What fabric counts are supported?

11, 14, 16, 18, 22, 25, and 28-count Aida. 14-count is the most popular — good balance of detail and ease. The dimension display updates instantly: a 100-stitch-wide pattern on 14-count = 7.1 inches (18cm). On 18-count = 5.6 inches (14cm).

Does it support backstitch?

Yes. Enable automatic backstitch in settings and adjust the sensitivity slider. Edge detection suggests outlines for details such as portraits, text, and animal features, and includes them in supported exports.

What are half stitches and quarter stitches?

At the edges of color shapes, professional patterns use partial stitches for smoother curves instead of full X stitches. A half stitch is one diagonal (/ or \). A quarter stitch fills one corner. ArtPatt detects these automatically by analyzing how many neighbors have different colors. The stats bar shows full vs partial stitch counts.

How many colors should I use?

5-10 for simple designs and text. 15-25 for landscapes and nature scenes. 25-40 for detailed portraits. Each DMC skein costs $0.50-1.00. At 30 colors = $15-30 in thread. We warn you if two colors in your palette are nearly identical (CIEDE2000 distance <5) — you can merge them to save a color without visible quality loss.

How does the thread calculator work?

Each cross-stitch on 14-count uses ~3.8cm of 2-strand floss. A DMC skein = 8m. Formula: (stitch count × 3.8cm × fragmentation factor × 1.15 waste buffer) ÷ 8m = skeins needed. Fragmentation factor accounts for scattered colors needing more starts/stops. The PDF legend is your complete shopping list.

Can I print the pattern?

Pro PDF includes: cover page (DMC legend with color swatch, name, number, symbol, meters, skeins), grid pages (about 48 × 48 stitches each on A4, with numbered rows and columns, color fills, symbols and backstitch lines), page numbers and pattern name on every page. Designed for letter/A4 printing.

Is this a cross-stitch converter?

Yes — ArtPatt is a cross-stitch converter and pattern maker in one. Upload any photo from your phone or computer and it converts it to a counted cross-stitch chart with DMC thread colors, optional backstitch outlines, and a printable PDF. No software to install — runs entirely in the browser.

How do I make a cross-stitch pattern from a photo?

Upload the photo, pick a fabric count (14-count is the standard starting point), and the pattern maker matches every region to the closest DMC thread automatically. From there you can trim the color count, turn on backstitch for faces or text, and export a PDF with a symbol grid and DMC legend. No design software or stitching experience needed to get a usable first chart.

What is a DMC pattern maker?

A DMC pattern maker converts an image into a stitch chart where every color corresponds to a specific DMC six-strand embroidery floss. DMC is the most widely stocked floss brand, so a DMC-matched chart is easy to shop for anywhere. This generator matches against all 489 solid DMC colors with CIEDE2000 accuracy and exports printable charts with per-color skein estimates — a generic pattern generator, by contrast, picks colors from an arbitrary palette or a nearest-RGB match, which is not immediately shoppable.

Can I make a cross-stitch pattern from text or a name?

Yes, but from a different tool. Photo conversion is what this page does; for lettering — quotes, names, monograms, initials, and full alphabet charts — use the Cross-Stitch Text Generator, which handles all of them with pixel fonts and adjustable letter spacing. It outputs DMC-matched counted charts with the same PNG and PDF export options as a photo pattern.

Does this work for DMC diamond painting codes too?

Yes — diamond painting drill codes use the same DMC numbers. The DMC matching engine is shared across every ArtPatt generator, so use the Diamond Painting Pattern Generator for DMC-numbered drill charts with per-color drill quantity estimates, or the Pet Portrait generator for animal photos. The chart format changes per craft; the DMC matching does not.

Is this a free counted cross-stitch pattern maker online?

Yes. Free tier: 1 fully editable pattern project with no account required, a full browser preview, full DMC color matching, confetti reduction, and backstitch. Pro ($6.99/month or $59.99/year): unlimited patterns, HD PNG, full PDF with DMC legend and numbered grid pages, advanced image controls.

Example pattern generated by ArtPatt — Cross Stitch

Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker
From Any Photo

Turn any picture into a counted chart with DMC thread numbers, symbols and skein counts — free to make.

Choose a photoor drop it here

What You Get from One Photo

This is the chart ArtPatt made from the photo above: 60 × 60 cross-stitch chart in 14 colors.

A DMC number for every color
Colors are matched to 489 DMC threads, so the legend doubles as your shopping list.
A symbol in every cell
The printed chart runs across pages with numbered rows and columns and overlapping edges, so you never lose your place.
Skeins counted for you
Each color's stitches are worked out into how much thread to buy.

