00 /Free to make and preview · Pay only to print

Turn any photo into a cross stitch pattern with DMC thread numbers, skein counts and a printable PDF.

I'm making a…

Drop a photo here

or paste it with Ctrl V

No photo handy? Try one:

JPG · PNG · WEBP · up to 20 MB

Converted on your device. Your photo isn't uploaded unless you choose an AI or cloud tool.

Converted on your device · No sign-up · PDF from $4.99

Golden retriever portrait (example photo) — Example: a dog photo as a 70 × 70 pattern with 24 colors, made live in your browser.

Example: a dog photo as a 70 × 70 pattern with 24 colors, made live in your browser.

489 DMC colors
CIEDE2000 color matching
11 crafts
Printable PDF charts
Runs on your device
PDF from $4.99

20 /One photo, many ways

One photo. 5 ways to make it.

Pick a craft and the same photo turns into stitches, drills, beads or blocks — each matched to real brand colors.

Craft: Cross stitch
Palette: DMC floss
Size: 58 × 58 stitches
You get: Symbol chart, DMC key, skein counts

Open the cross stitch maker

30 /How it works

From photo to pattern, right in your browser

No upload and no waiting in a queue. Here's what our picture to cross stitch converter does in the second after you drop a photo.

Step 01
Crop and clean up
Pick the part of the photo you want to stitch. Plain backgrounds stitch faster, so remove busy ones.
› crop 4:5 · 1280 × 1600 px
Step 02
Lay the grid
Every square of the grid becomes one stitch. We average the photo inside each square.
› grid 112 × 140 · 15,680 cells
Step 03
Simplify the colors
Thousands of photo colors become a few dozen, chosen in a color space that matches how eyes see.
› k-means in CIELAB · 24 clusters
Step 04
Match real threads
Each color snaps to the closest DMC floss out of 489, measured with CIEDE2000 — the standard for “looks the same”.
› ΔE2000 nearest · 24 DMC
Step 05
Clean up confetti
Lonely single stitches are slow to stitch and hard to see. We merge them into their neighbors and show you the count.
› isolated stitches · cleaned
Step 06
Chart, key and pages
Symbols for every color, a bold line every 10 stitches, a key with skein counts, split into printable pages.
› PDF · chart + key + cover

40 /Look closer

See every stitch before you buy a single skein

Hover the cat to look closer. Pick a frame and the shopping list updates.

Frame

Fabric

50 /What you get

Everything you need to start stitching

Your PDF is a complete kit — minus the thread.

Hands holding a cross stitch landscape in progress, with skeins of floss tied to the hoop — Photo · Pexels

Real pages from the example pattern above, rendered by the same engine.

01
Numbered chart pages
A bold line every 10 stitches, row and column numbers, center arrows.
02
Thread key with skein counts
DMC code, name, stitch count and how many skeins to buy.
03
Color or black & white
Tinted cells with symbols, or crisp symbols only for cheap printing.
04
Finished size and fabric
Sizes on 14, 16 and 18 count, plus how much Aida to buy.
05
Re-export forever
Changed your mind about size? Unlock once, export again any time.
06
Paper or tablet
Vector symbols stay sharp when you zoom in on a tablet.

60 /Cleaner charts

Fewer confetti stitches — and we show you the count

Confetti is the scattered single stitches that make photo patterns slow to stitch. Turn on Clean up and watch the number fall.

Clean up confetti

Isolated stitches—

How we count confetti

An isolated stitch has no stitch of the same color in the 8 squares around it.

32 × 32 crop · isolated stitches outlined

for you

70 /Gifts

Making it as a gift?

Pick a frame size and preview it free before you buy. Stitch it yourself, or send the pattern to someone who will.

1
Pick a frame
Choose the hoop or frame first — we work out the stitch count.
2
Preview it free
See the stitched preview, the key and every page before paying.
3
Print or send
Download the PDF and print it, or send it to the stitcher.

80 /Examples

Example patterns, made by our team

Every example was made with imgtopattern from free-licensed stock photos. Open any of them and make it yours.

