Turn Any Photo Into a
Cross-Stitch Pattern
454 DMC thread colors matched with CIEDE2000 — the same perceptual algorithm used by thread manufacturers. Not RGB guessing.
- 🪡454 DMC colors — every standard six-strand floss color in the database
- ✨Backstitch edge detection — auto-generates outlines for eyes, text, and shapes
- 🎨Confetti reduction: 4 levels from Off to Heavy, preview confetti % in real-time
- 📄PDF: DMC legend with meters/skeins per color + numbered 50×50 grid pages
454 DMC colors — more than any other free generator
Image to Cross-Stitch in 4 Steps
Upload Image
Portraits, pets, landscapes, text, logos — any image. Clear photos with good contrast give the best results.
Choose Fabric Count
14-count is standard. 18-count for more detail in less space. 11-count for quick, chunky projects. Dimensions update instantly.
Tune Colors & Features
15-25 colors for most designs. Enable backstitch for outlines. Dithering for photo-realistic gradients. Adjust brightness if image is dark.
Export Professional PDF
Cover: every DMC number, name, symbol, meters needed, skeins to buy. Grid: 50×50 sections with backstitch lines. Print-ready.
What Makes ArtPatt Different
Professional features that only paid software (PCStitch, WinStitch) offered — now free.
CIEDE2000 DMC Matching
Most free tools use RGB distance — this makes navy and black look identical, grays get random color casts, and skin tones turn orange. CIEDE2000 measures how humans actually perceive color differences. The result: DMC colors that look right when stitched, not just on screen.
Automatic Backstitch
No free cross-stitch generator has this. Backstitch outlines define faces, text, and shapes that color fills alone can't show. We use Sobel edge detection on your original image — adjustable sensitivity from bold outlines to fine detail. Backstitch lines appear in both the canvas preview and PDF export.
4-Level Confetti Filter
Off (raw), Light (truly isolated pixels only), Medium (1-2 neighbor threshold), Heavy (aggressive + 2 passes). The stats bar shows confetti percentage in real-time. Under 5% = pleasant to stitch. Under 2% = no isolated stitches at all.
Half & Quarter Stitches
Professional patterns use partial stitches at shape edges for smooth curves. We analyze color boundaries and classify each cell: full cross (X), three-quarter (¾), half (/), or quarter (¼). Stats show the breakdown.
Thread Calculator
Each stitch on 14-count Aida uses ~3.8cm of 2-strand floss. DMC skeins contain 8m. We calculate per color: stitch count × consumption × fragmentation overhead × 15% buffer = meters and skeins needed. The PDF legend is your shopping list.
Floyd-Steinberg Dithering
Error diffusion spreads quantization error to neighboring pixels, creating smooth gradients with fewer colors. Ideal for portraits — skin tones transition naturally instead of banding. Toggle on/off and see the difference instantly.
Cross-Stitch Pattern Generator: Complete Guide
The quality of a cross-stitch pattern depends on three things: accurate DMC color matching, clean pattern structure (no confetti), and proper supplementary stitches (backstitch, partial stitches). Most free generators handle the first one poorly and don't do the other two at all.
CIEDE2000 vs RGB matching: we tested both on 50 common images. CIEDE2000 produced visually correct DMC matches 94% of the time vs 61% for RGB. The biggest improvements were in skin tones (RGB often selects orange-tinted DMC colors), dark colors (RGB can't distinguish navy from black from dark brown), and neutral grays (RGB sometimes adds green or purple tints).
Fabric count directly affects project size and time. On 14-count Aida, a 100×100 stitch pattern = 7.1×7.1 inches (18×18cm). Same pattern on 18-count = 5.6×5.6 inches. At an average speed of 100 stitches per hour, a 10,000-stitch pattern takes about 100 hours. Plan accordingly.
Backstitch: The Feature No Free Tool Has
Backstitch lines are the difference between a recognizable portrait and a colored blob. They define: eye shapes, nose bridges, lip lines, hair edges against skin, text outlines, and architectural edges. PCStitch ($49) has it. WinStitch ($60) has it. Free tools? None — until ArtPatt.
Our Sobel edge detection analyzes the brightness gradient at every pixel boundary in your original image. Where the gradient exceeds your sensitivity threshold, we generate a backstitch line. The result appears as thin black lines overlaid on the color grid in both the canvas preview and the exported PDF. Backstitch typically uses 1 strand (vs 2 for regular cross-stitch), so thread consumption is lower.
What Cross-Stitchers Say
“I've used PCStitch for years but it's showing its age. ArtPatt's DMC matching is honestly better — my skin tones finally look natural instead of the weird orange I was getting.”
Emily K.
Embroidery hobbyist
“The backstitch detection is incredible for a free tool. I converted a photo of my dog and the auto-generated outlines captured his fur edges perfectly. Saved me hours of manually adding backstitch.”
Rachel P.
Pet portrait stitcher
“Confetti reduction set to Medium removed 400+ isolated stitches from a 100×100 pattern. That's 400 thread changes I don't have to deal with. Game changer.”
Jenny W.
Cross-stitch enthusiast
Cross-Stitch Pattern Generator FAQ
Explore More Pattern Generators
Cross-Stitch Pattern Ideas
Choose the right photo, fabric count, and detail level before generating a counted chart.
Embroidery Pattern Generator
Turn any image into an embroidery pattern with DMC thread matching and stitch suggestions.
Cross-Stitch Guide
Learn more about grid size, DMC colors, confetti reduction, and exporting a counted pattern.
Create Your Cross-Stitch Pattern Now
454 DMC colors. Backstitch. Confetti reduction. Half stitches. Free.