Turn any photo into a cross stitch pattern

A photo-to-chart converter that gives you a stitchable pattern

Most “AI” tools either describe cross stitch or generate a pretty picture of it — but a picture is not a pattern. To actually stitch, you need a grid where every cell maps to a specific thread you can buy, a symbol you can follow row by row, and a count of how much floss to order. That is exactly what Samplerly produces: a cross stitch pattern maker that converts a photo into a real, countable chart you can sit down and stitch.

How Samplerly turns a photo into a chart

The conversion is deterministic, not guesswork. First your photo is reduced to a stitch grid — one pixel becomes one stitch. The most representative colors are chosen with a median-cut algorithm, and each one is snapped to the nearest color in the real DMC cotton floss range using perceptual CIELAB color matching — the same way your eye judges color, rather than raw RGB numbers a chat model invented. The result is a chart whose colors correspond to threads on the shelf, with a symbol assigned to each one and a running count of how many stitches it needs.

Choosing the right photo

The photo you start with matters more than any setting. A clear subject against a simple background reads far better than a busy scene, and even lighting keeps colors from turning to mud. Portraits and pets work beautifully but want a larger grid so faces and eyes have room; logos and graphic images stitch fast because they already use flat blocks of color. For a full walkthrough by subject — faces, pets, landscapes, text — see the guide on converting a photo into a cross stitch pattern.

How many colors should your pattern use?

The colors slider caps how many DMC flosses your chart uses. Fewer colors stitch faster, cost less in thread, and give a bold, graphic look; more colors capture gradients and skin tones but add “confetti” — lots of single isolated stitches that are slow to work. A good middle ground for most photos is 15–25 colors.

Aida count and finished size

Your chart’s stitch count is fixed, but its physical size depends on the fabric you stitch it on. Aida cloth is sold by count — the number of stitches per inch — so the same design is bigger on 11-count and smaller on 18-count. The formula is simply finished inches = stitches ÷ count. Samplerly shows this for your chosen count as you work; here is how a 100-stitch-wide design lands on common fabrics:

New to fabric counts? The aida count and fabric sizes guide has a full chart for every count, how much fabric to cut, and which count suits beginners.

What you get

• A color or symbol chart you can read on screen or print — with bold gridlines every ten stitches, just like a published pattern.
• A floss list with each DMC number, color name, stitch count, and a skein estimate, so you can order thread in one go.
• The finished dimensions for your chosen Aida count, in inches and centimeters.

Once you have your chart, the guide to reading a cross stitch pattern walks through symbols, the floss key, where to start, and how to work full and fractional stitches.

Tips for a clean pattern

• Start with contrast. A clear subject against a simple background reads far better than a busy scene.
• Match colors to effort. Fewer colors stitch faster and cost less floss; more colors capture gradients and skin tones.
• Size to your fabric. The same stitch count is bigger on 11-count Aida and smaller on 18-count — use the finished-size readout to plan your hoop.
• Turn on dithering for photos with smooth gradients like skies and portraits; leave it off for flat, graphic images.