Pet portrait cross stitch pattern maker

Tips for pet portrait patterns

Pet portraits are the most popular custom cross stitch project — and the easiest to get right if you pick the photo carefully. Choose a picture taken at your pet's eye level, in soft daylight, where the eyes are sharp and the fur color stands out from the background.

Fur is full of tiny color variation that turns into "confetti" — scattered single stitches that are slow and fiddly to stitch. This page starts with strong confetti removal, which merges isolated stitches into their neighbours while keeping eyes, nose and markings crisp.

For a dark-coated pet, raise brightness slightly so the converter can separate shades of black and brown; for white pets, lower it a little so fur shadows don't disappear into the fabric. A single highlight stitch in each eye makes a portrait come alive — if the converter removed it, add it back by hand with white (B5200).

Recommended settings

• Use a photo at eye level with sharp eyes
• Strong confetti removal suits fur
• Black pets: +10 brightness; white pets: −10
• Leave the background unstitched for a modern look

How to make a cross stitch pattern from a photo

1. Add your photo. Click Upload photo, drag a file onto the preview, or paste with Ctrl/⌘+V. JPG, PNG, WebP and HEIC (where supported) work.
2. Set size and colors. Choose the width in stitches and the maximum number of DMC colors. The finished size updates for the fabric you pick.
3. Clean up. Keep Remove confetti on Light or Strong, adjust brightness or contrast, and click colors in the floss list to leave them unstitched.
4. Print or save. Click Print / Save PDF for a cover page with floss list plus numbered symbol chart pages, or download a PNG chart.

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