A Pic2Pat Alternative for Charts You Can Edit
Pic2Pat is a good free way to turn a photo into a cross stitch PDF. When the result needs more than a brightness slider, or you stitch more than cross stitch, ArtPatt is the alternative: the same photo-to-chart idea with a stitch editor, backstitch and patterns for other crafts.
Why stitchers look past Pic2Pat
You want to fix the chart, not only the photo
Pic2Pat adjusts the picture before conversion. ArtPatt lets you change the chart itself: repaint single stitches, recolour a thread everywhere at once, merge shades that are nearly the same and keep only the floss you already own.
Faces and pets need outlines
ArtPatt draws backstitch along eyes, whiskers, lettering and edges, so small details survive at stitch size. Pic2Pat has no backstitch.
Fewer lonely stitches
Instead of one on/off switch, ArtPatt has four confetti-reduction levels and shows what share of the chart is isolated stitches, so you can see the trade-off before you print.
Other crafts from the same photo
Pic2Pat makes cross stitch charts. ArtPatt makes patterns for 16 crafts, including diamond painting with drill counts, needlepoint, C2C and tapestry crochet, Fair Isle knitting and Perler beads.
Pic2Pat and ArtPatt compared
- Price of the PDF
- Pic2Pat: Free
- ArtPatt: Free to make and preview; PDF $2.99 per pattern or Pro $6.99/month
- Crafts
- Pic2Pat: Cross stitch
- ArtPatt: 16 crafts: cross stitch, diamond painting, crochet, knitting, needlepoint and more
- Thread colours
- Pic2Pat: 2 to 150 colours, thread brand picker
- ArtPatt: 489 solid DMC colours, every match editable
- Editing the chart
- Pic2Pat: Photo sliders (brightness, contrast, hue) and single-stitch cleanup
- ArtPatt: Stitch-by-stitch editor, recolour, merge colours, use only the threads you own
- Backstitch outlines
- Pic2Pat: Not offered
- ArtPatt: Automatic backstitch for faces, text and outlines
- Confetti control
- Pic2Pat: Remove single stitches on or off
- ArtPatt: Four confetti-reduction levels with the confetti percentage shown
- Skein list
- Pic2Pat: Yes
- ArtPatt: Yes, per DMC colour
- Buy the materials
- Pic2Pat: Floss and fabric kit shipped from the Netherlands
- ArtPatt: No, bring your own floss
- Track your stitching
- Pic2Pat: No
- ArtPatt: Row tracker in the browser and a Pattern Keeper-compatible PDF (Pro)
- Languages
- Pic2Pat: 20 languages
- ArtPatt: English
| Feature | Pic2Pat | ArtPatt |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the PDF | Free | Free to make and preview; PDF $2.99 per pattern or Pro $6.99/month |
| Crafts | Cross stitch | 16 crafts: cross stitch, diamond painting, crochet, knitting, needlepoint and more |
| Thread colours | 2 to 150 colours, thread brand picker | 489 solid DMC colours, every match editable |
| Editing the chart | Photo sliders (brightness, contrast, hue) and single-stitch cleanup | Stitch-by-stitch editor, recolour, merge colours, use only the threads you own |
| Backstitch outlines | Not offered | Automatic backstitch for faces, text and outlines |
| Confetti control | Remove single stitches on or off | Four confetti-reduction levels with the confetti percentage shown |
| Skein list | Yes | Yes, per DMC colour |
| Buy the materials | Floss and fabric kit shipped from the Netherlands | No, bring your own floss |
| Track your stitching | No | Row tracker in the browser and a Pattern Keeper-compatible PDF (Pro) |
| Languages | 20 languages | English |
Pic2Pat details checked on pic2pat.com in October 2026. See the ArtPatt pricing for what each plan includes.
Other Pic2Pat alternatives
Stitch Fiddle is an online chart editor for cross stitch, crochet, knitting, diamond painting and other grid crafts, built around drawing and editing charts by hand.
PCStitch and WinStitch / MacStitch are paid desktop programs for designers who publish and sell patterns. They have the deepest editing tools and the steepest learning curve.
ArtPatt sits between the two: it starts from your photo like Pic2Pat, runs in the browser on a phone or computer, and gives you editing tools when the conversion needs help.