Color legend from this chart

DMC 72810 skeins
DMC 9774 skeins
DMC 4344 skeins
DMC 9764 skeins
DMC 7423 skeins
DMC 4003 skeins

+ 8 more colors in the full legend

From Chart to Finished Cross-stitch

The same few squares, as they sit on the chart and as they look once worked.

On the chart

One square, one color, one symbol
Rows and columns are numbered in the PDF

Stitched on Aida

Each square of the chart is one X over one Aida square
Colors are DMC threads you can buy anywhere
The fabric shows between stitches, just like here

How Big Will It Be on 14-Count Aida?

14-count Aida fits 14 stitches in every inch. These are ArtPatt charts of the same photo at three common frame sizes — more stitches, more detail.

13 × 18 cm · 5 × 7 in
70 × 98 stitches — pets, logos, a first project
20 × 25 cm · 8 × 10 in
112 × 140 stitches — most portraits
28 × 36 cm · 11 × 14 in
154 × 196 stitches — detailed faces, heirloom pieces

13 × 18 cm: 70 × 98 stitches — pets, logos, a first project
20 × 25 cm: 112 × 140 stitches — most portraits
28 × 36 cm: 154 × 196 stitches — detailed faces, heirloom pieces

On 18-count the same chart comes out about a fifth smaller; on 11-count about a quarter bigger. The generator shows the finished size for every fabric count as you change it.

How it works

Upload an image

Portraits, pets, landscapes or logos. Clear photos with good contrast work best.

Choose a fabric count

14-count is standard, 18-count packs more detail into less space. The finished size updates as you go.

Tune colors and outlines

15–25 colors suit most designs. Turn on backstitch for outlines and faces.

Print the chart

The PDF lists every DMC number with its symbol and skeins to buy, then the grid page by page with backstitch lines.

What Makes This Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker Different

Color matching, cleanup, stitch planning, and export tools in one browser-based workflow.

CIEDE2000 DMC Matching

CIEDE2000 measures perceived color difference more accurately than simple RGB distance. ArtPatt uses it to compare image colors with its 489-color solid DMC reference palette, while keeping every match editable.

Automatic Backstitch

Backstitch can clarify faces, text, and shapes that color fills alone do not define. Edge detection suggests adjustable outlines from the original image, which appear in the canvas preview and supported exports.

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.

Convert a Photo to a Cross-Stitch Pattern, Free

Looking for a free program that turns pictures into cross-stitch patterns? This is one, and there is nothing to install: upload an image on your phone or computer and the converter gives you a counted chart with DMC thread numbers, symbols and the finished size. Your first pattern is free to make and edit without an account.

Cross-stitch pattern maker, generator, converter or creator — they all mean the same thing: software that turns a picture into a grid you can stitch from. The difference is in the details a usable chart needs: a palette of real DMC threads, few isolated confetti stitches, and symbols that stay readable when printed.

Backstitch for Clearer Edges

Backstitch defines eyes, lettering and outlines that would otherwise melt into the colors next to them. The maker suggests backstitch lines from the edges in your picture; review them and adjust the sensitivity before you print.

What a DMC Pattern Maker Actually Does

A DMC pattern maker is the software layer between a photograph and a stitchable chart. It reduces the image to a grid at the size you choose, clusters the colors in the image into a limited palette, matches each cluster to the closest DMC six-strand floss, and emits a chart with DMC numbers, symbols, and a legend. Because DMC is the most widely stocked floss brand, a DMC-matched chart is shoppable anywhere in the world.

The hard part is not the pixelation — any tool can pixelate an image. The hard part is the matching. DMC's 489 solid colors are not spread evenly across color space: there are far more shades of pink and green than of pure blue, and the perceptual distance between two DMC reds is nothing like the RGB distance between their hex values. Naive RGB matching, still used by the cheaper tools, produces palettes that band on skin tones and collapse dark areas into near-duplicate shades.

That is why this generator matches with CIEDE2000 rather than RGB distance, then applies confetti reduction at the grid level and an optional backstitch overlay. The result is a DMC chart you can stitch without constantly switching between two numbers that look identical on the fabric.

A Free Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker That Runs in the Browser

ArtPatt is a cross-stitch pattern maker that runs entirely in the browser. There is nothing to install and no signup is needed to generate a full-size counted chart from your photo — it works on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops alike.

Most traditional pattern-maker software takes a different shape. PCStitch and WinStitch ship for Windows only, StitchFiddle gates photo conversion behind a paid plan, and several of the free browser tools still match colors with naive RGB distance, which falls apart on portraits and dark shades. Running in the browser with CIEDE2000 matching removes both the platform problem and the accuracy problem at once.

Cross-Stitch Pattern Generator FAQ

Turn Your Photo into a Cross-Stitch Pattern

Preview a counted DMC chart with symbols, backstitch, and thread estimates before downloading.

Create My Cross-Stitch Pattern

Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker
From Any Photo

What You Get from One Photo