Photo mosaics in 1×1 pieces make striking wall art, and they are a project the whole family can build. This tool handles the planning: it reduces your photo to a grid of generic brick colours, counts every piece and splits the picture into 32 × 32 baseplates.
How it works
- Choose a photo. Pick, drop or paste a picture; nothing leaves your device.
- Set width and colours. Width in pieces (16 to 192) and a maximum number of colours from 45 generic shades.
- Choose your pieces. Studded plates, flat tiles or round pieces in the advanced options.
- Download. A PDF with piece counts, numbered chart pages with bold lines every 16 pieces, plus PNG, SVG and a CSV list.
Tips for a great brick mosaic from a photo
Crop to the face. Mosaics are low resolution compared with a photo. For a portrait, crop so the face fills most of the frame; a full-length picture at 48 pieces wide leaves the face only a dozen pieces across.
Choose a width that fills baseplates. 32, 64 and 96 pieces wide fill whole baseplates neatly. 48 works too and spans one and a half plates.
Boost contrast. Bricks are flat colour with no texture to suggest detail, so a little extra contrast and saturation before converting often makes features read better. Try +10 to +20 on each.
Remove the background. A plain background makes the subject pop and saves pieces. Remove it in the advanced options, then fill the empty area with one colour in the editor, or leave the baseplate showing.
Use confetti cleanup. Single pieces of a lone colour scattered across the face are hard to place and look like noise. Light or Medium cleanup tidies them without flattening eyes and highlights.
Mind the greys. Photos often convert to many similar greys and browns. Merge the ones you cannot tell apart; your build will be quicker and your order simpler.
Building it
Sort pieces by colour first, then build each baseplate from its top-left corner one row at a time, following the numbered rows on the chart. Track finished rows in the stitch tracker.
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
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The mosaic is calculated in your browser and the photo stays on your device.
How big will the mosaic be?
Each piece is 8 mm, so multiply the width by 0.8 cm. A 64-piece-wide mosaic is about 51 cm, which is two 32 × 32 baseplates across.
How many colours should I use?
Twelve to twenty suits most portraits; graphic subjects need fewer. The palette has 45 generic shades, so you can go higher, but each colour is another set of pieces to source.
Are the colours real brick colours?
They are our own generic shades with descriptive names, chosen to resemble colours commonly available as 1×1 pieces. They are not official colours of any brand; confirm availability before you buy.
Can I see what it will look like?
Yes. The realistic view renders each square as a 1×1 piece. In the advanced options you can switch between studded plates, flat tiles and round pieces.
Can I make it in fuse beads instead?
Yes. Switch craft with one tap; the same grid becomes a fuse bead pattern with bead colours and pegboard counts.
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