stitching; the tool does not create a physical stamped fabric, transfer ink or a print-at-fabric-scale production file.
Can I use the chart maker on a Mac, iPad or Android device?: Use this page in a current browser without installing pattern-making software. Choose a saved photo, create a chart and download the PDF or project file. Touch controls and the on-screen arrow buttons support editing; a larger screen helps with detailed designs. Browser storage is local to that browser, so save the project .json before moving between devices.
Can I use a cross stitch grid for crochet?: The picture grid may be a useful reference, but these counts represent full cross stitches. They do not generate crochet stitches, gauge, shaping or yarn requirements. For a filet mesh or C2C block chart with its own working order, use Crochet Chart Maker. Review the technique and dimensions before adapting a design.

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.