Convert a Photo to a Cross Stitch Pattern

To turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern, start with a clear, well-lit picture and crop it to the subject you want to stitch. This free converter resizes the photo to a stitch grid, matches each region to the closest DMC floss color, and draws a symbol chart you can follow square by square. A smaller stitch width gives a quicker project; a larger one keeps more detail. Before you commit, look at the estimated finished size for your fabric count—at 14 count, 140 stitches is about 10 inches wide. Beginners do well with 80–150 stitches and 20–30 colors, while detailed portraits can go past 250 stitches. Because the whole process runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded and you can re-edit and re-export as many times as you like.

A good cross stitch chart is less about the photo and more about the chart you follow. This generator gives you both a color preview and a symbol chart where every used color has its own symbol, so you never rely on color alone. Edit the chart by repainting a wrong stitch, or merge a color you barely used into a neighbor to simplify the project. The color key lists each DMC number, its symbol, and the exact stitch count, which also tells you roughly how much floss to buy. For big patterns, the paginated PDF splits the chart across A4 or Letter pages with page coordinates, so the pieces line up when you tape them together. Everything stays free to generate, edit and export.