Your files never leave your device. All processing happens in your browser.
Drop a photo on the Img Stop Cross Stitch Pattern Generator, choose the width in stitches, your Aida count and the maximum number of DMC colours, then click Create pattern. You get a printable PDF chart with symbols, grid lines every 10 stitches and centre marks, a high-resolution PNG chart, a stitched preview and a CSV list of DMC threads with stitch counts and skeins.
About the Cross Stitch Pattern Generator
The Img Stop Cross Stitch Pattern Generator turns a photo, drawing or logo into a ready-to-stitch chart. It shrinks the picture to the number of stitches you want, reduces it to a small set of colours and matches every colour to a real DMC stranded cotton shade from the full list of 489 threads, using the CIEDE2000 colour formula.
Each thread gets its own clear symbol, and the chart has bold lines every 10 stitches, numbered rows and columns and blue centre marks. You can leave out a plain background, crop the photo, remove lone "confetti" stitches and merge rarely used colours. The PDF splits big charts over several pages with overlap and sheet numbers, and ends with a colour key. Everything runs in your browser – your photo is never uploaded.
Key features
- Real DMC coloursEvery colour is matched to one of 489 DMC stranded cotton shades, with code and name.
- Clear symbolsDistinct shapes and letters, on colour or in black and white to save ink.
- Multi-page PDFA4 or US Letter, page overlap, sheet map, centre marks and a colour key page.
- Confetti cleanupLone stitches and tiny groups take the colour around them, so the chart is quicker to stitch.
- Finished sizeSize in stitches, inches and centimetres for 11 to 18-count Aida, Hardanger and evenweave.
- Shopping listStitch count and estimated skeins per thread, as a table and a CSV file.
How to use the Cross Stitch Pattern Generator
- Add a photo Drop a clear photo with good contrast. A simple background works best.
- Set the size and fabric Choose the width in stitches and your fabric count. The finished size updates live.
- Tune the colours Pick the maximum number of DMC colours, turn on confetti cleanup and leave out the background if you like.
- Download the pattern Click Create pattern to get the PDF chart, PNG chart, preview and shopping list.
Cross Stitch Pattern Generator at a glance
| Price | Free |
|---|---|
| Input | JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF |
| Colours | 489 DMC stranded cotton shades |
| Size | 20–400 stitches wide |
| Downloads | PDF chart, PNG chart, JPG preview, CSV shopping list |
| Privacy | Made in your browser – no upload |
When to use it
- Stitch a portrait of a pet, child or loved one from a photo.
- Turn a logo or drawing into a small cross stitch for a card or patch.
- Make a personalised wedding, birth or memorial sampler.
- Plan a large photo-realistic piece and check how many threads you need.
- Convert pixel art or a game sprite into a cross stitch chart.
Tips for the best result
- Start with 80–150 stitches wide and 15–30 colours – more stitches and colours look more like a photo but take much longer.
- Crop tightly around the subject and use "Leave out a plain background" for logos and pets on a plain wall.
- Keep dithering off for clean colour areas; use Soft for skin and skies in portraits.
- Print one test page first and check the symbols are easy to read at your square size.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern?
Drop the photo on this page, choose the width in stitches, the fabric count and the number of colours, and click Create pattern. The tool matches each colour to a DMC thread and makes a PDF chart with symbols and a colour key.
How many stitches wide should my pattern be?
For a small piece, 60–100 stitches is plenty. Faces and photo-realistic pictures need about 120–200 stitches. On 14-count Aida, 100 stitches is about 7.1 in (18 cm) wide; the tool shows the finished size for every fabric.
Are the DMC colours exact?
They are matched to the published RGB values of each DMC thread with the CIEDE2000 colour difference formula. Screens and printers show colours differently, so compare with a real DMC colour card before you buy.
How are skeins calculated?
A DMC skein is 8 m of six strands. The tool estimates how much thread one full cross uses on your fabric with your number of strands, adds 50 % for starting, ending and travelling, and rounds up per colour.
What is confetti and why remove it?
Confetti are single stitches of a colour scattered across the chart. Each one means starting and ending a thread. Confetti cleanup gives those stitches the colour around them, which looks almost the same and is much faster to stitch.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The pattern, PDF and files are made inside your browser on your own device.
Made and maintained by the Img Stop team.