Turn a photo into a cross stitch, diamond painting or bead pattern
Drop a picture and get a counted chart with real DMC, Anchor or Madeira thread numbers (or Perler, Hama, Artkal and Nabbi beads), clear symbols, a color key and how much to buy.
or drop or paste an image here. It stays on your device.
Your photo starts at 80 stitches wide (the sample below is 40 × 40); height follows the photo. Up to 150 wide free.
2 to 30 colors free; up to 80 with Pro.
Sample chart: a strawberry, 40 × 40 stitches (2.9 × 2.9 in on 14-count Aida) in 17 DMC colors. Its background is left unstitched (993 cells of bare fabric), so the key counts only the motif. Choose a photo to chart your own at 80 stitches wide.
- Grid
- 40 × 40
- Finished size
- 2.9 × 2.9 in (7.3 × 7.3 cm)
- Colors
- 17 DMC
- Stitches
- 607 · 17 skeins
| Symbol | Swatch | DMC | Name | Stitches | Skeins (used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | 498 | Red Dark | 130 | 1 (0.05) | |
| O | 350 | Coral Medium | 104 | 1 (0.04) | |
| + | 321 | Red | 89 | 1 (0.04) | |
| # | 304 | Red Medium | 85 | 1 (0.04) | |
| @ | 347 | Salmon Very Dark | 32 | 1 (0.01) | |
| % | 816 | Garnet | 30 | 1 (0.01) | |
| & | 3047 | Yellow Beige Light | 27 | 1 (0.01) | |
| = | 700 | Green Bright | 23 | 1 (0.01) | |
| S | 701 | Green Light | 19 | 1 (0.01) | |
| T | 937 | Avocado Green Medium | 17 | 1 (0.01) | |
| V | 632 | Desert Sand Ultra Very Dark | 12 | 1 (0.01) | |
| Z | 224 | Shell Pink Very Light | 11 | 1 (0.00) | |
| H | 22 | Alizarin | 10 | 1 (0.00) | |
| N | 523 | Fern Green Light | 8 | 1 (0.00) | |
| A | 355 | Terra Cotta Dark | 7 | 1 (0.00) | |
| K | 3722 | Shell Pink Medium | 2 | 1 (0.00) | |
| M | 921 | Copper | 1 | 1 (0.00) |
Skeins assume full crosses with 2 strands on 14-count Aida, (2·√2 + 2) × cell size of thread per strand plus 15 % for starts and travel, and 8 m six-strand skeins. Thread and bead colors on screen are approximations of the real material.
Free PDF up to 60 × 60 stitches (vector chart with real text symbols, color key and estimates). PNG has no size limit.
Pro, $14 once: PDF at any size with a page map, 31 to 80 colors, symbol-only or color charts, a shopping-list CSV and saved projects.
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- DMC, Anchor, Madeira
- Perler, Hama, Artkal, Nabbi
One photo, every counted craft
Each craft page opens the same pattern maker with the right grid, palette and material math already set.
- Diamond painting pattern maker 2.5 mm square drills; DMC palette with 489 colors; 1,600 drills per 10 × 10 cm
- Perler bead pattern maker 5 mm pegboard (29 × 29 pegs); Perler palette with 103 colors; 400 beads per 10 × 10 cm
- Perler Mini bead pattern maker 2.6 mm mini pegboard; Perler Mini palette with 41 colors; 1,444 beads per 10 × 10 cm
- Hama bead pattern maker 5 mm Midi pegboard (29 × 29 pegs); Hama palette with 92 colors; 400 beads per 10 × 10 cm
- Mini Hama bead pattern maker 2.5 mm Mini pegboard; Hama Mini palette with 78 colors; 1,600 beads per 10 × 10 cm
- Artkal bead pattern maker 5 mm S-series pegboard; Artkal S palette with 199 colors; 400 beads per 10 × 10 cm
- Artkal mini bead pattern maker 2.6 mm C-series pegboard; Artkal C palette with 174 colors; 1,444 beads per 10 × 10 cm
- Nabbi bead pattern maker 5 mm pegboard; Nabbi palette with 30 colors; 400 beads per 10 × 10 cm
Look up a thread color
Every color page shows the swatch, its RGB and Lab values, the nearest Anchor, Madeira and bead equivalents with their ΔE, similar shades and two-strand blends. Screen colors are approximations of dyed floss.
Thread conversion charts
Switching brands? Each chart lists every color of one brand with its closest match in the other, the ΔE of the match and how close it really is.
- DMC to Anchor 489 colors, 37 % within ΔE 3
- Anchor to DMC 445 colors, 39 % within ΔE 3
- DMC to Madeira 489 colors, 27 % within ΔE 3
- Madeira to DMC 369 colors, 35 % within ΔE 3
- DMC to Perler 489 colors, 9 % within ΔE 3
- DMC to Hama 489 colors, 8 % within ΔE 3
- DMC to Artkal S 489 colors, 14 % within ΔE 3
- Perler to DMC 103 colors, 26 % within ΔE 3
Fuse bead colors
Perler, Hama, Artkal and Nabbi colors with the nearest bead in the other brands and the closest DMC floss, for mixing kits or turning a bead design into a stitch chart.
