Upload a photo and get a counted cross stitch chart in seconds — matched to real DMC floss, with a symbol for every colour and an estimate of how many skeins to buy. Set the size and colour count, fix it stitch by stitch, then download.
01
A photo, a drawing, a logo — JPG, PNG or WebP. Simple images with clear shapes make the best charts.
02
Set the width in stitches and how many DMC colours to use. Fewer colours means fewer thread changes; more keeps the shading.
03
Tidy stray stitches with the brush and colour-replace tools, pick your fabric count to see the finished size, then export the chart.
Every stitch is matched to the nearest of 489 DMC floss colours, so the key is a shopping list you can take to any craft shop.
One symbol per colour and heavy lines every ten stitches — readable on screen and on a black-and-white printout.
The finished size for 11, 14, 16 or 18 count Aida, updated as you switch.
How many skeins of each colour to buy, allowing for tails and travel on the back.
Brush, eraser, magic wand, colour replace and undo to clear stray stitches before you start.
Export the chart with its symbol key, DMC numbers, stitch counts and skeins.
Aida is counted in stitches per inch, so the same 100-stitch chart is about 23 cm wide on 11 count and 14 cm on 18 count. 14 count is the usual start: large enough to see comfortably, fine enough for detail. Decide the finished size you want and the width in stitches follows from it.
Every colour is another skein to buy and another thread change. Portraits look good with 20–30 colours, simple designs with 6–12. Merge colours used for only a few stitches — they rarely show. Look up any DMC number and its bead equivalents in the DMC colour chart.
Each symbol stands for one DMC colour, and the key lists them with stitch counts and skeins. The heavy lines every ten stitches make counting easier — find the centre and work outwards. The same design also works as a diamond painting or a fuse bead pattern.
How the same chart changes size on each common Aida count.
| Fabric | Stitches per cm | 100 × 100 stitches | Usual strands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 ct | 4.3 | 23.1 × 23.1 cm | 3 strands |
| 14 ct | 5.5 | 18.1 × 18.1 cm | 2 strands |
| 16 ct | 6.3 | 15.9 × 15.9 cm | 2 strands |
| 18 ct | 7.1 | 14.1 × 14.1 cm | 1–2 strands |
Background reading from outside Bitbead.