Mosaic design is pixel art with real pieces, and sometimes the best mosaics are drawn rather than converted. The editor gives you a stud grid with baseplate guides, generic brick colours and live piece counts.
How it works
- Start a grid or open a file. Choose the size in studs, or open a .cpat, OXS, CraftPatterns PDF or a picture.
- Pick colours. Search 45 generic shades by name or family, or match any colour with the colour well.
- Draw. Pencil, eraser, fill, picker, lines, rectangles and mirroring, with unlimited undo.
- Export. PDF plan with piece counts, PNG, SVG, CSV list or a .cpat project.
Tips for designing brick mosaics
Design to the baseplate. Make the canvas a multiple of 32 studs, or 16 if you use smaller plates. Bold lines every 16 studs show where plates meet so you can keep important details, such as an eye, away from seams.
Fix the conversion’s weak spots. After converting a photo, look at eyes, mouths and edges. A single dark piece for a pupil and a clean outline often make the difference between a blur and a likeness.
Swap to colours you own. Building from a collection? Replace any colour you lack with the nearest one you have; the counts update immediately, and the realistic view shows whether the swap works.
Use mirroring for logos and patterns. Symmetrical designs such as hearts, shields, flowers and geometric tiles come out perfectly balanced when you draw one half with mirroring on.
Mix flat colour areas with texture. Large single-colour areas can look plain. A subtle two-colour dither in a sky or background adds interest without adding detail.
When you are ready to build
Print the PDF, sort pieces by colour, and build each baseplate row by row from its top-left corner. The stitch tracker works for mosaics too: tick off rows as you place them.
What you get
| Sizes | 16–192 pieces wide from a photo; editor up to 2,000 × 2,000 |
|---|---|
| Colours | 2–45, matched by CIEDE2000 colour difference |
| Palettes | Generic bricks |
| Downloads | PDF (cover, colour key, numbered chart pages, optional colour pages), PNG, SVG, shopping list CSV, .cpat project |
| Files accepted | JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, AVIF, iPhone HEIC; .cpat and OXS patterns; PDFs made by CraftPatterns |
| Privacy | Runs in your browser. Images are never uploaded. |
| Price | Free — no sign-up, no watermark |
How it compares with other free tools
What you can expect here, every time — no tiers, no trial.
| Free printable PDF | Yes, with no watermark |
|---|---|
| Sign-up needed | No |
| Image uploaded to a server | No — processed on your device |
| Editor | Yes — pencil, fill, line, rectangle, mirror, undo |
| Progress tracker | Yes — free, works offline |
| Switch the same pattern to another craft | Yes — one tap |
Frequently asked questions
Can I swap a colour I do not have?
Yes. Select the colour in the key and use Replace to change it everywhere to another shade, or Merge to fold it into a colour already in the mosaic.
How large can a mosaic be?
The editor grid goes up to 2,000 × 2,000 pieces. Bold lines every 16 studs show half and whole baseplate boundaries.
Can I import pixel art?
Yes. Drop a PNG into the editor and turn on Preserve exact colours in the photo tool, or draw it in the pixel art editor and switch craft to brick mosaic.
Is my work saved?
It autosaves to your browser. Download a .cpat file now and then as a backup.
Which shortcuts are available?
B pencil, E eraser, G fill, I colour picker, L line, R rectangle, H and V mirroring, 1 to 9 for colours, X for the next colour and Ctrl or Cmd with Z to undo.
Does the editor show how the mosaic will look?
Yes. The realistic view shows studded plates, flat tiles or round pieces, chosen in the advanced options.
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