Photo to Stitch is a free photo to cross stitch pattern maker. It
turns a photograph into a counted cross stitch chart you can
actually buy thread for and stitch from.
Choose a picture, decide how many stitches across and how many
colours, and the chart is built in front of you: a symbol for every
square, and a key that names the real DMC thread for each
one. Every colour in the chart is matched to the nearest thread in
DMC's solid range, so the key reads DMC 310 Black, not a
colour code you would have to guess at in the shop.
The chart is made to be used in cross stitch apps, not only
printed. Those apps need a symbol, a DMC colour code, a colour name
and a swatch for every thread, laid out the way they expect. The PDF
and OXS from here carry all of that, so a chart made here opens in
them ready to stitch from and to count as you go.
Nothing is uploaded. The picture is read by your own browser and
never leaves this computer.
What you can do
Start. Click Choose a picture or drop a photo
anywhere on the page. The last picture you used is remembered on
this computer, so it is still here when you come back.
Size. Stitches across sets the width, from 20 to
400; the height follows the shape of the photo. The finished size
on 14-count Aida is printed on the PDF cover.
Colours. Sets the most threads to use, from 2 to 44. Fewer
is quicker and cheaper; more keeps the detail. You will often get
fewer than you asked for, because two colours that land on the same
DMC thread become one — one skein cannot be two symbols.
DMC threads. Each colour is matched to the closest of DMC's
454 solid threads, judged by how the eye sees colour rather than by
raw numbers, so dark tones in a photo do not turn into the wrong
thread. The key shows, for every thread: its symbol, a swatch, the
DMC number and DMC's own name, and how many stitches it covers.
The commonest thread is at the top.
Looking at it. Symbols is the chart as it prints.
Both puts the thread colour behind each symbol. Colour
is the design on its own. Cotton and Satin show it as
if stitched in that floss on Aida. Tick Counting numbers for
a count every ten stitches along the edges.
One thread at a time. Click a thread in the key, or a square
on the chart, and every stitch of that thread is picked out in
yellow. Click again, or Show all, to go back.
Getting close. The + and − buttons or
Ctrl+wheel zoom. Fit shows the whole chart. Drag to move
around a big one.
Taking it away. Downloads are free for everyone, with no
account and no sign-up. You get:
PDF — a cover with the finished size and stitch
count, then a key listing every thread with its symbol, DMC
number, name and colour, then the chart across as many A4 pages
as it takes. Neighbouring pages overlap by five stitches and
count in tens along all four edges. It is written the way cross
stitch apps expect. Colour behind the symbols
adds the thread colour to every square.
PNG — the whole chart as one picture, in whichever
view is on screen.
OXS — Open XStitch, the file cross stitch programs
read, with the same DMC numbers, names and symbols, so the chart
can be opened and edited there.
Stitching it. Every square is one full cross stitch in two
strands. The stitch count, the number of threads and the finished
size on 14-count Aida are all on the cover.
Common questions
Is Photo to Stitch free? Yes. Making a chart and
downloading it as a PDF, PNG or OXS file is free, as many times
as you like.
Do I need an account or a passcode? No. There is no
sign-up, no login and no passcode. Open the page, choose a photo
and download the pattern.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere? No. The picture is read by
your own browser and never leaves your device.
Which thread colours does the pattern use? Every colour is
matched to the nearest of DMC's 454 solid threads, and the key
lists each one by DMC number and name.