01 / 06

Lighthouse

Craft: Cross stitch
Size: 80 × 100 stitches
Colors: …
On 14 ct: 5.7 × 7.1 in

90 /Size guide

How big will it be?

Pick what you'll put it in. We'll work out the stitch count and how much fabric to buy.

Frame

Fabric

Stitches: 112 × 140
Finished size: 8 × 10 in
Fabric to buy: ≈ 14 × 16 in
Chart pages: ≈ 4
Stitching time: ≈ 78 h

Finished width by stitch count
Stitches	11 ct	14 ct	16 ct	18 ct
80	7.3 in	5.7 in	5.0 in	4.4 in
100	9.1 in	7.1 in	6.3 in	5.6 in
112	10.2 in	8.0 in	7.0 in	6.2 in
150	13.6 in	10.7 in	9.4 in	8.3 in
200	18.2 in	14.3 in	12.5 in	11.1 in

Width in inches = stitches ÷ count. 28 count evenweave is stitched over two threads, like 14 count.

100 /Pricing

Free to make. $4.99 to print.

Preview the whole pattern for free. Pay once per pattern, or go unlimited. 14-day refund if a PDF doesn't work for you.

Free
$0
Unlimited patterns, edits and previews. PNG download.
Single pattern
$4.99
Every craft and file for one photo, re-download forever.
$3.00 / pattern
5-pattern pack
$14.99
$3.00 per pattern. Never expires.
Unlimited
$9.99/mo
Every pattern you make. Or $49 a year.

Compare all plans →Selling on Etsy? See the Seller plan

110 /FAQ

Questions stitchers ask

Q.01How do I turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern?

Upload the photo, pick the size (a frame or a stitch count), choose DMC and the number of colors, preview it, then export the PDF. For pets, 80–150 stitches wide and 20–35 colors usually look best; a plain background stitches much faster.

Q.02Are these real DMC thread colors?

Yes — every color is matched to the closest of 489 DMC floss colors using CIEDE2000, the industry measure of how different two colors look. Screens show colors slightly differently from real thread, so check against a DMC card if a shade matters.

Q.03How big will my pattern be on 14 count Aida?

Divide the stitch count by the fabric count: 150 stitches ÷ 14 ≈ 10.7 inches (27 cm). On 16 count it is about 9.4 inches, on 18 count about 8.3 inches. Add about 3 inches on every side for framing when you buy fabric.

Q.04How many skeins of each color do I need?

One DMC skein covers roughly 1,600 full stitches on 14 count with two strands. We count the stitches of every color, divide, add 10% and round up — so each color in your key shows how many skeins to buy.

Q.05What are confetti stitches, and can you clean them up?

Confetti stitches are lonely single stitches of one color surrounded by others. They come from photo noise and too many colors. Clean up merges them into their most common neighbor, and we show the number before and after.

Q.06What's free and what do I pay for?

Making, editing and previewing patterns is free, with no sign-up, and you can download a PNG. You pay only to download the printable PDF: $4.99 for one pattern, $14.99 for five, or $9.99 a month for unlimited exports.

Q.07Is my photo uploaded?

No. The pattern is made on your own device, in your browser. Your photo only leaves your device if you choose an AI or cloud tool, and we'll always tell you when that happens.

Q.08What photos can I use?

Use photos you took or have permission to use — pets, family, places, flowers. Please do not use cartoon or film characters, other people’s artwork, or any explicit images; uploads that break these rules are blocked.

Q.09Can I add a name or a date to my pattern?

Yes. Use the free cross stitch letters generator to type a name, date or quote in one of three stitch fonts, then stitch it as a band under your picture. Classic letters are 7 stitches tall — half an inch on 14 count.

Q.10Can I sell the patterns I make on Etsy?

Only with images you own or have rights to. Personal plans are for personal use; the Seller plan ($19.99 a month) adds a commercial license and lets you put your own name on the PDF.

120 /Other crafts