How to make a cross stitch pattern from a photo
Updated October 31, 2026
A photo becomes a cross stitch pattern by shrinking it to a grid, where every square is one stitch, and matching each square to a real thread color. The software does the matching. The choices that decide whether the result looks good are yours: which photo, how many stitches, and how many colors.
Try it with your own photo. Free, in your browser.
Open the cross stitch maker1. Choose a photo that will survive the grid
A pattern has far fewer pixels than a photo. A 100-stitch-wide chart keeps about one dot for every 30 to 40 pixels across a phone photo, so small details disappear first.
- One clear subject that fills most of the frame: a pet's face, a house, a single flower.
- Even daylight. Harsh shadows turn into dark blotches, and dim photos turn muddy.
- A plain background, or one you are happy to leave unstitched.
- Crop tightly before you upload. Every stitch spent on background is a stitch not spent on the subject.
2. Decide the size in stitches
Width in stitches controls both detail and finished size. Faces need room: below about 70 stitches wide, eyes become a single stitch and expressions get lost. Pets and portraits look good from 80 to 150 stitches wide.
Divide the stitch count by the fabric count to get inches. On 14-count Aida, 14 stitches make one inch.
| Stitches wide | 14-count | 16-count | 18-count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 5.7 in | 5.0 in | 4.4 in |
| 120 | 8.6 in | 7.5 in | 6.7 in |
| 160 | 11.4 in | 10.0 in | 8.9 in |
3. Limit the colors
Every extra color is another thread to buy and another change of needle. Most good photo patterns use 20 to 30 DMC colors. Cartoons, logos and pixel art need 6 to 12.
Start with fewer colors than you think, then add colors only where the preview looks flat, usually in skin, fur and sky.
4. Clean up stray stitches
Photos produce “confetti”: single stitches of a color surrounded by another. They take as long to stitch as a whole block and barely change the picture. Turn on the cleanup setting, then check the eyes and edges in the chart view to make sure nothing important was removed.
5. Read the color key and buy thread
The color key lists each DMC number with its symbol and stitch count. A standard 8 m skein covers roughly 1,600 full stitches with 2 strands on 14-count Aida. Buy one extra skein of the colors you use most, since dye lots can differ.
Print the chart pages at 100% scale. Each page shows its row and column numbers, and the bold line every 10 stitches helps you keep your place.
When to use the AI cleanup
If your photo is busy, dark or blurry, use “Redraw photo” before making the pattern. It redraws the picture as a clean illustration that keeps the subject's colors and markings, so the chart needs fewer colors and has far less confetti.
Make yours now
Upload a photo of your pet, your family or a favourite place. You get a stitchable chart matched to real DMC floss, with symbols, a thread list and how many skeins to buy.
Open the cross stitch maker