Bead weaving from a photo is tricky: ordinary pattern makers use square grids, but peyote and brick stitch sit on offset grids. This tool converts your photo onto the real offset grid, so the chart, the preview and the word chart match the beadwork in your hands.
How it works
- Choose a photo. Pick, drop or paste an image; it stays on your device.
- Set width and colours. Width in beads and a maximum number of colours from 66 generic cylinder bead shades.
- Choose the stitch. Peyote for bands and cuffs, or brick stitch for earrings and pendants, in the advanced options.
- Download. A PDF with bead counts and grams, offset chart pages and the full word chart, plus PNG, SVG and a CSV list.
Tips for a great peyote pattern from a photo
Choose a subject for a narrow band. Bracelets are long and thin. Crop the photo to a horizontal strip, such as a skyline, a row of flowers or a landscape, and the cuff will show the whole scene as it wraps the wrist. Portrait photos work better as wider panels or pendants.
Keep colours few and distinct. At 1.3 mm per bead, subtle shades vanish. Six to ten colours with good contrast give a crisper picture than twenty similar ones, and every colour is another tube of beads to buy.
Clean up isolated beads. Single beads of a lone colour are easy to miss when you are following a word chart. Medium confetti cleanup keeps edges and highlights but removes most of them.
Mind the aspect ratio. Peyote beads stand taller than they are wide, so the converter accounts for the bead shape. If you switch between peyote and brick stitch, the picture is resampled for the new bead orientation.
Preview the beadwork. The realistic view draws cylinder beads in their offset positions. Zoom out until the preview is about bracelet size on screen to judge how it will look worn.
Think about the clasp. Leave a few plain rows at each end of a bracelet for a clasp, a zip-up join or a toggle loop.
Before you start beading
Print the PDF or keep the word chart on a tablet, and mark rows off in the stitch tracker, where you can highlight one colour at a time.
What you get
| Sizes | 6–120 beads wide from a photo; editor up to 2,000 × 2,000 |
|---|---|
| Colours | 2–30, matched by CIEDE2000 colour difference |
| Palettes | Generic cylinder beads |
| 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 chart is made in your browser and the photo never leaves your device.
How is the offset grid handled?
In peyote every other column is drawn half a bead lower, exactly as the beads sit; in brick stitch every other row is shifted half a bead sideways. The chart, the bead preview, the PDF and the editor all draw the real offset grid, and the photo is sampled at the true bead proportions.
What size should a peyote bracelet chart be?
Width is the number of beads across the band, often 10 to 20 for a cuff. Height is the length: with 1.6 mm per bead along the columns, a 17 cm bracelet is about 106 beads long, plus the clasp.
What beads does it plan for?
11/0 cylinder beads, in our own 66 generic shades. Bead counts come with a weight estimate at about 190 beads per gram.
Does it make a word chart?
Yes. The first rows appear under the chart and the PDF has the full word chart, starting with Rows 1 & 2 for peyote, so you can follow it without counting columns.
Can I switch to brick stitch after converting?
Yes. Choose Brick stitch in the advanced options and the same design is redrawn on the offset-row grid with its own word chart.
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