What FlossGrid does for your chart
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Real thread and bead numbers
Every color in your chart is an actual DMC, Anchor or Madeira floss, or a Perler, Hama, Artkal or Nabbi bead, with its code and name, so you can shop the key as it is.
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Color matching you can check
Colors are compared in CIELAB with the CIEDE2000 formula, the standard measure of how different two colors look. Every equivalent shows its ΔE, so a weak match is never hidden.
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Fewer confetti stitches
An optional cleanup pass folds isolated single stitches into their neighbors, so you spend less time starting and ending threads for one stray cross.
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A chart you can print
Download a PNG chart, or a vector PDF with real text symbols, 10-stitch grid lines and a color key with skein, drill or bead estimates.
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Your photo stays on your device
The pattern is computed in your browser. The photo is never uploaded, and nothing needs an account or an e-mail address.
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A full color library
Look up any thread or bead color: its swatch, nearest equivalents in the other brands, similar shades and two-strand blends.
How it works
- 1
Drop a photo
Pick a file, drag it onto the tool or paste it. Pets, portraits, logos and landscapes all work; a clear subject with good contrast stitches best.
- 2
Choose craft and size
Pick cross stitch, diamond painting, fuse beads or another craft, the brand, the width in stitches and the maximum number of colors. The finished size updates as you go.
- 3
Print and stitch
Check the preview, then download the chart and the color key with codes, names and how many skeins, drills or beads to buy.
What you can check for yourself
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Runs in your browser
Your photo is processed on your device and never uploaded. There is no account to create.
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Open, cited color data
Thread and bead colors come from open datasets, named with their licenses. Screen colors are approximations of dyed floss, and we say so.
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A clear price
The pattern maker and every color page are free. Pro is a single one-time payment, with no subscription.
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A real contact
Spotted a wrong color or a confusing chart? Tell us and a person reads it.
Free to make. Pro when you print big.
Make patterns, read the full color key and download charts for free. Pro is one payment for large multi-page PDF charts, more colors, a shopping list and saved projects.
Free
$0forever
Everything you need to make, print and stitch a pattern.
- Any photo, processed in your browser
- Chart preview up to 150 cells wide
- Up to 30 colors from thread or bead palettes
- Full color key with codes, counts and estimates
- PNG chart download and PDF up to 60 × 60 cells
- Every color page and conversion chart
Pro
$14one-time
For the big projects you print over several pages and stitch for months.
- PDF at any size: multi-page, overlap and page map
- Up to 80 colors per pattern
- Symbol-only, color or symbol-on-color PDF styles
- Shopping-list CSV with codes and quantities
- Saved projects in this browser
- One payment, no subscription, no account
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about photos, thread numbers, privacy and Pro.
Can you turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern?
Yes. Drop the photo into the pattern maker at the top of this page, choose the width in stitches and the number of colors, and it builds a counted chart: the picture is resized to a grid, each cell is matched to the nearest real DMC, Anchor or Madeira floss, and every color gets a symbol and a line in the key. It works best with a clear subject, good contrast and a plain background; crop tightly before you start.
Can I make diamond painting or fuse bead patterns too?
Yes. Switch the craft to diamond painting (square or round drills, DMC numbering), Perler, Hama, Artkal or Nabbi beads, needlepoint, latch hook, C2C crochet or a knitting chart. The grid, palette and material estimates change with the craft, for example drill counts per color or beads per pegboard.
What are DMC colors?
DMC is a French thread maker, and its six-strand embroidery floss (Mouliné, article 117) comes in close to 500 solid colors. Each has a number, such as 310 for black, B5200 for snow white, plus Blanc and Ecru. Patterns list those numbers so stitchers anywhere buy the same shade. Our DMC pages show every color with its nearest Anchor and Madeira equivalents.
How do I use a DMC color card?
A printed card with real thread samples is the most reliable reference, because screens cannot show dyed cotton exactly. Lay the card next to your fabric in daylight, find the strand that matches, then read its number off the card. To go the other way, look up the number here to see its row on the card, similar shades and equivalents in other brands.
What should I look for in a program to make cross stitch patterns?
Check five things: it uses real thread numbers from the brand you buy, it matches colors with a perceptual formula rather than plain RGB distance, it cleans up isolated confetti stitches, it lets you set the size in stitches and the fabric count, and it prints a chart with clear symbols, a key and thread amounts. Also check whether your photo is uploaded and whether you pay once or every month.
Is it free, and what does Pro add?
The pattern maker, the color key with codes and estimates, PNG charts, smaller PDF charts and every color page are free with no account. Pro is a one-time purchase that adds full-size multi-page PDF charts, more colors per pattern, extra chart styles, a shopping list you can export and saved projects in your browser.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The pattern is computed in your browser and the photo never leaves your device. We only count anonymous page views and tool uses to see which pages help; the privacy policy has the details.