Palettes: DMC · 40–400 drills wide · up to 120 colours
Free diamond painting patterns to start with
Diamond painting and custom designs
Diamond painting is a relaxing craft where you press tiny resin drills, one per square, onto an adhesive canvas printed with symbols. Each symbol stands for a drill colour, and as you fill the canvas a sparkly mosaic picture appears. Kits come with a canvas and pre-counted drills, but many people want to make a painting of their own photo: a wedding picture, a family pet, a favourite view.
These tools are for exactly that. They turn your photo into a symbol chart with a colour key, a drill count per colour and a finished size, so you can order drills, plan a project, or prepare a custom design for printing. Your photo stays in your browser throughout.
Choosing size, colours and drills
Size. Diamond paintings are usually larger than cross stitch pieces with the same detail, because each drill is a few millimetres across. The default of 160 drills wide is about 40 cm in square drills. For a portrait where faces need to be recognisable, aim for at least 120 drills across; for a big landscape, 250 or more gives plenty of room. Widths from 40 to 400 are supported.
Drill shape. Square drills (2.5 mm) fit together without gaps and suit photo-realistic designs. Round drills (2.8 mm) are forgiving and quick to place, with more visible sparkle between them. The shape affects the finished size, so pick it before you plan the frame.
Colours. Diamond painting tolerates, and often benefits from, more colours than most crafts. Forty is the default and a good starting point. Fewer colours make a bolder, more graphic image; more colours give smoother skin tones and skies. Each colour is labelled with a DMC® drill number, the numbering most drill suppliers use.
How the tools help
The photo to diamond painting tool is the heart of this section. Choose a photo, set the width and colour limit, and you get a symbol chart, a realistic view of placed drills, and a stitchability score with practical tips. Brightness, contrast and saturation sliders help a dull photo before conversion, and cropping lets you focus on the subject. The guide to making a diamond painting from a photo goes deeper into choosing and preparing images.
The text tool makes lettered pieces such as names, dates or short phrases, with optional borders, which work well as small gifts or as an addition to a larger picture.
The editor lets you clean up stray drills, replace one colour with another, or merge two shades that look the same in practice.
Downloads include a PDF with a cover page, a colour key with drill counts and symbols, and symbol chart pages that overlap slightly so you do not lose your place between pages. Drill counts include 10 percent spare. The CSV shopping list makes ordering drills straightforward.
Common mistakes
- Using a low-resolution or blurry photo. The chart can only be as clear as the picture. Choose a sharp, well-lit image.
- Going too small. A detailed photo squeezed into 80 drills loses faces and edges. Allow enough width for the subject.
- Choosing the wrong drill shape. Square and round drills give different finished sizes; set the one you will actually buy.
- Ordering exactly the counted drills. Some go missing. The 10 percent spare is there for a reason, and many makers add more for the biggest colours.
- Leaving a busy background. Crop tightly or simplify the background so the subject stands out.
Getting started
- Pick a sharp photo with a clear subject and good lighting.
- Open the photo tool, crop to the part you want, and choose square or round drills.
- Set the width to fit your intended frame and start with around 40 colours.
- Compare the Chart and Realistic views, and tidy anything odd in the editor.
- Download the PDF and CSV, order your drills by DMC® number, and keep the chart beside your canvas as you work.
Diamond painting guides
Frequently asked questions
Why are diamond painting drills numbered with DMC codes?
Most diamond painting drills are sold under DMC® colour numbers, borrowed from the embroidery thread range, so the same numbers make it easy to buy replacement or extra drills. The charts here use that numbering. It is a colour reference, not a sign of any connection with the thread brand.
Should I choose square or round drills?
Square drills (2.5 mm) sit edge to edge and give a smooth, almost mosaic-like finish, which suits detailed photos. Round drills (2.8 mm) are quicker and easier to place and give a sparkly, slightly textured look. Pick the setting that matches the drills you plan to buy.
How big will my diamond painting be?
Multiply the number of drills across by the drill size. The default 160 drills wide is about 40 cm in square drills or about 45 cm in round. The finished size appears on the cover page of the PDF.
Why does the drill count include extra drills?
Drills are tiny and easy to lose or drop, and some bags contain the odd misshapen one. The count adds 10 percent to each colour so you are not stuck one short near the end.
How many colours should a custom diamond painting have?
Diamond paintings often use more colours than other crafts, because the drills are small and the sparkle hides blending. Somewhere between 30 and 60 colours suits most photos; you can choose 5 to 120, with 40 as the default.
Does the tool print the canvas itself?
No. It produces a printable symbol chart, colour key and drill counts as a PDF. If you want a pre-printed adhesive canvas, you would need a printing service; many makers instead use the chart to fill a blank or plan a partial drill design.
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